Egypt mosque horror ‘will work against extremists’

Burnt-out cars in the aftermath of the attack on Rawda mosque, 25 November 2017

Burnt-out cars in the aftermath of the attack on Rawda mosque, 25 November 2017

The question now will be how the Egyptian state responds.

Sinai in particular has been in need of widespread efforts to tackle inequalities and lack of development – not just for a few years, but for decades. What it has seen instead has been an almost exclusive focus on a security solution.

But a comprehensive solution needs to encompass not only the necessary use of force of arms – but also take account of the wider aspects of the situation in the Sinai.

There is no linear path from lack of development to these sort of attacks – otherwise there would be far more across Egypt, and the entirety of Sinai would have fallen into the hands of IS, rather than being localised in a particular part of the north.

But, just like so much of rural Egypt, the lack of socio-economic opportunities and broader development need to be addressed – otherwise, they will be exploited as a recruitment tools for a few, and a few is too many.

In northern Sinai, as in the world over, extremism has many factors underpinning its existence, and countering it requires a holistic approach. Yet against the backdrop of this horrific and brutal tragedy, the immediate response from Cairo is dominated by mourning – and fury, but most of all, of sorrow, as so many are now laid to rest.

Source:-BBc