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In New Egypt, Old Conspiracies Live On

(Media Line-Jerusalem Post) David E. Miller - When a European laboratory announced two weeks ago that an infected shipment of Egyptian fenugreek seeds was the source of an E. coli epidemic that killed 48 Germans and a Swede, Egyptian Agriculture Minister Ayman Abu-Hadid explained to the Egyptian press, "Israel is waging a commercial war against Egyptian exports." In June, Deputy Prime Minister Yehia El-Gamal told the Lebanese news site Al-Nashra that Israel was inciting sectarian strife between Muslims and Christians in the country. "Conspiracy theories are part of the texture of our culture," said Hani Henry, a psychology professor at the American University in Cairo. "Even if we have a democratic government, the problem will not go away." "Old habits die hard," said Marina Ottaway, an expert on Arab politics at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "However, neither Israel nor the U.S. figures prominently in what is happening in Egypt. They are not motivating the actions of the participants."
2011-07-22 00:00:00
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