Rawdah village more defiant, 2 years after massacre

Ahmed Sultan

Sheikh Mohamed Zariq mounted the pulpit of the al-Rawdah Mosque in the North Sinai city of Beir al-Abd, as he always did since he arrived in the city a few years earlier, to deliver the sermon before the weekly Friday prayer.

No sooner had he taken his position, than he heard an explosion outside. Seconds later, the mosque was filled with blood.

Zariq fell on the floor, but as he raised his head to see what was happening, he saw other worshippers soaked in their blood.

He saw the terrorists getting out of the mosque after carrying out their attack.

This was the bloodiest attack in Egypt’s history. The terrorists killed everybody inside the mosque, including children.

Police and army reinforcements arrived in the area after the attack. Ambulances arrived to take injured victims to nearby hospitals. A few days later, the reconstruction of the al-Rawdah Village, where the attack took place, started.

Official and unofficial agencies stepped in to offer support to the residents of the village who were traumatized by the attack.

The village’s water, electricity and sewage networks were totally renewed, along with its homes.

Compensation and support

About 164.7 million Egyptian pounds were offered the village in support, according to North Sinai Governor Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shousha.

Following the attack, 538 homes were reconstructed and 51 others renewed. The roads of the village were reconstructed and a training center was built to train residents in some trades. The Ministry of Youth and Sports constructed playgrounds.

According to the Social Affairs Department in North Sinai, the village residents received 60.6 million in compensation.

The Egyptian Red Crescent also offered psychological support to the residents of the village, especially those with post-traumatic disorders. The village’s female residents were also trained in dealing with the children who were part of the painful experience of the attack.

Resistance

The attack made the residents of al-Rawdah Village more keen on resistance.

The residents of the village are united with the army and police against the terrorists, one of the residents of the village said.

He told The Reference that security forces work hard to protect residents against terrorism.

Life returned to normal in the village, the resident said. Village residents are no longer worried about attacks with security forces maintaining presence everywhere.