Egyptian Islamists Declare War on Tourism

COMMENTARY | One of the first acts of an Islamist government in Egypt will be to declare war on the largest industry in the country -- tourism. It will no longer be legal to have any fun in Egypt if the Islamists have their way, according to the Daily Mail.

Egypt is a natural destination for tourism. It is, after all, the home of the Pyramids. My bride and I spent our honeymoon in Egypt, riding camels in the shadow of the Great Pyramids of Giza, boating down the Nile between the monument at Abu Simbel and the Great Temple of Karnak at Luxor, dickering with merchants in the various souks. It was the most memorable vacation either of us has ever had.

The development of Red Sea resorts was first starting out when we were enjoying the wonders of Egypt, but since they have become a going concern. Europeans can relax on the beach, have a nice drink, and generally enjoy themselves with various activities much like North Americans do in the Caribbean.

That will apparently become a thing of the past. There will be no more women lying on the beach, working their tans in bikinis. There will be no more alcohol served anywhere in Egypt, even to foreigners. Hotel rooms will not be rented out to unmarried couples.

Visitors to Egypt will still be allowed to gaze upon the Sphinx and other ancient monuments from that country's ancient past. The Egyptian Islamists are at least not as crazy as the Taliban, who blew up Buddhist monuments in Afghanistan out of spite. If anyone did suggest destroying the Pyramids and the Sphinx, it would be worth a war to prevent it. Culture and history are important enough to fight for.

Even so, the idea of destroying the one thing that has kept the Egyptian economy from collapsing seems to be going a little too far, even if one thinks that God is demanding it. God -- at least the one I am familiar with -- is not against fun or people making money off of the same. The crazies who are about to plunge Egypt into ruin should realize that before it is too late.

Source: The end of Sharm el-Sheikh? Islamist parties call for ban on Westerners drinking, wearing bikinis and mixed bathing on Egyptian beaches, Wil Longbottom, Daily Mail, Dec 13, 2011