Word: bedouin
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Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula from 1967 to 1982, and despite a cold peace between the two states for the past three decades, intense animosity toward the Jewish state continues to dominate the Egyptian national consciousness. To the authorities of North Sinai, then, the sheer notion that there were Bedouin willing to side with Israel over Egypt constituted nothing short of the most serious treason. "Journalists should depend on official sources," declared Mosaad Arug, a member of the North Sinai local council, in a meeting convened to confront TIME's reporter about the story. "The people...
Council members shouted demands for the names of sources and locations. They expressed indignation at the mention of pro-Israel Bedouin and the report that some Bedouin even cheered for Algeria (Egypt's fiercest soccer rival) during the final round of the African Cup of Nations. Several council members launched into wider diatribes about U.S. policy in the Middle East and Israeli conspiracies in the Sinai. But most of all, they wanted the reporter to apologize for tarnishing Sinai's name. "You interviewed smugglers. And those people are outlaws," said a council member, Abdel Hamid Salem. "President Mubarak...
Local authorities insist that the Bedouin are not discriminated against, that those in prison are there on legitimate criminal charges, and that despite what many Bedouin and rights groups say, Bedouin can serve in the police and military. Abdallah Jahama, a Bedouin council member who had served as a Member of Parliament under the ruling National Democratic Party, said he knew of "more than 50" Sinai Bedouin who were serving in the police or army. But when asked to name one, he couldn't. And when asked to provide a Bedouin soldier's telephone number, he provided...
After being pressed on the issue, a local official confided, "They are right" - Bedouin are generally excluded from the security apparatus. "There is some suspicion," he added, referring to security attitudes toward the Bedouin, particularly near the border zone...
Governor Mwafi acknowledges only vaguely that Sinai's cross-border security issues are heavily intertwined with its internal troubles. "My previous job helped me a lot here," he says, "because I know the culture and the mentality of the Bedouin and the people here and [the] needs for special treatment." He adds, "All of the government is concerned now with how to develop North Sinai," and says the area is awaiting a visit from President Hosni Mubarak, who has held power for 28 years and is currently recovering from major surgery in a German hospital even as Egypt frets about...