DATE= 11/18/97
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-10448
TITLE=THE TOURIST MASSACRE AT LUXOR
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT=
INTRO: THE DEATHS OF ALMOST 60 FOREIGN TOURISTS IN A TERRORIST
ATTACK AT THE FAMED TEMPLE AT LUXOR IN SOUTHERN EGYPT,
HAS DRAW A RAPID AND OUTRAGED RESPONSE FROM THE U-S
PRESS. WE GET A SAMPLING NOW FROM __________________ IN
TODAY'S U-S OPINION ROUNDUP.
TEXT: THE CONSENSUS OF EDITORIALS IS THAT EGYPT CANNOT GIVE IN
TO TERRORISTS, NO MATTER HOW HARD IT IS TO PROTECT THE
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHO TRAVEL
THERE EVERY YEAR TO VIEW THE PYRAMIDS AND OTHER ANCIENT
WONDERS.
IN EGYPT, AUTHORITIES HAVE BEGUN SHIPPING THE BODIES OF
THE SLAIN TOURISTS TO THEIR HOMES IN GERMANY,
SWITZERLAND, JAPAN, BRITAIN AND COLOMBIA. IN ANOTHER
DEVELOPMENT, PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK HAS FIRED HIS
INTERIOR MINISTER AND REPLACED HIM WITH A CAREER POLICE
OFFICIAL, HABIB AL-ADLI.
IN THE MEANTIME, THE COUNTRY'S MAIN ISLAMIC MILITANT
GROUP, AL-GAMA AL-ISLAMIYA, HAS CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY
FOR THE ATTACK, THE LATEST IN ITS FIVE YEAR-ARMED
STRUGGLE TO OVERTHROW EGYPT'S SECULAR GOVERNMENT AND
REPLACE IT WITH AN ISLAMIC THEOCRACY.
IN TUESDAY'S [11/18] U-S PRESS, THE ATTACK WAS GREETED
WITH HARSH WORDS, AS IN THIS EDITORIAL FROM "THE KANSAS
CITY [MISSOURI] STAR."
VOICE: "THE SLAUGHTER OF TOURISTS IN EGYPT DEMONSTRATES ONCE
AGAIN THE CRUEL INSANITY THAT DRIVES POLITICAL AND
RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST. EXTREMISTS
PRESENT THEMSELVES AS MILITARY FIGURES WHO ARE WAGING
WAR AGAINST REPREHENSIBLE REGIMES. BUT THEIR TARGETS
ARE FREQUENTLY HOPELESS INNOCENTS, PEOPLE WHO HAVE
LITTLE IF ANY CONNECTION TO THE GRIEVANCES PRESENTED BY
THE TERRORISTS. THE DEATH TOLL IN LUXOR COULD HAVE BEEN
WORSE IF THE FANATICS HAD NOT MET WITH RESISTANCE FROM
AUTHORITIES.
..... BY DAMAGING THE ECONOMY, OF COURSE, THE TERRORISTS
ACTUALLY MAKE THINGS EVEN WORSE FOR THE POOR PEOPLE THEY
ARE SUPPOSEDLY TRYING TO HELP. BUT MORE POVERTY AND
DESPAIR CAN MEAN MORE RECRUITS FOR THE EXTREMIST
ORGANIZATIONS. THE EGYPTIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM FALLS FAR
SHORT OF A TRUE DEMOCRACY. LIKE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST, ORDINARY EGYPTIANS HAVE MANY
LEGITIMATE GRIEVANCES AGAINST THEIR POLITICAL LEADERS.
BUT THE EXTREMIST ORGANIZATIONS SEEKING TO TOPPLE THE
GOVERNMENT HAVE NO INTEREST IN CREATING A MORE OPEN
GOVERNMENT; THEY SIMPLY WANT TO DICTATE TO EVERYONE
ELSE, AND DESTROY ANYONE WHO RESISTS."
TEXT: "THE PORTLAND [MAINE] PRESS HERALD" SAYS: "THE KILLINGS
... BETRAY THE TERRORISTS AS COWARDS," AND GOES ON TO
EXCORIATE THEM WITH THESE WORDS.
