Egypt debates how to deal with extremists

May 2, 1996
Web posted at: 1 a.m. EDT (0500 GMT)

From Correspondent Gayle Young

CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- The scale of last month's tourist attack that left 18 people dead stunned Egyptian officials, who thought they had all but destroyed extremist groups in a long and sometimes brutal crackdown.

On April 18, at least three men, who shouted "God is great," sprayed a group of tourists, mostly Greeks, with bullets from automatic weapons and pistols outside a Cairo Hotel.

The outlawed extremist group Gamaa Islamiya claimed responsibility for the attack.

Since 1992, Egypt has fought an insurgency by Muslim militants who want to overthrow the secular government and create an Islamic state. Most of the attacks over the last two years have been confined to southern Egypt.

More than 920 people have been killed in the violence, mostly police and militants.

The state clamped down on extremists, provoking protests from human rights groups, who said it was being too brutal.

Now officials concede that extremism may still be a force to be reckoned with, but that brute force may not be the only way to counter the problem.

More and more intellectuals and diplomats are urging Egypt to redouble its efforts to eliminate the widespread frustration and poverty that breeds extremism.

"Terrorism can be fought not just by police measures but through holistic development, especially in the poor areas, which has been lacking," said political analyst Sayid Yassin.

Still, the government seems less than willing to take responsibility. Even though President Hosni Mubarak promised to bring social reform in a recent speech, he said the blame for the violence should lie with outsiders for funding and training the Egyptian militants.

Related story:

• Gunmen open fire on tourists, 18 dead - April 18, 1996

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