Egypt - Fausta's Blog

September 15, 2015 By Fausta

Egypt: Mexican tourists killed by military

but the military blame the tourist agency.

Two reports:
Egyptian army kills Mexican tourists by mistake
– Interior ministry says military personnel believed group was a convoy of terrorists

Egyptian military forces mistakenly attacked a convoy of tourists on Sunday night, leaving at least 12 Mexicans and Egyptians dead and 10 others wounded, the country’s interior ministry has revealed.

Soldiers thought the convoy belonged to an Egyptian affiliate of the Islamic State terrorist group against which they had recently been fighting tough battles in the area. Mexico has confirmed that at least two of the dead are Mexican.

Tourists in Egypt Were Killed With BombsMexican foreign minister says bombs were dropped from helicopters and planes (emphasis added)

Egyptian security forces used planes and helicopters to bomb Mexican tourists and their guides, who Egyptian officials said were mistaken for terrorists, survivors told Mexican officials after the attack that left 12 dead.

An Egyptian tourism ministry spokeswoman refused to comment on the allegations and other government officials didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said the tourists were in a restricted area where military and police forces were pursuing suspected terrorists. Tourism ministry spokeswoman Rasha el Azaizy accused the tour company that organized the trip of procedural violations that she claimed led to the tragedy.
. . .
However, a representative of the company that organized the excursion, Windows of Egypt, said the group had all necessary permits from authorities and even had a police escort when they came under fire from jet fighters and helicopters late Sunday afternoon.

Egypt’s tourist industry is in shambles.

July 3, 2013 By Fausta

Egypt: “Better to die”?

Drudge‘s top story:
Mursi, Egypt army ready to die in ‘Final Hours’ showdown

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s army commander and Islamist President Mohamed Mursi each pledged to die for his cause as a deadline neared on Wednesday that will trigger a military takeover backed by protesters.

Military chiefs, vowing to restore order in a country racked by demonstrations over Mursi’s Islamist policies, issued a call to battle in a statement headlined “The Final Hours”. They said they were willing to shed blood against “terrorists and fools” after Mursi refused to give up his elected office.

Less than three hours before an ultimatum was due to expire for Mursi to agree to share power or make way for an army-imposed solution, the president’s spokesman said it was better that he die in defense of democracy than be blamed by history.

In an emotional, rambling midnight television address, Mursi said he was democratically elected and would stay in office to uphold the constitutional order, declaring: “The price of preserving legitimacy is my life.”

Live feed below the fold,

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March 4, 2013 By Fausta

Last night I watched the new History Channel series, The Bible, and thoroughly enjoyed it, from the Irish-sounding Noah telling the story of the creation in the middle of the flood, to the ninja angels,

to the very awesome (in the old meaning of the word, “inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, or fear”) Moses.

As you may recall, locusts were one of the plagues of Egypt. Lo and behold, here’s the Drudge headline this morning, right on time for Passover,

NOW THE LOCUSTS

In case you want to blame that on the sequester, Kerry frees up $250M in U.S. aid to Egypt.

September 14, 2012 By Fausta

Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Lebanon, Bangladesh … UPDATE: Iran, too

Friday afternoon links,
Revealed: inside story of US envoy’s assassination — Exclusive: America ‘was warned of embassy attack but did nothing’

More unfit than incompetent

‘Obama’s Middle East Policy Is in Ruins’

The 10 Most Important Stories of the Embassy Attacks…

Black flag of Islam flies over U.S. embassy in Tunisia as America is targeted by angry mobs across the globe in day of chaos
Mob scales the walls of U.S. embassy compound, sets fire to cars and replaces American flag
Chaos across the globe amid anger at American-made anti-Islam film
Kentucky Fried Chicken ransacked in Lebanon
Protesters burn American flag in London
American embassy stormed in Sudan
10,000 Muslims stage a noisy protest in Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, burning and trampling American flags while chanting anti-US slogans
Egypt’s president Hosni Mubarak appeals for calm on live television, a day after Barack Obama issued a veiled warning to the region’s leaders to protect US embassies
It follows unrest after September 11 attack on US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, killing ambassador and three other Americans

Jay Carney is in denial,

This is a fairly volatile situation, and it is in response not to U.S. policy, not to, obviously, the administration, not to the American people. It is in response to a video – a film – that we have judged to be reprehensive and disgusting. That in no way justifies any violent reaction to it. But this is not a case of protests directed at the United States, writ large, or at U.S. policy. This is in response to a video that is offensive and – to Muslims.

