Arab World Outraged by Egypt Explosions

Perhaps public outrage is the only way we will ever be able to stem the tide of religious terrorism. It certainly worked in Europe against the Inquisition and the Catholic Church. There has been much debate on how to deal with these deranged fanatics, but unless the Muslim world itself declares that it will no longer tolerate this psychotic behavior in the name of Islam and Allah, nothing will change. It is far too early to predict anything positive, however, in consideration of the crazed Danish cartoon frenzy, which took its own toll on human life. Few Muslims stood up to state that there was anything wrong with that medieval hysteria. We can only hope that more people become enlightened to an increasingly humane perspective of life.

As a side note, the real "war on Islam" could be viewed as the product of Muslim terrorists bent on making Islam a violent, human-hating ideology that the rest of the world despises. In other words, if anyone is giving Islam a black eye, it's the Muslim fanatics themselves.

Arab World Outraged by Egypt Explosions

CAIRO, Egypt - The Arab world reacted in horror and outrage Tuesday at the bombings of an Egyptian resort — and a rift opened between hardline al-Qaida sympathizers and other radical Muslim groups who say the latest attacks have gone too far.

Three bombs ripped through a promenade in Egypt's Dahab resort at dusk Monday, killing at least 24 — most of them Egyptians on a holiday marking the first day of spring.

The attack, the third on Sinai in less than two years, came a day after Osama bin Laden issued a call to arms to Muslims to support al-Qaida in what he calls a war against Islam. Bin Laden specifically tried to justify attacks against civilians, and tried to align his group with the radical Hamas, which now runs the Palestinian government.

But Hamas and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood were as quick to condemn the Dahab attacks as they were when terrorists carried out a triple bombing Nov. 9 at Amman, Jordan hotels, that killed 63 people. Those attacks provoked howls of outrage against al-Qaida in Iraq, which claimed responsibility.

'The attack on Egypt brings back bad memories,' said Muhannad Abul-Ghanam, a 37-year-old Jordanian businessman. 'The result is the same — mainly Muslim Arabs died and there's more public hatred toward these militants.'

Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the Hamas-run Palestinian Cabinet, called the Dahab bombings a 'criminal attack which is against all human values.'

Radical Muslim groups — like Hamas and the Brotherhood — have in recent months joined a regional chorus denouncing al-Qaida and its sympathizers for targeting Arab and Muslim civilians.

'These groups, in the name of religion, justify such acts in which innocent people are killed,' said Hassan Naboulsi, a 32-year-old supporter of the militant Lebanese Hezbollah faction in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon.

Arab-on-Arab violence appears to be spreading.

Nearly 100 people had previously died at the hands of terrorists on the Sinai peninsula in less than two years.

Egyptian officials have said that local people were behind previous bombings in Sinai, including a deadly attack at Sharm el-Sheikh last summer, and have rounded up hundreds of Sinai citizens.

But outside security experts said the hardline extremists operating in Sinai seemed either linked to al-Qaida, or at least aligned with its views.

And the latest attack — hitting both Coptic Christian Egyptians celebrating at holiday and Muslim Egyptians, along with Israelis and foreign tourists — seemed consistent with the philosophy of hardline al-Qaida sympathizers, often called Salafists.

But groups like Hamas have been careful to say that their attacks are aimed only against Israel — and are not part of a worldwide Islamic jihad.

Frustrated by news of Arab victims of Arab terrorists, Kuwaiti kindergarten teacher Elham Ali, 37, said she has decided not to watch TV or read newspapers anymore.

'When terrorism starts it will not stop,' she said. 'The 24 people who died have families of their own or parents ... this is a lot of sorrow.'"