Cairo - Essam Mahmoud
Security expert Mustafa Al Meneisi said that Facing extremism in Egypt, will not be effective only in the face of security, and that it must be on two main axes, one "developmental" and the other "security".
He added that every ministry or entity that has a representative in the National Council to combat terrorism and extremism should perform an effective and To eliminate extremism from its source, to confront it with thought, to raise awareness of economic and social development, to raise cultural awareness and to refute religious problems in the minds of young people.
Major General Mustafa Al-Manisi, the security expert, welcomed the decision of the President of the Republic, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, to establish the National Council to Counter Terrorism and Extremism and to form its members from several ministries and organizations to discuss and study the causes that may lead some youth to fall into the clutches of extremism.
He praised the security role of the Egyptian armed forces and the civilian police against the elements of extremist cells who have taken the path of forming extremist cells to carry out hostile operations against the state and its installations, and against security personnel and civilians.
He added that very body in the Council to combat extremism must present objective and scientifically based ideas to uncover the causes of some young people's extremism. The Ministries of Education, Higher Education, Culture and Endowments, as well as the Al-Azhar Foundation and the Church, should activate their roles in Under the Council's objectives, to dry up extremism from its sources.
He clarified, “It is necessary to have an entire group of ministers and institutions task themselves with this,” warning that terrorist attacks will continue without such an approach despite tightened security.
Commenting the attacks, the expert said these are likely linked to the Egyptian security operation on the Sinai peninsula. He stressed that Incidents were a response to the actions on the Sinai peninsula or to the recent court sentences for terrorists, adding that terrorist groups have concrete aims and fulfill them when they have the chance.
Egypt has been fighting a jihadist insurgency in northern Sinai since the army, led by President Abdel Fattah Sisi, overthrew then Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Police and security forces have been the target of deadly attacks by Islamists in the area.
In 2014, Sinai's indigenous militants pledged allegiance to Daesh group, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States. The self-proclaimed Wilayat Sinai has subsequently claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks in the area.