Bomb hits tourist bus in Egypt near Giza Pyramids

NY Post ^ | 05/19/2019

[BenLurkin]

A roadside bomb hit a tourist bus on Sunday near the Giza Pyramids, wounding at least 17 people including tourists, Egyptian officials said.

The officials said the bus was traveling on a road close to the under-construction Grand Egyptian Museum, which is located adjacent to the Giza Pyramids but is not yet open to tourists.

The bus was carrying at least 25 people mostly from South Africa, officials added.

Security forces cordoned off the site of the explosion and the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital, they said.

They said the explosion damaged a windshield of another car. Footage circulated online shows shattered windows of the bus.

Egypt has battled Islamic militants for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spilled over to the mainland, hitting minority Christians or tourists.

The attack comes as Egypt’s vital tourism industry is showing signs of recovery after years in the doldrums because of the political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.

[Uncle Miltie]

“In the earliest survey in Egypt, in 2006, bin Laden’s support was at 27 percent.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-bin-laden-out-of-favor-among-muslims/

[21twelve]

My parents did the Egypt/Holy Land trip back around 1980.

They were off by themselves after dinner and saw a wedding procession come walking down the street with music and singing, etc. My dad convinced my mom to follow and see where they were going.

They go down the various back streets and the party goes into a building. After a bit, Dad goes up to peek through the windows.

Soon, two Egyptian guys come out and are talking with my dad. My mom is across the street in a panic. After much gesturing between the men and my dad, dad motions to my mom - come on over! My mom is even more terrified now.

The two Egyptian guys laugh and also wave her over. My parents spent the rest of the night at a table near the front, Dad joining in on the folk(?) line dancing that the men did, etc.

[Chainmail]

“World Public Opinion: 83% of Egyptians approve of attacks on American troops.”

Uh - so who did the poll? I lived there over a year - in uniform - and was treated very well. The Egyptians are on the whole, quite cultured and very well-mannered. I used to go running every morning in my Marine PT gear - which was running shorts and T-shirt and other than getting some surprised looks, everybody was very nice.

Even got flirted with - one young lady asked me if I'd be interested in converting to Islam and I said no - why? She said "If you convert you can have more than one wife". i.e. her in addition to the wife I already had.

I even had an accidental confrontation with a radical Muslim rabble-rouser. The guy had a bullhorn and was shouting angry-sounding slogans to a crowd that was swarming around traffic and I was stopped right next to him in my official vehicle, in uniform. He glanced over at me and seemed to be shocked when he saw me. I grinned at him and he grinned back and off I went.

It's really hard to be an expert if you haven't been there.

[Chainmail]

I liked the Egyptians a lot. I lived in an apartment by myself in Heliopolis and while I was there, traveled over every inch of Egypt and the Sinai. Only ran into one or two surly folks and even then, it wasn't hard at all to get them to loosen up.

It's a shame that people would deprive themselves of seeing that tremendous history on display and miss the really enjoyable people and cultures of Egypt.

[Uncle Miltie]

Pew Research (2010): 55% of Jordanians have a positive view of Hezbollah 
30% of Egyptians have a positive view of Hezbollah 

Ibid.

[Uncle Miltie]

Pew Research (2010):
49% of Egyptians have a positive view of Hamas
http://pewglobal.org/2010/12/02/muslims-around-the-world-divided-on-hamas-and-hezbollah/

[Uncle Miltie]

Pew Research (2011):
28% of Egyptian Muslims believe suicide bombings are often or sometimes justified.
http://www.people-press.org/2011/08/30/muslim-americans-no-signs-of-growth-in-alienation-or-support-for-extremism/

[Uncle Miltie]

World Public Opinion: Majorities in Egypt (63%) and Libya (61%) supported the 9/11/2012 attacks against American embassies, including Benghazi.
Original Link: http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/brunitedstatescanadara/727.php?nid=&id=&pnt=727 (Removed) (Reference in this link)

[Uncle Miltie]

World Public Opinion: Attitude toward Osama bin Laden:
Egypt: 44% positive

http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/pdf/feb09/STARTII_Feb09_rpt.pdf

[Uncle Miltie]

Etc., Etc. Ad nauseum.

[Uncle Miltie]

Many polls demonstrate the truth of my original assertion:

“A huge proportion of the population just wants to kill you.”

Personal anecdotes to the contrary notwithstanding.

[hal ogen]

They are merely being good moozlums.

[MinorityRepublican]

I’ll wait until I’m 70 to visit Egypt. By then, I’ll have nothing to lose lol.

[Chainmail]

You should know better than to base your knowledge on polls. That's the lazy (and some may say cowardly) way of determining how the world works.

I was there, you weren't.

[Uncle Miltie]

Gauzy emotional memories are your basis, rather than tens of thousands of actual human responses recorded in a wide variety if polls.

Okay, then.

[Chainmail]

The polls were dead right here in 2016 - and the Australian election polls were right too.

Not.

As far as my "gauzy" memories go, I spent a year in Egypt the first time and almost two months living there more recently. There is a big difference between asking an Egyptian Muslim whether they are in favor of Hamas or Bin Laden and their actual day-to-day actions. The Egyptian government is an ally in the War on Terror and we have bases there.

You should really get out more.

[Uncle Miltie]

Feelings, nothing more than feelings,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.
Teardrops rolling down on my face,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.

Feelings, for all my life I’ll feel it.
I wish I’ve never met you, girl;
You’ll Never Come Again.

Feelings, wo-o-o feelings,
Wo-o-o, feel you again in my arms.

Feelings, feelings like I’ve never lost you
And feelings like I’ve never have you
Again in my heart.

Feelings, for all my life I’ll feel it.
I wish I’ve never met you, girl;
You’ll never come again.

Feelings, feelings like I’ve never lost you
And feelings like I’ve never have you
Again in my life.

Feelings, wo-o-o feelings,
Wo-o-o, feelings again in my arms.

Feelings...

[Chainmail]

Words fail me. Never actually traveled away from your little burg, have you?

[Uncle Miltie]

Is that you, Brennan?

[okie 54]

Never visit any country where the people wipe their butts with their bare hand