Christians Under Attack

Hyatt¿s international management to order an explanation and triggering worries the hotel may lose its five-star status and, eventually, the Hyatt brand name. Although the Hyatt chain does not oblige individual hotels to sell alcohol, a dispute arose because Abdel Aziz Ibrahim did not notify his international supervisors, before making the move. The Hyatt International Corporation, a subsidiary of the Chicago-based holding company Global Hyatt Corporation, controls the hotel. "Negotiations between the Hyatt International Corporation and the owner of Grand Hyatt Cairo is still carried on, a decision will be reached within the coming days," Emy El Shorbagy cooperation PR coordinator of Grand Hyatt told ANSAmed. Shorbagy added that the Ministry of Tourism will announce its decision in a few days. Brother-in-law of the late Saudi King Fahd, Abdel Aziz Ibrahim is known as a staunch Muslim. His religious convictions are widely assumed to be the impetus for the ban. Last week he drained an estimated 964,136 euro worth of alcohol was thrown to the sewage of the hotel, a hotel staffer who chose to be anonymous told ANSAmed. "This is a Saudi interference in the Egypt's economy and private affairs if they strictly apply religious traditions then they ought to move away from entertainment tourism which contradicts religious beliefs in many ways," said the source. "Some are happy because they say he is a good Muslim and now our money will be halal (religiously legal)," one source said. Others fear the move will dissuade foreign guests from booking there, pushing the tourism ministry to downgrade the hotel's ranking, impelling Hyatt Hotels to pull out and further buttressing Egypt's reputation as a 'dry country.' (ANSAmed).

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