HASSAN TAHSIN What is happening now in Sinai has a precedent in ancient history when the Hexos occupied Egypt, and in modern history when Great Britain occupied India and when the Jews occupied Palestine establishing the Zionist state of Israel. The Middle Kingdom of old Egypt was an era of civilization, culture and excellence. Egypt had made great strides in human progress. When this era ended, it was replaced by an age of darkness. After the collapse of the 12th and 13th dynasties, an era of dictatorship loomed over Egypt. Foreigners known as the Hexos took control of the politics of the country and ruled Egypt for about a century and a half. These invaders did not arrive in Egypt all of a sudden nor did they occupy it with military force. Instead, they infiltrated slowly and gradually into the country by means of trade. They began by involving themselves in agriculture and merged into society at a slow but steady pace. When they had absorbed the country's culture and traditions, they brought in a large army and began by controlling the Delta in the north. They then extended their control over central Egypt. The Egyptians called them the “vandals”, the “Hexos” (shepherds) and the “plague”. They tolerated them for a century and a half before they finally turned forcefully against them. The Egyptians under the leadership of the pharaohs were able to completely wipe out the Hexos. In modern days this story was repeated when Great Britain occupied India at the end of the reign of Aurangzeb. Europe's ambitions in India increased after the Portuguese discovered the Cape of Good Hope in 1498.
Britain's mouth began to water when it saw the wealth gained from the East by Portugal, Spain and Holland. So the British were quick to issue a royal decree in 1600 to establish a British trading company in India. This was Great Britain's first step in occupying India. It began by using a policy of friendliness and rapprochement with the people. It gave gifts to the Mogul kings and princes, and the British Trading Company was finally allowed to start its activities in India. The company was weak at the beginning, but the Indians, who were fed up with the Portuguese, gladly welcomed the British. They were oblivious to British political maneuvering. The British established some kiosks on the small pieces of land they had acquired to accommodate the company's staff. This land was guarded by Indians, but the British started to replace them gradually with their own compatriots. They began to arm the British guards under the pretext of security. This was how the British army in India was born. In 1690, the British East India Company set up a large trading center in Calcutta which became the company's own private colony. From there the British army moved to occupy the Indian subcontinent. In 1858 the rule of India was shifted from the British East India Company to the British Crown. After intense popular revolts India gained its independence from the British Crown on 15 August 1947. We all know the black history of Israel and the role of Britain in its establishment through the Balfour Declaration and by means of putting Palestine under a British mandate in agreement with the Jewish Agency which used evil means to finance the colonization of Palestine. The terrorist Jews removed Palestinians from their land falsely alleging that the Palestinians has sold them the land. Finally, Palestine was occupied and Israel was born. It is clear that Egypt is today being subjected to a similar situation on its eastern borders. A multinational force comprising 12,000 terrorists is working to establish an independent state in Sinai. This state may merge with Gaza to form what is called an “Islamic state”. It is clear that these terrorists know very little about Egypt and that they have the incorrect notion that by carrying out sporadic military operations they will be able to establish their own state at the end of the day. The terrorists in Sinai are working under Islamic cover roaming the desert, the doors of which were opened for them by former Egyptian President Anwar Al-Sadat who signed the Camp David Accords with Israel. Under this agreement, it was agreed that there would be no military presence in Sinai. Israel has achieved its clandestine objective which is to keep Egypt always in a state of anxiety and stress. The question before the Egyptian people now is: Will they accept this new terrorist colonization of Sinai and the naked challenge it represents to the Egyptian army whose soldiers are being kidnapped? Or will they wait for another century and a half before they revolt to purge Sinai? Or will those who brought about the January 25th revolution come out to set things right? — Hassan Tahsin is an Egyptian writer and political analyst. He can be reached at [email protected]
