Cancel belly dancing festival in Egypt for fear of Islamists

Management of Festival "Welcome" belly-cancel its eleventh session;decided to stop it for the first time since 10 years of festivals in Egypt; because of the fear of foreign dancers to come to Egypt under a state of lawlessness, sectarian clashes and escalating fears of the arrival of the Islamists to power.

Ragia Hassan the head of the festival, told , "Rosa Joseph," Egyptian, Magazine June 15, 2011: "The foreign dancers who are up in number to nearly 1,200 dancers; happy due to the Egyptian Revolution, They expressed their determination to come to Egypt after the revolution, Fribna festival Annual residence, which was scheduled for June 25 this. "

But after the events of Imbaba and the burning of the church and the occurrence of clashes between Muslims and Christians; apologized prescribed foreign participation in the festival, and said they were afraid to come to Egypt, the festival was canceled and all the arrangements for it.

Considered prestigious festival's cancellation of the loss of Egyptian tourism. And she explained: "Around 1,200 dancers were partici-pate in the festival, and each one of them spend almost 3 thousand dollars, from renting a hotel room, and even taxi drivers, shops, antiques, and antiques, but all that was canceled."

She upscale fears the arrival of the Islamists to power; because if they arrived will be held the festival again in Egypt, stressing that there are offers of GCC to establish the festival in one of the Gulf States, but it was rejected in the past years, and wished that Egypt, like Turkey.

The festival is one of the arts festivals internationally recognized; it aims to preserve the art of belly dancing as a popular heritage in Egypt.