Egyptian Archaeological Syndicate Demands "Countries Mind Their own Business"

Nevine El-Aref ('Egyptian archaeologists demand countries mind their own business' Al-Ahram Friday 16 Aug 2013) is reporting that the "Egyptian Archaeologists' Syndicate" have called on the Ministry of State of Antiquities (MSA) to cut all ties with foreign – and especially American - archaeological missions issuing an ultimatum to antiquities authority: Cut all ties with 'foreign,' 'enemy' countries' institutions...or we will. This astounding suggestion is allegedly "in response to international reaction towards the current political events in Egypt". The Syndicate's statement came hours after a UN council meeting started to discuss the military crackdown yesterday and its condemnation by the US President.

The Syndicate wants to see the MSA take immediate, thorough steps to cut all ties, even including prohibiting researchers and students to enter Egyptian museums and archaeological sites, Archaeologists Syndicate Coordinator Salah El-Hadi announces in a press release sent around 11pm. Foreign archaeological and cultural institutes - again, emphasising American institutions, with the American Research Centre in Egypt (ARCE) and the Chicago House mentioned by name - should be cut off because of their country’s support of "terrorism", i.e. the Brotherhood's recent actions [...] "We are not quite reassured of our heritage being in the hands of our enemies," El-Hadi says, adding: "If the MSA will not accept and follow-through with our demands, archaeologists will implement the prohibition [ourselves] and will work towards cutting any cooperation with them."

It's reassuring to know that the heritage is in the hand of such politically aware people, eh? For an academic, I must say El-Hadi's analysis of processes going on in his own society seems incredibly two-dimensional and simplistic, how can he analyse ancient ones? As Adam Schatz notes in the London Review of Books, Egyptian politics has long been poisoned by unusually high levels of xenophobia, the current regime thrives by "tapping into a deep well of paranoia, fomented throughout the Mubarak era". El-Hadi's rhetoric is straight from the language of narrow, chauvinistic, Egypt-first nationalism.

So Egyptian archaeologists from the Syndicate will be "implementing the prohibition themselves", what are they going to do, beat up any foreign archaeologists they see wandering around Luxor? Until now, our discipline has been pretty concerned with bridging the gap between people of differing political views, colour of skin, religion, social background, one-world archaeology and all that. It is a shame that some in the Egyptian Archaeologists' Syndicate apparently want to turn their back on all that.