2017 Sinai mosque attack
Al-Rawda mosque attack | |
---|---|
Part of the Sinai insurgency and Terrorism in Egypt | |
Location | Bombing, mass shooting |
Weapons | IEDs, rocket-propelled grenades and firearms |
Deaths | 311[1][2] |
Injured | at least 128[3] |
Perpetrators | Islamic State |
Motive | Anti-Sufism[4][5] |
At 1:50 PM
Attack
Al-Rawda Mosque, which is located on Sinai's main coastal highway connecting the city of
According to local media, attackers in four
Casualties
311 people were killed in the attack, including 27 children, and at least 128 other people were wounded.
Responsibility
No group claimed responsibility for the attack,
Reactions
Egypt declared three days of
The Muslim Brotherhood wrote on Twitter and Facebook that it "condemns in the strongest words" the attack and that those responsible should "renounce extremism and violence".[30][31] Al-Azhar University, Egypt's oldest accredited university, issued a statement condemning the attacks, adding "terrorism will be routed".[32][33]
One week after the attack,
The attack was widely condemned by the international community, with many world leaders issuing official statements and social media posts.[20] Turkey declared one day of national mourning on 27 November.[35]
The Supreme Council for Sufi Orders cancelled street celebrations of Mawlid throughout Egypt as a sign of mourning.[36]
The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights strongly condemned the attacks,[37] and weeks later issued a report that considered the massacre an attempt of genocide against the Sufi Muslim community of the Sinai Peninsula.[38] EOHR also called upon the Egyptian government to provide adequate protection for minorities.
A three-day opening of the border crossing into Gaza from Rafah, Egypt, scheduled for 25–27 November, was cancelled due to security concerns.[39] The Cairo International Film Festival stated in a press release its intention to continue with the festival, and condemned the attacks.[40]
The
Military response
President el-Sisi vowed to respond with "the utmost force". In the days immediately after the attack the Air Force announced that it had pursued and destroyed some of the militants' vehicles and weapons stocks.[28] Airstrikes were also conducted in the neighboring mountains.[44]
In February 2018, Egypt responded to this attack with major air strikes and land assaults against terrorist positions in Sinai.[45]
See also
- October 2016 Sinai attacks
- List of major terrorist incidents
- List of terrorist incidents in November 2017
- Persecution of Sufis
References
- ^ a b "Death Toll of North Sinai Mosque Attack Rises to 311". egyptianstreets.com. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d Walsh, Declan; Youssef, Nour (24 November 2017). "Militants Kill 305 at Sufi Mosque in Egypt's Deadliest Terrorist Attack". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ a b c "The Latest: Egypt says death toll in mosque attack up to 200". Associated Press. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ Specia, Megan (24 November 2017). "Who Are Sufi Muslims and Why Do Some Extremists Hate Them?". New York Times. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ^ Ahmed, Azza Hashem (27 November 2017). "Opinion: Objectives of the Al-Rawdah Mosque attack in North Sinai". Egypt Today.
- ^ "Egypt's Mufti performs Friday prayers at Rawdah mosque - Egypt Today". www.egypttoday.com. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Death toll in Egypt mosque attack rises to 309". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ Kholaif, Dahlia (25 November 2017). "Death Toll Rises to More Than 305 in Mosque Attack in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula". The Wall Street Journal. wsj.com. (subscription required). Retrieved 25 November 2017. "Al Rawda mosque, located about 25 kilometers west of Al Arish, is associated with the Sawarka tribe which follows the Sufi order of Jarir, in reference to Sheikh Eid Abu Jreir, a Sufi icon who lived in Sinai decades ago."
- ^ Adam Taylor, How parts of Egypt's rugged Sinai peninsula have become a terrorist hot spot, The Washington Post (24 November 2017): "It will also reaffirm that the Sinai Peninsula is one of the deadliest places for terrorist attacks in the world. The attack near Bir al-Abd is the second-deadliest terrorist attack of 2017 to date, second only to a suicide bombing last month in Mogadishu, Somalia, that left more than 358 dead.
