Murder of Marwa El-Sherbini: Difference between revisions
+infobox |
More details on reasons for stabbing her |
||
| Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
'''Marwa Ali El-Sherbini''' ({{lang-ar|مروة الشربيني}}; October 7, 1977 – July 1, 2009) was an [[Egypt]]ian [[pharmacist]] and [[handball]] player who was killed in a courtroom at the [[Judiciary_of_Germany#Ordinary_Courts|Landgericht]] in [[Dresden]], [[Germany]], by a man |
'''Marwa Ali El-Sherbini''' ({{lang-ar|مروة الشربيني}}; October 7, 1977 – July 1, 2009) was an [[Egypt]]ian [[pharmacist]] and [[handball]] player who was killed in a courtroom at the [[Judiciary_of_Germany#Ordinary_Courts|Landgericht]] in [[Dresden]], [[Germany]], by a man whom she had sued after he insulted her for wearing the Islamic headscarf <ref>[http://www.thelocal.de/national/20090703-20359.html Woman killed in courtroom bloodbath was pregnant], The local, [[12 July]] [[2009]]</ref> <ref>[http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20090703111139555C570353 Egyptian woman killed in German court drama], iol, [[12 July]] [[2009]]</ref>. |
||
== Life == |
== Life == |
||
Revision as of 08:14, 12 July 2009
Marwa El-Sherbini | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marwa Ali El-Sherbini October 7, 1977 |
| Died | July 1, 2009 (aged 31) |
| Cause of death | Stabbing |
| Resting place | Alexandria, Egypt |
| Nationality (legal) | Egyptian |
| Alma mater | