In Egypt, angry talk of Western conspiracy over plane crash

[webfact]

In Egypt, angry talk of Western conspiracy over plane crash
By MARAM MAZEN

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian media have reacted with fury as Britain and the United States increasingly point to a bomb as the cause of the Oct. 31 Russian plane crash in Sinai, and many have hammered home to the public here the message that the country is facing a Western conspiracy to scare off tourists and destroy the economy.

The warnings of a plot have been widely promoted by opinion-makers in print, online, and on TV, sometimes hinting and sometimes saying flat-out that the West has restricted flights to Egypt not purely out of safety concerns for its citizens but because it wants to undermine the country or prevent President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi from making Egypt too strong.

"The people defy the conspiracy — Egypt will not cave in to pressures," the state-owned Al-Gomhuria newspaper proclaimed in a front-page headline this week. "Egypt stands up to 'the West's terrorism,'" an independent daily, El-Watan, headlined.

The rhetoric reflects in part the deep reluctance in the press to level serious criticism or suggestion of shortcomings by el-Sissi's government.

Government and independent media alike have constantly lionized el-Sissi and depicted him as Egypt's savior ever since — as head of the military — he led the army's 2013 ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi after massive protests against Morsi and the power of his Muslim Brotherhood. Since el-Sissi's election as president the following year, most media have continued to laud him as working to bring stability.

"Denial on behalf of the state that there is a crisis and then trying to point to some kind of third party is very normal" in Egypt, Hebatalla Taha, an Egypt-focused analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told The Associated Press.

Conspiracy theories often run rampant in the Middle East for a variety of reasons — poor education, suspicion of others, a lack of government transparency, limitations on speech, and the historical fact that powers inside and outside the region do often work behind the scenes to sway events and conflicts. Often, the theories are politically fueled.

Taha said the rhetoric is the "standard fallback" for the state. Private citizens, she said, likely wouldn't have come up with the conspiracy theories on their own, "but they're very likely to adopt what state media is saying."

Egypt's media often point to "foreign hands" amid crises. During the 2011 uprising that eventually toppled Hosni Mubarak, state papers accused foreigners of fomenting protests. Over the past two years, commentators have often accused the U.S. of supporting the Brotherhood, which has been declared a terrorist organization, and trying to impose it on Egypt, in response to Western criticism of Morsi's ouster by the military and the subsequent crackdown on Islamists. They also complain that the West is not helping Egypt enough in its fight against terrorism, including the Islamic State's branch in Sinai, which claimed to have downed the plane.

But Taha said the reaction on the plane is also rooted in fear. The Oct. 31 crash of the Russian jet just after taking off from the Sinai beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh could wreck the slow revival of Egypt's vital tourism industry after five years of turmoil — particularly after Russia and Britain suspended tourism flights, demanding better airport security.

Egyptian authorities have said they are looking at all possible scenarios in the Oct. 31 crash. They say speculation should stop until the conclusion of the investigation, which el-Sissi has said could take months. They have bristled at what they call a rush to judgment by British and U.S. officials, who say intelligence suggests the IS branch in Sinai planted a bomb on the Metrojet plane, causing it to break apart in the air, killing all 224 on board.

Since Morsi's ouster, the militants have waged a stepped-up insurgency in Sinai and have carried out multiple bombings and killings of police and soldiers in Cairo. Egypt's military has been battling them in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula.

In the Egyptian media, the flight suspensions and calls for better airport security were seen as unfair and malicious.

Even if the cause was a bomb, "it doesn't require an instant and large-scale punishment and criminal defamation against Egypt," wrote the editor-in-chief of the Al-Maqal newspaper and one of Egypt's most prominent TV commentators, Ibrahim Eissa.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has gotten the brunt of the criticism.

Some saw it as particularly insulting that Britain's suspension of flights last week came the same day el-Sissi began his first official trip to London and that Cameron said at a press conference with el-Sissi that it was "more like than not" that a bomb downed the plane.

Other commentators went further, hinting at some sort of collusion or at least a mutual interest between Britain and IS.

Hazem Moneim, a commentator with El-Watan, wrote that the West was "afraid" of Egypt.

"Why would Britain issue this statement coinciding with the beginning of el-Sissi's visit, as if they know the truth from its source?" he wrote Saturday. He compared it to a TV drama in which "the evil side contributes to committing the crime, then accuses the other side."

In the same paper, Lamis Gaber wrote that London "was very pleased" with the IS claim of responsibility. "As long as the English and (IS) are in political agreement and ideological and strategic harmony, then perhaps the information might be true," she wrote.

Moscow's decision Friday to suspend its flights as well threw some of the conspiracy theories into confusion, since Russian President Vladimir Putin is always depicted as a strong supporter of el-Sissi.

"Even you, Putin?" the newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm's front page proclaimed. Others speculated that Russia was a victim of British pressure and manipulation.

In the largest state newspaper, Al-Ahram, Taha Abdel-Aleem wrote that British and Americans statements on the crash were part of pressure "aiming to empower the Brotherhood and humiliate Egypt, as well as turn public opinion in Russia against its war on terror in Syria" — referring to Moscow's air campaign there.

One well-known Egyptian actor even said on a TV talk show that the British prime minister — whom he identified as "John Brown," perhaps muddling the names of previous prime ministers John Major and Gordon Brown — "is in the Muslim Brotherhood."

Al-Ahram and other papers also accused Britain of forcing its nationals vacationing in Egypt to leave.

Al-Ahram ran a photo of a woman arguing with British Ambassador John Casson at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, with the caption, "We want to resume our trip and don't want to leave," as if she were saying that.

In video footage that has gone viral online, the tourist, Clara Dublin, was in fact telling the ambassador, "We want to go home," angry over the confusion in arranging flights out.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-11-10

[Chicog]

Oh Good, more angry young muslims ripe to be recruited by IS.

[JoePai]

Even if the cause was a bomb, "it doesn't require an instant and large-scale punishment and criminal defamation against Egypt," wrote the editor-in-chief of the Al-Maqal newspaper and one of Egypt's most prominent TV commentators, Ibrahim Eissa.

Is this editor on the same planet as the rest of us ? "if" is was a bomb then nobody should be allowed to fly in or out of Egypt until the route cause is sorted out i.e. pathetic security, incompetence and corruption.

[baboon]

"Hazem Moneim, a commentator with El-Watan, wrote that the West was "afraid" of Egypt."

Yeah. We're really bricking it.

[samuibeachcomber]

They gotta have someone to blame.How about if they had taken airport security seriously,it may not have happened.But you know,money talks as does,"hey bro you gotta do this for Islam"..."just think of the prize,those damn virgins up there all for you bro,come on you know you can do it"

[Steely Dan]

I bet it was Mossad or the Rothschild's who were blamed. Standard Arab pathology to blame someone else for their every mishap. Shame some in the west actually encourage and help perpetuate this mindset.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Most likely a Mossad false-flag operation.

[Jingthing]

"Hazem Moneim, a commentator with El-Watan, wrote that the West was "afraid" of Egypt."

Yeah. We're really bricking it.

Yes-siree.

Sharm El SHAKE-IN-our-boots we are!

Edited November 10, 2015 by Jingthing

[Usernames]

kooks.

[Jingthing]

I bet it was Mossad or the Rothschild's who were blamed. Standard Arab pathology to blame someone else for their every mishap. Shame some in the west actually encourage and help perpetuate this mindset.

Yeah, the Arab and Muslim world does love their wacky conspiracy theories, especially if they can include Jews in them.

[inzman]

Why is it that all third world countries try and sweep problems under the rug. Instead of being proactive like western countries and try to correct problems, they seem to use transference and blame everything but the real reason. Is it cultural or poor education? This to me is the true marker that shows when a country is headed on the right path. Until a country matures enough to discuss problems in an intelligent manor, they are going to stay in the third world mentality.

[Jingthing]

It's kind of normal to blame foreigner powers for problems to a domestic audience. All nations do that to some degree. It can become toxic when it gets extreme.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Jingthing

[BuaBS]

Most likely a Mossad false-flag operation.

When something like this happens , you can bet Uranus the western "intelligence" agencies has something to do with it , direct or indirect.

[retarius]

Since the US is so tied in with this lot I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the CIA had a hand in it.

[Ulic]

That's right, clench your fists, stomp your feet for your populace, deny it is a security lapse while

on your watch, then quietly accept the truth and come up with an acceptable security solution or

your tourism industry will drop to zero.

[landslide]

I don't think I'll be visiting Egypt soon, even though it has been on my bucket list for years. These claims of a vendetta by the West are not going away soon, and the security is not going to improve anytime in the near or medium term. How many planes need to be downed before their eyes open up?

[Jingthing]

I don't think I'll be visiting Egypt soon, even though it has been on my bucket list for years. These claims of a vendetta by the West are not going away soon, and the security is not going to improve anytime in the near or medium term. How many planes need to be downed before their eyes open up?

Me either.

But there's always VEGAS!

[Chicog]

Who wants to visit a load of grain silos anyway?

[JAG]

Most likely a Mossad false-flag operation.

I expect that the CIA were in there somewhere, with MI6 holding their coats. All funded by the Rothschilds and "Big Pharma". The voices are telling me!

[Jingthing]

Most likely a Mossad false-flag operation.

I expect that the CIA were in there somewhere, with MI6 holding their coats. All funded by the Rothschilds and "Big Pharma". The voices are telling me!

If you can't blame the Jews, where's the fun?

Pattaya streets were flooded recently. It's the Jews I tell you. The Jews!

[Thaidream]

The more nonsense written like this will have the affect that Egypt doesn't want. People will avoid it like the plague! Blaming foreigners when you are trying to attract tourists and how many Egyptians will now be radicalized and act out.

[jollyhangmon]

Deja vu all over?!

Well, maybe it's just me but that 'blaming of everybody else' just sounds all too familiar it seems ...

Muppets, here, there, everywhere.

[crusty]

Even if the cause was a bomb, "it doesn't require an instant and large-scale punishment and criminal defamation against Egypt," wrote the editor-in-chief of the Al-Maqal newspaper and one of Egypt's most prominent TV commentators, Ibrahim Eissa.

Is this editor on the same planet as the rest of us ? "if" is was a bomb then nobody should be allowed to fly in or out of Egypt until the route cause is sorted out i.e. pathetic security, incompetence and corruption.

Seems i've heard all this before... from Malaysian Airlines attempting to deflect investigators from discovering their airplane was destroyed by their Malaysian rogue pilot. Now what do these two countries have in common ? hmmmm.

[RickBradford]

Egypt has considerable previous when it comes to refusing to accept the truth when it is uncomfortable to them.

Remember EgyptAir 990, which was agreed by everyone else to be a deliberate suicide crash on the part of the First Officer? The Egyptians would not (and still do not) accept it.

As a journalist wrote at the time:

"n the case of the Egyptians, they were following a completely different line of thinking. It seemed to me that they knew very well that their man, Batouti, had done this. They were pursuing a political agenda that was driven by the need to answer to their higher-ups in a very pyramidal, autocratic political structure. The word had been passed down from on high, probably from Mubarak himself, that there was no way that Batouti, the co-pilot, could have done this. For the accident investigators in Egypt, the game then became not pursuing the truth but backing the official line."

As the saying goes "You can't clean your house until you can see the dirt."

The contrast is shown by the German attitude to the Germanwings 9525 suicide crash in the Alps. The evidence was accepted, mistakes were acknowledged, and new procedures put in place (worldwide). That's the only way progress is made.

[baboon]

Most likely a Mossad false-flag operation.

I expect that the CIA were in there somewhere, with MI6 holding their coats. All funded by the Rothschilds and "Big Pharma". The voices are telling me!

If you can't blame the Jews, where's the fun?

Pattaya streets were flooded recently. It's the Jews I tell you. The Jews!

...As was 9/11 and the Space Shuttle disasters. And as for using the blood of Palestinian children to make their bread...?

[earthpig]

The Moslem, be it Shitte or Sunni, blame the pathos of its existence on the West, and its core symbol, America. Like the similar Nazi pathology, this is ingrained and cannot be reformed; a virus resistant to all influence save extirpation

In an ever shrinking, fissile world, the time is long past to understand that this can only end in great flashes of light, so brilliant they will be seen on distant planets.

It is only left to be determined if the West has the courage to take the necessary action before it is so destroyed. This is the great unspoken issue of the 2016 American election.

[Briggsy]

CIA-masterminded black op

[dcutman]

I bet it was Mossad or the Rothschild's who were blamed. Standard Arab pathology to blame someone else for their every mishap. Shame some in the west actually encourage and help perpetuate this mindset.

Yeah, the Arab and Muslim world does love their wacky conspiracy theories, especially if they can include Jews in them.

So in your mind there is no possibility Israel had any involvement in this?

[Scott]

One post has been removed. The OP is clearly about the West, with Britain and the US mentioned. It does not mention Israel and I think we can drop the trollish type of posts which attempt to bring it into the mix. Until there is further evidence, such posts along with other conspiracy theory posts will be removed.

[MW72]

Inshallah