- ^ Higazy, Mourad (24 November 2017). "Update: 305 dead, 128 injured in deadliest militant attack in Egyptian history". Mada Masr. madamasr.com. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ a b c "Militants attack Egyptian mosque, kill at least 235 people". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 25 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ "Sufis well-rooted in al-Rawda, but is there an all-out war on them?". english.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ "Inside the Rawda mosque: eyewitness accounts - Egypt Independent". Egypt Independent. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Farid, Sonia (26 November 2017). "Egypt mosque attack: Is Sufism a new target for terrorists in Sinai?" Al Arabiya – English. Retrieved 26 November 2017. "Al-Rawda Mosque is home to the Gaririya Sufi order, one of the largest in North Sinai. The Gaririya, an offshoot of the Bedouin al-Ahmadiya order, is named after its founder Sheikh Eid Abu Garir, who is considered the godfather of Sufism in the Sinai Peninsula and hails from the Sawarka tribe, the second largest in North Sinai."
- ISBN 9780415398961. p. 59.
- ISBN 9781137563224.
- ^ Lee, Ian; Laura Smith-Spark; Hamdi Alkhshali (25 November 2017). "Egypt hunts for killers after mosque attack leaves at least 235 dead". CNN. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
Gunmen fired on people fleeing after explosions took place at the mosque between Bir al-Abed and the city of al-Arish.
- ^ "Opinion: Objectives of the Al-Rawdah Mosque attack in North Sinai - Egypt Today". www.egypttoday.com. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ "Deadly blast strikes mosque in Egypt's Sinai". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d Ian Lee, Laura Smith-Spark and Hamdi Alkhshali. "Egypt hunts for killers after mosque attack leaves at least 235 dead". CNN. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ "Egypt mosque attackers kill 235". BBC News. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ "Gunmen in Egypt mosque attack carried Islamic State flag, prosecutor says". Reuters. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ Omar Fahmy; Patrick Marke (25 November 2017). "Gunmen in Egypt mosque attack carried Islamic State flag, prosecutor says". Reuters.
- ^ Eltahawy, Mona (24 November 2017). "Egypt Is Failing to Deal With Its Sinai Insurgency". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ "Egyptian village where mosque was attacked had been warned". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- ^ "(Jund-al-Islam) The first split in ISIS in Sinai". Center For Middle Eastern Studies.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Tim Lister (28 November 2017). "Why the massacre of Muslims in Sinai was too extreme for al Qaeda". CNN. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Egypt vows forceful response after massacre". BBC News. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ "Mosque Attack In Egypt's Sinai Kills At Least 235". NPR.org. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ "اﻹخوان المسلمون - مصر". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ Ikhwanweb. "Muslim Brotherhood condemns in the strongest terms terrorist attack in #BiralAbed #Siani, offers deepest condolences to victims' families". Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ Ramadan Al Sherbini (24 November 2017). "Death toll in Egypt mosque attack rises to 235: state TV". Gulf News. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ "Turkey declares one day of mourning for Egyptians". Ensonhaber. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "Al-Azhar grand sheikh performs Friday prayers at Rawda mosque - Egypt Independent". Egypt Independent. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- ^ "Turkey declares one day of mourning for victims of terror attack in Egypt". Hürriyet Daily News. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- ^ "No Street Celebrations of Mawlid al-Nabi to be Held in Cairo, Giza | Egyptian Streets". egyptianstreets.com. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
- ^ "The Terrorism Observatory harshly condemns Sinai Mosque attack « The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights". en.eohr.org. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "Genocide report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ "Sinai mosque massacre: What we know". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ "Cairo Int'l Film Festival organisers condemn North Sinai mosque attack but say festival to continue". Al-Ahram. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ "Landmarks worldwide pay tribute to victims of Egypt mosque attack". abc news. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ "Kuwaiti Towers lit up with Egypt's flag to honor martyrs - Egypt Today". www.egypttoday.com. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- ^ "Jordan lowers its flag to half-mast for Sinai's mosque attack victims". Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- ^ "Terror attack killing 235 Muslims praying on Friday is an 'unprecedented' atrocity in Egypt". The Independent. 24 November 2017. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ Walsh, Declan (10 February 2018). "After a Mosque Massacre, Egypt Strikes Back in Sinai". New York Times. Retrieved 11 February 2018.