Egypt's Islamists try to calm fears over tourism
Egypt's main Islamist parties on Sunday launched separate conferences aimed at promoting tourism as they scrambled to allay fears that the lucrative industry is under threat from religious conservatism.
A tourist looks out onto the Red Sea from a beach in Egypt Photo: ALAMY
The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) – the political arm of the influential
Muslim Brotherhood – announced a conference in Cairo entitled "Let's
encourage tourism" that brought together industry leaders and party
members.
Meanwhile, Al-Nur, the ultraconservative party representing followers of the
fundamentalist Salafi brand of Islam, said it was launching a conference to
promote the industry in the Egyptian
southern city of Aswan.
About 15 million holidaymakers visited the country last year, attracted by its
Pharaonic sites and Red Sea beach resorts. The industry is a key money
earner and source of foreign currency.
Islamist parties won a crushing victory in the first stage of parliamentary
elections which wrapped up last week, leading to fears they might impose
strict Islamic law that could scare off Western holidaymakers.
Some Islamist candidates or religious scholars have advocated destroying
ancient monuments – seen as a form of idol worshipping – and bans on
alcohol, mixed-sex beaches, gambling and even bikinis.
On the Facebook page of the Muslim Brotherhood on Sunday, Supreme Guide
Mohammed Badie was shown shaking hands with foreign visitors as he toured
the historic city of Luxor.
Members of the FJP also visited the ancient Pyramids of Giza on Sunday to show
the "Brotherhood's support for tourism," said the Facebook page.
Al-Nur, which has come second in the polls with more than 20 per cent of votes
so far, said their conference would bring together representatives from
tourism chambers, hotels and tour operators "in a bid to support the
industry."
"We do not want to ban tourism. On the contrary, we want revenue from
tourism to multiply," spokesman Nader Bakkar told the Egyptian
satellite channel CBC on Saturday.
But he also spoke in favour of segregation of the sexes on beaches.
"The Al-Nur party does not want to ban beach tourism. But we do want to
see a type of Halal tourism ... such as segregation of beaches," Bakkar
said.
The tourism sector was virtually paralysed during 18 days of protests that
toppled Mubarak in January and February, and has been struggling to recover
since.
Following years of crackdowns under Mubarak, Islamists have since the revolt
become increasingly open about their ambitions for an Islamic state,
threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of hotels and beaches.
About a thousand employees in the sector demonstrated last Friday to draw
attention to their difficulties and the anti-tourist declarations of some
Islamists.
The industry is estimated to support about a tenth of the active population.
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