Will I Journey To Egypt Once more? No, Of Course Not…

Final week I shared how I believed Cairo Worldwide Airport (CAI) is the worst main airport on the earth. There was no ill-intent behind the put up, but it surely was simply supposed to be a subject of dialog, just like the tens of 1000’s of different weblog posts I’ve printed over time.

I didn’t even assume my observations had been that controversial, and extra readers agreed with me than not. Considering Cairo Airport isn’t good is about as controversial as stating that the DMV doesn’t have the world’s finest service.

However quick ahead to the previous a number of days, the place this has one way or the other turn into a nationwide story in Egypt. The Egyptian authorities is indignant at me, has threatened me, and has even launched video footage of me “having fun with” the airport to show that I’m mendacity (by posting footage of seven minutes of the roughly 4 hours I spent on the airport — and sure, these seven minutes do look fairly nice!).

The federal government has gone as far as to counsel that I used to be on another person’s payroll to slander the airport. It’s fully nuts.

I’ll be steering away from Egypt till additional discover

Following this incident, a number of readers requested if I’d nonetheless journey to Egypt, and/or urged me to not. I needed to speak about that in a bit extra element on this put up. Initially, because of everybody for his or her suggestions, and to those that expressed concern on the state of affairs… I recognize it!

I need to say in no unsure phrases that I’ll be avoiding Cairo and all of Egypt for the foreseeable future, and gained’t be visiting the nation and even transiting an airport there. I’m principally viewing myself as a persona non grata within the nation. I don’t need to go as far as to say that I’ll “by no means” return to Egypt, however until there’s some helpful dialogue that comes of this (unlikely) or until there’s a regime change sooner or later, I’m simply not going to danger it.

I don’t in the end know what would occur to me if I traveled to Egypt once more, however the authorities clearly said that it’s going to “take all essential authorized motion in opposition to those that try to hurt the credibility and fame of the civil aviation sector by means of unfounded allegations.” Because the authorities insists that my claims are unfounded, and even states that I’m on some overseas entity’s payroll to slander the airport, it’s simply not a danger that I need to put myself (or my household) by means of.

Now, I’ve seen some folks counsel that I must be scared approach past that, saying I must be nervous to journey anyplace within the Center East, and one individual even declaring that the US and Egypt have an extradition treaty, and many others. Whereas I recognize the final warnings, that’s not one thing that’s inflicting me any concern as of now:

• I don’t assume that is what extradition treaties are made for
• Within the scheme of the enemies of Egypt, I’ve to think about that I nonetheless rank fairly low
• I’m deliberate and cautious with the Center Jap nations that I journey to, so until there’s some data I’m not aware about, I don’t have issues that this may trigger me points with different nations

I nonetheless can’t consider the Egyptian authorities’s response

I’ve been running a blog for almost 17 years, and I’ve shared my justifiable share of journey opinions and takes on the weblog. Whereas I’ve had all types of events take challenge with what I write (as you’d count on), I’ve by no means in my life had as unwarranted (in my thoughts) of a response because the Egyptian authorities’s assault on me. To begin:

• Clearly the Egyptian authorities isn’t accustomed to the Streisand impact, and the way they simply introduced much more consideration to the problems at Cairo Airport than I ever might have
• I’m just a few random blogger, so to have a authorities come after me on this approach is simply such a disproportionate response; you’d assume I used to be performing on behalf of some overseas authorities that’s an enemy of Egypt
• I shared my sincerely held beliefs about Cairo Airport, and I didn’t say a single factor that was dishonest or that I didn’t consider; I feel it’s actually essential to be trustworthy when sharing experiences, as a result of I function underneath the idea that if I lie, somebody will maintain me accountable, and I deserve that
• As longtime OMAAT readers can attest to, I’m not somebody who’s searching for out drama, not like another bloggers and vloggers, who appear to continually have problematic run-ins; for the reason that Aegon Mykonos incident over three years in the past, I’ve had principally no drama, and that’s fairly a while for somebody who travels as a lot as I do

It truthfully didn’t faze me a lot initially, however the extra I give it some thought, the wilder I feel this complete factor is. How loopy is it {that a} authorities spent a numerous variety of hours discovering CCTV footage of me everywhere in the airport, after which selectively printed elements of it to make it appear like the airport is ideal?

What a completely stunning invasion of privateness. Like, it’s one factor to publish footage if somebody dedicated an precise crime at an airport, however to publish footage of me and broadcast it on the nationwide information in Egypt once I fairly actually didn’t commit any crimes is simply subsequent stage.

I additionally love the variety of authorities trolls (or one thing) who’re coming right here and commenting about how I’ve been “uncovered” for mendacity, like this one:

You’re a liar supported by soiled Ethiopia and you may be punished by regulation  and banned from getting into Egypt ceaselessly

Let me as soon as once more emphasize that seven minutes of my roughly 4 hours at Cairo Airport had been printed. In fact the airport seems to be tremendous nice primarily based on that footage, as a result of the federal government cherry picked the seven minutes that make it look the perfect.

However what a very weird invasion of privateness. On-line complaints about Cairo Airport are completely infinite, so to assume that any foreigner with no agenda will be publicly shamed and attacked for his or her notion of an airport is form of wild.

I can’t assist however surprise if there’s anything that may be performed to carry the federal government accountable right here. I imply, Egypt is a rustic that has flights and vacationers from everywhere in the world, together with a number of nonstop flights from the US.

For instance, Thailand has excessive defamation legal guidelines, however no less than they’re clearly printed, so vacationers ought to make themselves accustomed to them. Within the case of Egypt, there are (to my information) no legal guidelines in opposition to sharing your opinion and experiences touring by means of an airport. I imply, heck, government-owned EgyptAir sends out post-flight surveys soliciting suggestions on the expertise.

Even throughout the context of various governments taking totally different approaches, Egypt’s response appears excessive, when it comes to threatening me, making up false accusations in opposition to me, and publishing video footage of me.

Will this incident change my content material going ahead?

I’m making an attempt to mirror on whether or not I realized something from this incident, or if something about this may change the way in which I strategy content material sooner or later. Perhaps my opinion will evolve over time, however initially I’m simply viewing this incident as a really unusual outlier.

I’ve been running a blog for a really very long time, and for essentially the most half, haven’t had an excessive amount of drama. I imply, I obtain some constant threats that I gained’t get in to, but it surely’s the web, so what can you actually count on? As I mirror on what I might take away from this incident, listed here are just a few ideas:

• I’m not all of the sudden going to cease being goal, or cease sharing destructive ideas on one thing, if it displays how I really feel; whereas most of my posts spotlight the “finest” quite than the “worst” of issues, I don’t assume there’s something mistaken with both strategy
• I’ll proceed to watch out in regards to the timing of publishing destructive issues, in order that I don’t publish them once I’m in a rustic the place it might pose a danger (as I typically do)
• This actually makes me hyper conscious of how a few of the extra “controversial” governments on the market might take critical challenge with what in the end quantities to a random individual’s opinion

I’m actually open to different classes as effectively, and like I mentioned, my emotions might evolve over time.

Backside line

It has actually been an attention-grabbing few days right here on the weblog. A put up sharing my common dislike of Cairo Airport one way or the other made nationwide headlines in Egypt, and brought about the federal government to accuse me of all types of issues, together with taking a visit “geared toward undermining Cairo Airport.” The federal government has even threatened to take authorized motion in opposition to me.

I’ve handled fairly a little bit of destructive suggestions and even many threats on the weblog through the years, although this one positively takes the cake.

What’s your tackle this case, and what my takeaway must be?