Hamdy Anan has been leading diving trips for the last 17 years, and in all that time, he told Egypt Independent, there has not been a single female dive master. Anan helped to oversee al-Fallal’s three month certification course, a process that requires extraordinary commitment and physical stamina, but  there is more to the newly ordained dive master than meets the eye.

On the outside, no one sees much of al-Fallal since she covers herself head to toe in accordance with her strict religious beliefs. She is a muslim, and maintains coverage of her head, arms and legs whether she is ploughing the vast desert or navigating the great marine underworld.

But on the inside, this woman is a firecracker who wears many hats!

Only 27 years old, al-Fallal has a degree in cinematography, and worked as a stylist and camera assistant before quitting the industry.

She was disappointed in how poorly women are portrayed in movies and television, and felt that insufficient effort is made to use television’s widespread influence to the betterment of society.

Al-Fallal has also worked as a personal trainer in various gyms across Cairo and as an assistant parachuting coach at an Egyptian military-run club, Egypt Independent reports.

Apart from the stylist position, all of these positions are stereotypically reserved for men, so it is no small feat that a woman, especially one who observes hijab (the veil), should have experience in all of them before her 30th birthday.

Unsurprisingly, al-Fallal’s road has not been without its pitfalls.

She told Egypt Independent that it is not easy for an Egyptian woman to travel and live alone without facing scorn or judgement from society, but she considers herself a feminist and still has a handful of other big goals she would like to meet.

In addition to becoming a dive instructor and opening her own shop, a dream she has had since she was 18, al-Fallal wants to do underwater photography – a pioneering field in Egypt that would allow her to combine two of what appear to many loves.

She also wants to learn how to sew, so that she can fashion her own clothing.

When the paper asked the dive master if they could do a profile, she humbly thought she didn’t have much to offer and felt hesitant to go through with it. Ultimately she did – in order to inspire other women to step out and live their dream.

Maybe a girl will read it and [decide to] do something that she really likes,” she said, “and someone who thinks negatively about Muslims will read it and change his mind.”

:: Egypt Independent

Stock image of woman diving, Shutterstock

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This news comes despite the work of Egyptian activists who have been trying to convince the government that the $3 billion bridge slated to cross Ras Mohamed National Park, which currently protects coral reefs, dive sites and a slew of endangered species, would cause irreparable environmental damage.

”If they build this bridge, coral reefs, endangered species and at least 22 dive sites will all be gone,” Ibrahim Mohamed, an activist with the anti-bridge group IBRedSea told Green Prophet in an earlier interview.

Once built, the 50km land-sea bridge named after King Abdulla will allow travelers to get from Egypt to Saudi Arabia in just 20 minutes.

But critics warn that the western-styled tourism that has for so long propped up the Sinai peninsula will be forever lost if Saudis are given such easy access to the area.

Already there is indication that Qatar’s link to the Muslim Brotherhood is causing divisions on the Arabian peninsula. This move is seen as yet another step towards the radical Islamification of Egypt.

IBRedSea activist Ahmed Abdel Rasoul said that no environmental impact assessments have been carried out to ensure that Egypt’s natural resources will be protected as the progress continues.

One less-discussed side effect of the bridge will be development. While some of the peninsula resorts cater to an upscale clientele, most of the ramshackle beach huts lining the coast will be inadequate for Saudi visitors, which means that grand hotel development plans and other infrastructure will swallow up a great deal of what nature remains.

:: Egypt Independent

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The main goal of these agreements is to extend water networks and create jobs – a welcome move for a largely neglected area of the country. But Sinai development has also become a hot pitching point for presidential candidates, and environmentalists are worried.

Under Hosni Mubarak’s regime, Sinai was the country’s forgotten corridor and limited development occurred. While this has deprived the local Bedouin population access to decent infrastructure, it has also fostered a healthy stream of tourists attracted by the Red Sea’s marine bounty and the slow pace of life.

Since Mubarak was ousted, a certain amount of informal development has taken place. Tireless conservation groups such as Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Agency (HEPCA) have taken strides to monitor opportunists and protect the environment, but they are easily overpowered.

SFD’s Chief Ghada Wali signed an agreement with North Sinia’s Governor Major General E-Sayed Abdul-Wahab to contribute 1.5 million Egyptian pounds towards developing 21 km of water networks that will be distributed to 6 different parts of the governorate. This project is expected to create 6,804 jobs.

