BEYOND SYRIA IRAQ

LOCAL POPULAR SUPPORT FOR THE ISLAMIC STATE1
Sinai Province
■ MUHAMED SABRY
PREPARED STATEMENT
THE MILITANT ORGANIZATIONAnsar Beit al-Maqdis (ABM) currently
refers to itself as Sinai Province and has declared its subservience to
the core Islamic State, based in Iraq and Syria. Nevertheless, the two
do not have close ties. This is partially demonstrated by the group’s late declaration
of allegiance to IS, which only occurred after the so-called Islamic
State had already existed for several years. In reality, ABM’s Bedouin members,
who represent the vast majority of the organization, ultimately reject
the principle of operating in a subsidiary role to any entity. The group is
in large part motivated by its experiences of subordination to the Egyptian
state, whose relations with the Bedouin community were characterized by
decades of neglect, marginalization, ignorance, and racism. Thus, ABM is
unlikely to so easily leave itself open to a reiteration of this experience.
ABM’s major attacks before joining IS emphasize the group’s motivating
belief that it is resisting oppression, and that its views stem from traditional
Bedouin values that prioritize freedom from restriction by any authority
outside the community. ABM’s repeated attacks on the Israel-Egypt border,
most notably the 2011 attack near Eilat, and major operations against the
Egyptian security forces that killed dozens demonstrated a desire for operational
independence in the Sinai Peninsula.
HISTORY OF ANSAR BEIT AL-MAQDIS
The lawlessness following Egypt’s January 25 revolution in 2011 allowed ABM
to reach a new level of effectiveness. During this period, it obtained arms and
economic capital, and most of its current or future members smuggled goods,
fuel, and arms to the Gaza Strip, which created a strong smuggling economy.
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