How Egypt's Policies Are Driving Support for ISIS in the Sinai

How Egypt’s Policies Are Driving Support for ISIS in the Sinai

SHARM EL SHEIKH, EGYPT – APRIL 02: A young boy leads a camel tour in the desert on the outskirts of the city on April 2, 2016 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Prior to the Arab Spring in 2011 some 15million tourists would visit Egypt each year. The resort town of Sharm El Sheikh was built around tourism however tourist numbers have plummeted after recent terrorist attacks with flights from major UK carriers being suspended and foreign offices around the world warning citizens of the ‘High threat from terrorism’ Sharm El Sheikh is almost a ghost town, with many resorts being abandoned and business forced to close. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Posted: November 30th, 2017

The Friday prayer massacre of more than 300 worshipers at a Sinai was a departure for the local Islamic State affiliate in scale, but not in targets – they’ve hit Sufi Muslims before. The group’s continued growth in the Sinai points to decades of neglect by the Egyptian government, combined with a vicious crackdown against ISIS that has severely impacted civilians in the process.

Wilayat Sinai, or Sinai Province, hasn’t claimed the operation yet, but their fingerprints are all over the scene: the nature of the target, the location and the deadly force employed. Since pledging allegiance to ISIS in 2014, the group has focused its firepower on security forces but also on Copts and Sufi Muslims, like those hit last Friday. The group’s target last week, the Al-Rawda Mosque, is a Sufi place of worship, located in the territories of the pro-military al-Sawarka tribe.

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