ABSTRACT
The Al Salam, an aged Egyptian passenger ferry, left Saudi Arabia on February 3, 2006. When it sank in the Red Sea a little after midnight, more than 1,000 passengers drowned in the dark waters. It took hours before the Egyptian navy launched a search-and-rescue operation. As news surfaced about the accident, family members flocked to the Egyptian seaside port of Hurghada. Desperate for news, they wandered between the dock, the morgue, and a local hospital. While the Muslim Brotherhood rushed to the port offering water, food, and comfort, President Hosni Mubarak dispatched riot police to quell the restive crowd. Mubarak belatedly offered $5,000 to each family and pledged an investigation. Many Egyptians accused Mubarak’s government of being insensitive, incompetent, and corrupt.
