Mohammed Khalil

The place is Arish in northern Sinai, and the attack was a terrorist attack that killed five Egyptians last Saturday. But it is interesting not to find an echo of the incident in the local media, unlike the usual, what is the truth?

Arab and international media published the news, including the Turkish Anatolia news agency and the site "Russia Today" in Arabic, but Egyptian sites ignored the news almost completely.

According to Anatolia, no official statement was issued on the incident, but the official Egyptian news agency published a report on a Bahraini statement of condemnation referring to the incident, without details.

Therefore, it was normal for Egyptians to resort to social media, asking questions about why this incident, which took place near Al-Arish airport, was the result of the deaths of ordinary civilian workers and the absence of the authority to honor the victims and their families when they are of a certain category.


Two days after the incident, nothing changed in the Egyptian media. If you look at the word Al-Arish, you will find an orphan story in the government newspaper Al-Gomhouria about the obituary of the Future of a Nation party in the Martyrs of Magris who were martyred in El Arish. Workers workers to work in Sinai.

If you decide to research in specific media, on the site of the famous "seventh day" will find only news about the coast of El Arish and night until midnight on the clear sand. On the site of "Al-Watan" you will find news about "new services in El Arish and the completion of suspended projects", while in the site "Mabtada" - which is said to be affiliated to the sovereign - a dialogue with the captain of doctors El Arish says that "terrorism confined to the Sinai thanks to security efforts" .

Beginning of the story

In recent years, the "terrorist" attacks have become frequent in the Sinai and have been present at intervals in other locations in Egypt, despite the declared alert of a comprehensive military operation, according to the authorities, that began more than a year ago.

Having found that preventing attacks is not easy, the media chose to use the attacks to send Egyptians behind the power, which remains concerned despite the security grip it has imposed since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi assumed power.

As the Egyptians, especially under Sisi, who was defense minister when he led a military coup in July 2013 and was ousted by the then-president-elect Mohamed Morsi, the talk of military glory and heroism does not stop. Moreover, the army preferred Egypt and the Egyptians. Manufacturer, trader, builder and everything.

Therefore, when the victims of the armed attacks are military and officers in particular, it means days of mourning for the victims and hours of information throughout the lamentation of the glories of the departed and their sacrifices for the homeland and their death treacherously.

When voices grow up blandly to talk about security mistakes that help turn soldiers into victims, the response is ready through accusations of not being patriotic and deliberately discouraging and instilling suspicion in favor of an external enemy necessarily.

Not only are they aware of the victims of the army, the honor goes to their families and perhaps exceptional pensions and enthusiastic songs, as well as the launch of their names on schools and government institutions.

The Egyptians do not get angry because they understand their children, but there are those who ask about the secret of the different treatment between simple Egyptian military and Egyptian construction workers, and there are those who call for solidarity with these simple people and honor them like others, at least as martyrs.


The last chapter of the story, came on the tongue of the Islamic State Organization, which announced late Monday responsibility for the latest attack, said in a statement that he targeted a force of the Egyptian army was guarding workers create new fortifications to the airport of Arish, and then withdrew soldiers leaving workers and several military mechanisms, Ten workers and burned several vehicles.