The agreement signed with South Sinai’s governor Major General Khaled Fouda will result in an 18km legwork that will create 6,854 jobs. While these seem like development projects that will actually benefit the local population, environmentalists are concerned about some of the promises made by presidential candidates.

The Muslim Brotherhood espoused the most elaborate plan for the peninsula, according to Al-Akhbar news. This is what it entails:

It envisaged dividing Sinai into five economic zones, and focusing development efforts on specific sectors in each (agriculture, commerce, manufacturing, and livestock herding in the northern zone around the provincial capital at al-Arish; mining and small industry in the central zone; agriculture, commerce, and livestock in the west; tourism in the southeast; and tourism along with mining and petroleum extraction in the southwest). Railways would also be built linking Sinai to Suez and Ismailia under the plan, which Mursi estimated would cost Egyptian Pounds (LE) 20 billion (US$3,300,000,000) over a period of five years.

Meanwhile Nature Conservation Egypt (NCE), one of the most outspoken voices for nature in the country, expressed concerns that these plans will proceed without due process, resulting in potential environmental catastrophes. Of greatest concern in Lake Bardawil, an important wetland near the Mediterranean Sea.

On the NCE Facebook page, Mindy el Bin wrote the following in response recently unveiled development plans in Sinai:

NCE supports Sinai Development…but sound and sustainable development that promotes utilization at the same time protection of the natural resource base. There are questions about the development plans…potential impacts? Where is the water coming from? Other alternatives for development i.e. tourism? Of course what is being described is intensive development with major environmental impacts…no talk about potential prevention or mitigation measures…this is the same type of development we had in the past…where is the change and progress?

After Mubarak and his cronies were ousted, we had hoped that Egypt would enter into a new era of responsible development. It’s still too soon to know whether programs will proceed without environmental impact assessments, but we’re definitely on the alert.

:: Bikya Masr

Image credit: Sinai, Shutterstock

More From Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood and Sinai:

Greenwashing the Brotherhood

Egypt Slashes Longstanding Gas Deal with Israel 

Post-Revolution Development Destroys Popular Red Sea Dive Spot

The post Sinai’s Ecological Future Hangs in the Balance appeared first on Green Prophet.

Every year the government warns Israelis to avoid Sinai during Passover. Friends and relatives worry that they will become the next Ghalid Shalit, which is silly given there are now zero Israeli captives, but the fear is real for a people who have always felt surrounded. Even so, many intrepid Israelis in the past made the journey south, where they stayed in small sustainable beach shacks from Dahab to Sharm el-Sheikh, eating local food, living in harmony with the Bedouins – if only for a week. This is as close as Egypt gets to eco-tourism, but this year, it is very unlikely that even the most courageous Israelis will cross the Taba border into Sinai.

The revolution has changed Egypt. Instead of giving its residents a new lease on life, a chance to fix past mistakes (such as haphazard development and poor environmental regulation), it has created more divisions among those on either end of the political spectrum.

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has wiped out thousands of livestock, food prices are high, energy supplies are scarce despite a new oil field in the Gulf of Suez and muggings and kidnappings are on the rise.

This is particularly true in Cairo, where street lights are dimming, and along the Sinai peninsula, one of the most popular tourism areas in the country. Although Americans, Russians, and other foreigners might still be willing to take the risk that a visit might entail, Israelis are very unlikely to bring their business to Egypt this year.

It was always kind of ironic that the Israelis would head back into the territory from which they were supposed to be commemorating their hard-earned escape from slavery. And it had to have been a sore spot for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who each year send out a press release describing how religious Jews should celebrate this important holiday.

But this is actually a depressing development in the relationship between residents of the countries, not to mention the economic strain that continues to plunge Egypt deeper and deeper into trouble.

Forget the government for one minute and think only of every day people. People like you and me who may not love Iranian politics but we would be hard pressed to dislike a normal citizen of that country.

As Sustainable as it Comes

Despite longstanding political fractions, every day Israelis interacted harmoniously with the Bedouins, if not other Egyptians, at least once a year. They brought their families and their good will and left politics at home. They also brought a nice chunk of cash that was injected into the local economy.