VOICE: "HEARTLESS ACTS LIKE THE SHOOTING .... OF DOZENS OF
TOURISTS IN EGYPT ARE THE WORK OF COWARDS. TERRORISTS
ARE COWARDS BECAUSE THEY FEAR THAT THEIR IDEAS ARE SO
WEAK THAT THEY WILL BE UNABLE TO S SWAY OTHERS TO THEIR
SIDE. THEY FEAR HISTORY WILL PASS BY THEIR CAUSE AND
LABEL IT AS UNJUST. THEY FEAR THE TRUTH. IN EGYPT, THE
COWARDS OPENED FIRE ON A BUSLOAD OF TOURISTS, MOST OF
WHOM HAD STEPPED OFF THE BUS AND BEGUN A TOUR OF A
THREE--THOUSAND-FOUR-HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD HATSHEPSUT TEMPLE
NEAR LUXOR. ..... THIS IS THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF
ATTACKS AGAINST TOURISTS IN EGYPT. INSURGENTS, SEEKING
TO TOPPLE EGYPT'S GOVERNMENT IN FAVOR OF AN ISLAMIC
STATE, HAVE BEEN BLAMED FOR THE KILLING SPREE. WHAT
THESE COWARDS BELIEVE IS IRRELEVANT, HOWEVER. ANY
GRIEVANCES THEY HAVE CAN BE DISCOUNTED BY THE WORLD
COMMUNITY. HISTORY SHOWS THAT JUST CAUSES, AFTER ALL,
PREVAIL WHEN BROUGHT TO LIGHT THROUGH WRITING, PROTESTS,
STRIKES OR NON-VIOLENT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE. THE WORLD
SHOULD NOT ALLOW COWARDS TO ADVANCE A CAUSE THROUGH ACTS
OF TERRORISM. THE ONLY ATTENTION SUCH PEOPLE DESERVE IS
TO BE PUNISHED FOR THEIR HORRIBLE DEEDS."
TEXT: YESTERDAY'S MASSACRE ELICITS THIS CONDEMNATION FROM "USA
TODAY."
VOICE: "APPARENTLY THE SLAYINGS HAD LITTLE TO DO WITH THE
UNITED STATES' CURRENT SHOWDOWN WITH IRAQ. THEY WERE
JUST PART OF AN INCREASING INCLINATION BY TERRORISTS TO
TARGET MASSES OF CIVILIANS. IN EGYPT, AS IN OTHER
VICTIMIZED NATIONS, ATTACKING TOURISTS DELIVERS A DOUBLE
BENEFIT TO TERRORISTS. FIRST, WORLDWIDE ATTENTION IS
CALLED TO THEIR CAUSE. IN THIS CASE, EGYPTIAN
AUTHORITIES SUSPECT MUSLIM MILITANTS WHO HAVE BEEN
TRYING TO TOPPLE PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK SINCE 1992.
..... SECOND, SCARING OFF TOURISTS CAUSES ECONOMIC
DAMAGE THAT EXTENDS THE IMPACT OF THE TERRORISTS'
ATTACK."
TEXT: "THE BOSTON GLOBE," ALSO OUTRAGED, ADDS THAT EVEN WITH
SUCH HORRIBLE INCIDENTS, AS IN THE EARLIER TERRORIST
ATTACKS IN ISRAEL, AGAINST BUSSES OR CAFES IN SHOPPING
AREAS, N O GOVERNMENT CAN GIVE IN TO TERRORIST VIOLENCE.
VOICE: "GOVERNMENTS MUST STAND UP TO TERRORISTS AND OFTEN DO,
BUT TOURISTS WITH MAPS AND CAMERAS ARE NO MATCH FOR
ZEALOTS WITH MACHINE GUNS. ..... THE BLOODY STRIKE WAS
A SHOCK TO THE GOVERNMENT, WHICH JUST TWO MONTHS AGO WAS
ON THE VERGE OF DECLARING .... IT HAD WON ITS BATTLE
AGAINST THE MILITANT MOVEMENT. ....[PRESIDENT] MUBARAK
WILL HAVE TO RETIGHTEN HIS GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS TO
CONTROL THE TERRORISTS. ..... THE HUMAN TOLL
OVERSHADOWS THE TERRIBLE IRONY OF AN ATTACK COMING AT A
PLACE THAT REPRESENTED THE PINNACLE OF CIVILIZATION
4-THOUSAND-500 YEARS AGO."
TEXT: WITH THOSE THOUGHTS FROM NEW ENGLAND'S LARGEST DAILY, WE
BRING TO A CLOSE THESE EARLY RESPONSES FROM THE U-S
PRESS TO THE LATEST TERRORIST ATTACK AGAINST TOURISTS IN
EGYPT BY MILITANT ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISTS.
NEB/ANG/EH
18-Nov-97 1:33 PM EST (1833 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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