" The Bedouin have already paid a heavy price for the return of the land
[the Sinai Peninsula] in the October 1973 War."

Sinai residents blame interior ministry policies for Thursday kidnapping
Residents of Sinai Peninsula tell Ahram Online that Thursday kidnapping of
seven Egyptian security personnel came as 'Bedouin retaliation' for
heavy-handed security practices by Egypt's interior ministry
Ahram Online Thursday 16 May 2013
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/71647/Egypt/Politics-/Sinai-residents-blame-interior-ministry-policies-f.aspx

Many residents of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula believe that the kidnapping of
seven Egyptian security personnel near the city of Al-Arish on Thursday was
"retaliation" by Bedouin tribesmen for heavy-handed security policies
adopted by the interior ministry.

On Thursday morning, seven Egyptian security personnel – from both the army
and police – were kidnapped by an unknown group in North Sinai while en
route to Cairo.

It is not the first time since Egypt's 25 January Revolution that
confrontations have taken place between security forces and tribesmen.

Many Sinai residents seek to revenge themselves on security forces after
years of heavy-handed security policies under Mubarak-era interior minister
Habib El-Adly, who many accuse of failing to respect human rights and tribal
traditions.

Mohamed El-Asati, who hails from Sinai's Aleiqat tribe, told Ahram Online
that interior ministry policies had left a painful legacy among local
tribesmen, especially during the current rule of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.

"The security apparatus did not respect tribal traditions or customs," he
said. "We have always been regarded as shepherds, drug traffickers or spies
for Israel. So after the revolution, you will find psychological reasons for
their desire for vengeance. "

He added that there was not a single family in Sinai that did not have at
least one son imprisoned, detained or on the run from authorities.

"The interior ministry wants to return to its old ways," said El-Asati. "But
this is unacceptable after the revolution. The Bedouin have already paid a
heavy price for the return of the land [the Sinai Peninsula] in the October
1973 War."

"We also paid a heavy price in terms of our security and dignity in the
Mubarak era. And after the revolution, we will not allow the interior
ministry's old brutal policies to return during the era of Muslim
Brotherhood rule," he added.

Ministry equipment and armoured vehicles have also provoked local residents,
especially given Sinai residents' bad economic conditions, according to
Sinai-based activist Ashraf El-Hanfy.

"The ministry's iron fist is back again in Sinai, just like the days before
the revolution. It's even worse under the new rule, which means the
revolution did not accomplish its mission in Sinai," El-Hanfy said.

"There is no real security now in Sinai, but only oppression," he added.
"This is the main reason for today's kidnappings."

According to local residents, the kidnapping of security personnel in North
Sinai followed revelations that a detained Bedouin tribesman had been
tortured in Tora Prison, which infuriated his family.

Some North Sinai tribesmen kidnap security personnel in order to negotiate
the release of colleagues previously detained by authorities. South Sinai
residents, meanwhile, occasionally kidnap foreign tourists for similar
reasons.