By Sarah Saad
Sinai’s tribesmen and tribal chiefs say they relish the memory of the Liberation Day of the land where they have been living for hundreds of years.
All the people of Sinai, they said, united with the Egyptian Armed Forces to liberate every inch of Sinai.
Sheikh Salama El-Raghy, a chieftain of the Duwageer tribe, highlighted the role played by his tribe when the borders between Egypt and Palestine were demarcated in 1906.
The Duwageer tribe, he said, also played an important role in guiding pilgrims through the desert of Sinai on the road to Mecca and Medina for over a century in the past.
“Pilgrims from the Maghreb countries tended to travel to Saudi Arabia through Sinai,” he told The Egyptian Gazette.
Egypt marks the Sinai Liberation Day on April 25 every year, a time of the year when Sinai’s elders and tribal chiefs fondly remember their struggle side by side with all other Egyptians, including in the army, for the liberation of their land from Israeli occupation.
The people of Sinai are distinguished by their obsession with their cultural identity. They keep sticking to this identity passing it on from one generation to another.
Tribal support for the Egyptian army was most manifested in 1956 during the Israeli aggression.
This was when Sinai’s tribes participated in the digging of the Suez Canal. Before the October 1973 war, some of Sinai’s tribesmen had to leave for other parts of Egypt. Nonetheless, the majority of the people of Sinai preferred to stay put in their land to offer the required support for the army.
Sinai’s tribes played an important role in helping army troops, especially during the War of Attrition.
Tribal support to their army persisted, particularly after 2011 in the fight against terrorism. The tribesmen collaborated closely with the military and the Egyptian intelligence. Sorry to say, some of the tribesmen lost their lives defending their land and helping army troops. Despite this, the families of these tribesmen take pride in that their relatives died defending their country and backing their army.
Sheikh Fereij Salem Fereij, another tribal chief, recalled the proud way the late president Anwar el-Sadat always talked about the tribes of Sinai.
President Sadat, he said, considered the people of Sinai vanguards in the defence of Sinai.
He shared anecdotes about Sheikh Ali El Hersh who resisted the British occupation of Egypt and his son Sheikh Salem El Hersh who rejected Israel’s attempts to undermine Egyptian sovereignty over Sinai.
Sheikh Suleiman Salem, a chieftain of Sawarka tribe, talked about the role Sufi Sheikh Eid Abu Gharir played in advocating jihad and supporting the Egyptian army.
Sheikh Abu Gharir, he said, co-founded the Sinai Arab Organisation in 1968.
Sheikh Abdullah Salim Jihama of the Tarabin tribe said his tribe played an integral role in liberating Sinai.
He underscored the tribe’s unity with the Egyptian army until victory was achieved.
Sheikh Mohammed Nafel of the Baiadiya tribe mentioned his tribe’s unwavering commitment to Egypt’s defence.
The tribe, he said, offered its efforts and resources to defend Egypt’s land.
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