Egyptian Islamists out to prove: "there is no fun in Islam"

No more kissing: naughty, 'dat! [pc]

"Allah did not create man so that he could have fun. The aim of creation was for mankind to be put to the test through hardship and prayer. An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious." [Ayatollah Khomeini, 1979] ** 

Better get to Egypt pronto if you want to see the Pyramids, kiss the Sphinx, swim the Sharm Al-Sheikh and want to have a beer while you do it.  "There is no fun in Islam", as the good Ayatollah said above, and these guys in Egypt are going to prove it...

Sheikh 'Adel Shehato, a senior official in Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ)...described the nature of the Islamic state to be established in Egypt: there would be no trade or cultural ties with non-Muslims; tourist sites at the pyramids, the Sphinx, and Sharm Al-Sheikh would be shut down "because the tourists come [there] to drink alcohol and fornicate," and all tourists wishing to visit Egypt would be required to comply with the conditions and laws of Islam; all art, painting, singing, dancing, and sculpture would be forbidden, and all culture would be purely Islamic.

This story is also covered here...

A rising leader in the radical Islamic movement in Egypt that has become a major political player since the demise of Hosni Mubarak's regime says Christian churches may need to be blown up and Christians exterminated to allow the advance of Islamic law, or Shariah.

Egyptian Islamic Jihad is an affiliate of al-Qaeda, itself an outgrowth of the Muslim Brotherhood.  So, to the extent that the Brotherhood increases influence in Egypt, to that extent one might expect the increase in influence of the radical Islamists such as Sheikh Shehato and the EIJ.

Note, by the way, that the first report above is a translation of Arabic sources by the Middle East Research Institute (MEMRI).  It is translations of MEMRI that the folks who brought you "Fear, Inc" say is "Islamophobic": that it, that it is bigoted simply to translate into English the statements of important Middle East leaders are saying. What rot!

The more of these....

Sheikh 'Adel Shehato, a senior official in Egyptian Islamic Jihad

... the less of these...

Gabby of Berlin, "global citizen"

Postscript: some readers have objected that the likes of Sheikh Shehato are members of the extreme Egyptian Islamic Jihad and don't represent the majority of Egyptians.  That's undoubtedly true, though it's also true that a remarkable number (upwards of 80%) of Egyptians are in favour of draconian ("extreme") Sharia provisions -- stoning for adultery, killing of apostates, and such -- as shown in a Pew Research Poll (here).
And it only takes a minority of activists to take power: 5-10% is enough, as the Bolsheviks, the Nazis and the Taliban have shown us.
Consider too the blowing up of the giant Bamyan Buddhist statues in Afghanistan.  At the time many said "no way", no way would they dare to blow up glorious statues 2000 years old and part of their cultural legacy indeed the cultural history of mankind.  But they did.  Islamists are quite capable -- keen even -- to cut off their noses to spite the infidel.  To get rid of pre-Islamic history, which they view as Jihiliya, the period of "ignorance" (oh the bitter irony!..)
So if yoy think, "no way", no way would they close down the Pyramids and Sphinx, well.... it might be wise to hedge your bets and get there soon....
**  [source: Meeting in Qom "Broadcast by radio Iran from Qom on 20 August 1979." quoted in Taheri, The Spirit of Allah (1985) p.259)