Hundreds of Israelis used to flood across the Taba border. In fact, it was almost impossible to go anywhere along the peninsula during Pesach (Passover) where there were no Israelis. But this year, they will be a rare sight.  And the rest can’t be blamed for heading elsewhere when so many reports of trouble have emerged from the region in the last few months.

In January, the Chief of Police told Al Jazeera that they have gotten Northern Sinai under control. But he can’t be trusted. Instead, the popular Egyptian commentator Sandmonkey claims it will take at least 10 years for Egypt’s police force to become adequately dispossessed of their old bad habits and trained again as effective peacekeepers.

In the meantime, Egypt’s troubles grow thicker.

Image credit: Moses Parts Red Sea, Shutterstock

More on Eco-Tourism in Egypt:
Is Troubled Egypt Ripe Enough for Eco-Tourism?
New El Mandara Eco-Haven Pops up in Fayoum
Romantic Desert Lodge in Egypt Offers Fresh Eggs and Sanity

The post Egypt Suffers When Israelis Spend Passover Elsewhere appeared first on Green Prophet.

Hoda Baraka from Almasry Alyoum was one of the first journalists to point out how unregulated development is impacting on the timeless Siwa Oasis near Libya, and recently visited a new eco-village in Upper Egypt – an archaeologically-rich but neglected area south of Cairo. The New Hermopolis Eco Village founder and physician Mervat Nasser and architecture planner Yahia Shawkat both expressed hope during her visit that projects like this could benefit from the revolution – but only if government alters its mass tourism model. We are not so sure.

A revival of the unknown Upper Egypt

Just 211 miles south of Cairo, The New Hermopolis Eco-Village named after the Greek Messenger of the Gods Hermes aims to draw new awareness to the region’s intellectual history. Upper Egypt has suffered from two decades of deliberate repression by the Mubarak regime, following the rise of radical Islamic factions, according to Almasry Alyoum.

The village is comprised of 16 rooms made of limestone that can accommodate up to 52 visitors; revenue from the solar-powered venture will support development projects in the local community, which is situated very close to the Tuna al-Gebel antiquities.

Although Nasser is striving to create a framework that supports a new model of sustainable tourism, both she and Shawkat are realistic that the government has to get involved if this initiative has any hope of genuine success.

Government’s role in sustainable tourism

Shawkat told Baraka:

First, they [the government] must put in place the necessary regulations serving as guidelines for those wanting to undertake such initiatives. Consequently, they are responsible for ensuring that the tourism industry, once introduced in the region, does not grow at the expense of local communities.

Other substantial developments in the region also support a more eco-friendly approach to tourism, including the tranquil Desert Lodge in el-Qasr, suggesting that there exists a community-driven desire to move away from the model that carts bus loads of visitors to a select handful of increasingly ecologically-corrupted destinations.

But other indicators give us a less optimistic view of Egypt’s future.

The ugly side of reality

Tourism traffic alone the Sinai peninsula has seriously eroded the once-beautiful beaches and coral reefs, and wildlife has taken a serious beating. Thanks to efforts by Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Agency (HEPCA), a dolphin sanctuary was recently established by the Red Sea Governorate, but a new report shows that since the revolution, failure to monitor illegal poaching has put Red Sea sharks sold for fins at risk of extinction.

Establishing the infrastructure for sustainable development and tourism takes time – a process we support wholeheartedly. But we worry that given the incredible financial losses that Egypt has already sustained in the last year, high-income projects will take precedence. Even so, the last year has proven that people are powerful. Faith in grassroots activism and action along with a healthy dose of perseverance will usher in a new Egypt.

:: Almasry Alyoum

image by Hoda Baraka

More on Eco-Tourism in Egypt:

Post-Revolution Development in Egypt Destroys Popular Red Sea Dive Spot

Romantic Desert Lodge in Egypt Offers Fresh Eggs and Sanity

PHOTOS: Green Prophet’s Whirlwind Tour of the Siwa Oasis

The post Is Troubled Egypt Ripe Enough For Eco-Tourism? appeared first on Green Prophet.

There are numerous eco-tourism options available in the Middle East. Green-hearted tourists can climb “God’s Mountain” in Egypt or visit the desert oasis of Siwa along the Red Sea coast in Sinai. But in the United Arab Emirates, five star eco-tourism is becoming increasingly popular according to Hotelier MiddleEast.com. Dubai and Abu Dhabi destinations that ostensibly help to “save the planet” offer unique accommodations within a luxury, “eco-friendly” setting.