Pay No Attention to the Burning Flags, Stormed Consulates, and Dead Americans . . .

Note to Mr. Carney: Radical Islamists really do not care whether “we” have judged some crackpot video “reprehensible and disgusting.” They have more important aims than distinguishing the Obama administration or its policies from the moronic Terry Jones.

UPDATE,
Iran: Down, But Not Out

September 12, 2012 By Fausta

Islamists celebrate 9/11

While Obama skips his intelligence briefings, goes on the radio with the Pimp with a limp, and blows off Netanyahu, Islamists in Libya and Egypt celebrated 9/11 by flying the al Qaeda flag:

American Ambassador 'Suffocated To Death'... **WARNING** **GRAPHIC PHOTO** REBELS PARADE CORPSE... Romney Calls Obama Response: 'Disgraceful'... Muslims Attack US Embassies... Mobs with guns and rocket-propelled grenades... FLASHBACK: Hillary Clinton boast on Gaddafi: 'We came, we saw, he died'...

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO LIBYA, 3 OTHERS, KILLED IN ATTACK

But fret not, Obama’s going on Letterman, and killed Bin Laden.

One Venezuelan exhibits particularly poor timing and says we should get over 9/11.

UPDATE,
The new 9/11

More at Gates of Vienna.

Compare and contrast,

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June 26, 2012 By Fausta

In Rick Moran’s podcast

I’m Rick’s co-host in tonight’s podcast.

April 26, 2012 By Fausta

Arab spring? Or culture of death? UPDATED

Only a very sick society would even think of such an outrage,
Outrage as Egypt plans ‘farewell intercourse law’ so husbands can have sex with DEAD wives up to six hours after their death

Egyptian husbands will soon be legally allowed to have sex with their dead wives – for up to six hours after their death.

The widowers may believe the deceased are pining for the fjords, but this is obscene.

Equally obscene,

The controversial new law is part of a raft of measures being introduced by the Islamist-dominated parliament.

It will also see the minimum age of marriage lowered to 14 and the ridding of women’s rights of getting education and employment.

As I said, obscene.

Over in England, George Galloway converted to Islam.

UPDATE,
Mark Steyn,

Gotta hand it to the Muslim Brotherhood. Hard to come up with a more apt image of the Arab Spring than an aroused Islamist rogering a corpse.

UPDATE,
Allahpundithas a different take,

Al-Ahram is controlled by the Egyptian government, which I assume means it’s heavily influenced by the ruling military junta. And the junta, of course, is invested in discrediting the Islamists in order to defend its prerogatives against parliament’s growing power. (It’s worth noting too that Al-Arabiya, which picked up the story from Al-Ahram, is a Saudi outfit and the Saudis are mighty anxious about the idea of Islamist populists seizing power from sclerotic tyrannical regimes.) Again, none of this is to say the story isn’t true — the part about the marriage age being lowered is all too plausible — but it’s not hard to see why Mubarak allies might want to make something up or inflate something one of the fringier parliamentarians said in order to galvanize international opinion against the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists. It is, however, hard to see why the MB would allow parliament to entertain a law like this at a moment when they’re busy gladhanding westerners to reassure them that the Brotherhood are “modern” Islamists who are worthy of foreign aid and trade deals. If this really is being kicked around by MPs, I’d bet it’s the Salafists who are pushing it. But we’ll see.

Anyone seen any news items today confirming this with sources besides Samea? If so, shoot us an e-mail at the tips line and I’ll update.