EGYPT CIVIL WAR DESTROY TOURISM Subcribe http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJNKZJFyq8Uw0iFAL9jaSOA?sub_confirmation=1 follow us TWITTER @newsdailyplanet After the crime against humanity the Islamist Taliban committed by destroying the Bamiyan Buddhas, we should have expected that Islamist control of Egypt would threaten its pre-Islamic historic sites, including the Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx, the Valley of the Kings and the various other ancient pyramids across the country. And, those pre-Islamic sites are now in danger: The pyramids at Giza are the most stunning sight I have ever seen. True, their lonely eminence is threatened by Cairo's unlicensed building sprawl, with half completed houses inching their way towards them. Surveying them at night as the calls to prayer multiplied into a thunder of sound from central Cairo already told me a few years back what was coming. For now members of the Nour (The Light) Salafist party, which won 20 per cent of the vote in recent elections, are talking about putting an end to the 'idolatry' represented by the pyramids. This means destruction - along the lines essayed by the Afghan Taliban who blew up the Banyam Buddhas - or 'concealment' by covering them with wax. Tourists would presumably see great blobs rather than the perfectly carved steps. [...] [The Salafists] also want what they call 'halal' tourism, with women told to dress decorously and no alcohol, something pretty general already in conservative Egypt. The Salafists want segregated beaches, which will not go down well with visitors to Sharm el Sheikh. Tourism accounts for 11 per cent of Egypt's $218billion GDP. Right now, hotels and resorts report falls in occupancy from 90 to 15 per cent. This is bad news for the 3million Egyptians who depend on the 14million tourists who visit Egypt each year. The people affected are not simply waiters and chambermaids, but taxi drivers, camel and horse ride touts, shop and stall owners and ordinary villagers who make a bit on the side providing tea and snacks for Nile cruises.

• published: 22 Aug 2013
• views: 18