Eco luxury: nature with all the frills

The idea of more luxurious accommodations is to attract people who might otherwise pass up opportunities to “commune with nature” due to a lack of comfort and amenities these people are usually accustomed to. Some of these locations include Al Maha — now absorbed into a resort ‘megabrand’ called Starwood, and the Desert Islands Resort by Anantara that also has luxurious eco resorts in the Maldives, Thailand, and Bali.

In Abu Dhabi, the resort is set within the Sir Bani Yas island nature reserve in Abu Dhabi’s western region,  . This exotic location is a “privately owned nature reserve of President H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan”, and according  to brochures describing it, all efforts are made to make guests feel that they are experiencing a trip to paradise”.

Al Maha Desert Resort, Dubai

Other area locations, on Oman’s Musandam Peninsula and the Evason Ma’In Hot Springs & Six Senses Spa in Jordan have attracted equal amounts of praise and criticism (as being truly friendly to the planet).

But according to the Hotelier MiddleEast, they certainly fit the bill as luxury eco retreats, with all the amenities one would expect to have – for a price of course.

Sinai on the cheap

The desire to go to these more unusual holiday locations depends on one’s desire to combine luxury with eco tranquility, and be able to afford the prices offered. For those who wish to truly be in natural settings, and are willing  to put up with some measure of physical discomforts, may we recommend more basic eco tourism in places like the Sinai Red Sea coast, squat toilets et al.

Read more on Middle East Eco Tourism:

Climbing God’s Mountain for Eco Tourism in Egypt

Siwa and Red Sea Become Hot Spots for Eco Tourism in Sinai and Egypt

In Praise of the Middle East Squat Toilet

Top 7 Middle Eastern Trips for the Eco Curious Traveler

Jordan Eco photo:   Six Senses.com

The post Five Star Eco-Tourism in Cool, But Hot Mid East Locations appeared first on Green Prophet.

Just after authorities reopened the tourist area to snorkelers following three separate shark attacks last week, a German woman was attacked and killed in Sharm al-Sheikh yesterday. Last week three Russian tourists were originally attacked by an Oceanic White Tip shark, which conservationists say is very unusual behavior for this species.

In response, the Ministry of Tourism instructed Egypt’s Chamber of Diving and Water Sports (CDWS) to close down all beaches with the exception of the Ras Mohammed Natural Preserve. Yesterday we reported that two sharks were killed, but the Hurghada Environmental Protection Agency (HEPCA) confirmed that photos of the Mako and White Tip sharks did not match those of the shark that originally injured the snorkelers. The park authorities hasty handling of this matter has led to the tragic death of an innocent woman.

Authorities originally promised to relocate the marauding shark to the Gulf of Suez, but instead sent a twelve man team to capture and kill two sharks listed as vulnerable on the International Union of the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

In a statement listed on its website, HEPCA condemned that move and issued a statement calling for more prudent measures. The park authorities lifted the snorkeling ban (Egypt can’t stand to lose its tourism Pounds). Assured of safety, the German tourist who was snorkeling was killed instantly.

Egypt’s Tourism Minister Zuhair Garana told AFP news agency that they have closed the beaches, the BBC reports. Again.

“We are getting marine biologists from abroad to assess the situation and why there was this change in biological nature,” he said, referring to the repeated nature of the attacks, which some experts say is unusual.

Regarding the cause, a new theory has emerged.

Peers Cawley, who  is a dive instructor at Sharm al-Sheikh, told the BBC that sharks are not usually sighted in Sharm al-Sheikh at this time of year, that they are more likely to appear in the summer months.

He added that following Eid celebrations, an Australian cargo ship out at sea dumped dead sheep that later appeared on the Sinai peninsula’s shore. He speculates but does not confirm that there is a connection.

It is also possible that overfishing has caused the sharks to seek new sources of food.

:: BBC

More Red Sea/Shark News:

Egypt Eco-Group HEPCA Reports Red Sea Spill is Capped

The post Oceanic White Tip Shark Kills Elderly Woman In Egypt appeared first on Green Prophet.