Egypt and Algeria at odds
It appears the Algerians aren’t too happy about what they see as Mubarak’s latest political stunt, the Egyptian leader’s call for an Arab Summit in Sharm al Sheikh to show solidarity against terrorism. The Khaleej Times reports:
A high-level Algerian source said his country was not keen on attending the summit, adding that Algeria was upset on the way the summit was hurriedly organised. He pointed out that the summit was for ‘local consumption’ and seeks to serve the Egyptian agenda as the presidential election in that country gets closer. The source, who requested anonymity, said Algeria would not accept to be summoned to an Arab summit just to serve the local election campaign of an Arab country.
At a time when Mubarak’s greatest achievement, seven years of terror free stability, is under fire, the Sharm al Sheikh summit is sure to generate lots of media attention, focusing on Mubarak as a bold leader leading the region against terrorism. And hosting the summit in Sharm al Sheikh, in addition to sending the message that Sharm is bouncing back, will provide a much needed boost to the resort’s economy, which will also benefit Mubarak politically. So no doubt there is political capital to be gained domestically here. Sort of like Bush’s landing on the aircraft carrier, or his speech before both houses of congress after 9/11.
Then again, Arab leaders have been coming under fire, rightly so in many cases, for not taking a strong enough stand against Islamic extremism. It seems that anti-terror summits such as those planned for Sharm shouldn’t be discouraged, especially by Algeria, which has its own distinguished history of Islamic militancy. And if this is true, are we to understand that Bouteflika is against the reelection of Mubarak?
Categories: General.
Algeria has every right to abstain from this useless meeting. First of all, Algeria is Arab League president. It should be in Algeira if it is held at all. Secondly, this meeting will accomplish nothing whatsoever, just like every other AL summit. It is a waste of public money to send representatives all the way to Egypt just to talk. Thirdly, what does it matter if the meeting is Sharm? Nobody wanted to have meetings in Algiers or Anaba when the terrorists attacked us there. Why should all the Arab States rush to a crime scene? Mubarak is holding this meeting to further his own image, he does not care about Egyptians or other Arabs. I hate Bouteflika, but I don’t think he should encorage Mubarak to run in or to “win” another “election”. Mubarak is arrogant and draconian and Bouteflika wants to put out the image of the “New Algeria” which is politically and socially modern, has free presses, free elections, and an increasingly free market, even if it is not really the case. Mubarak is the opposite of that. Bouteflika cares about Algeria’s image more than Mubarak’s. So yes, I would say Bouteflika is against Mubarak’s reelection. Or maybe his wife is
but whatever the case, Bouteflika had better not run for president in the next elections in Algeria because people will hold him to it!
Cheers,
Nouri
I fail to see what you intend to imply by your last paragraph. What exactly do you mean by “Arab leaders have been coming under fire, rightly so in many cases, for not taking a strong enough stand against Islamic extremism?” What on earth are you talking about?
Ihab
Ihab,
Maybe “under fire” is a bit too strong, and lacking nuance. Of course, Saudi Arabia is a clear an obvious example of a regime that has been under fire for a long time for not doing enough to squelch extremist and militant ideologies. As for Egypt, here are quotes from two, of a handful of articles, I have seen in the past week that led me to make that statement. Of course, Mubarak and other leaders are also under fire for dealing too harshly with Islamic militants, and thus creating new terrorists.
This from a July 30 AFP article, “Sharm attacks trigger debate on Islamic militancy”:
In a hard-hitting front-page editorial published the day after the Sharm el-Sheikh bombings, the Al-Masri Al-Yom suggested the authorities should be bent on combating Salafi ideology rather than cracking down on elusive terror cells.
It was referring to the conservative school of Sunni Islam prevalent in Saudi Arabia more commonly known as Wahhabism.
“We all deserve what happened in Sharm el-Sheikh because we remained silent when the Wahhabi school of thought started creeping into Egypt” three decades ago, the newspaper said.
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Here are a few graphs from a July 27 AP story, “Red Sea attacks fuel Egyptian debate on Islam”:
CAIRO, Egypt - Stunned by terror attacks in a Red Sea resort, Egyptians are in a remarkably frank debate about whether mosques and schools — and the government itself — should be blamed for promoting Islamic extremism.
Even pro-government media say authorities have created a climate where young people are turning into radicals and suicide bombers.
In a country more used to hearing general condemnations of terrorism, critics on Wednesday were angry — and specific — hammering at instances where they say the government allowed mosque preachers or state media to promote intolerance.
“There is no use denying. … We incited the crime of Sharm el-Sheik,†ran a bold red headline of a lead editorial Wednesday by Al-Musawwar’s editor in chief, Abdel-Qader Shohaib.
The bombers “didn’t just conjure up in our midst suddenly, they are a product of a society that produces extremist fossilized minds that are easy to be controlled,†Shohaib wrote.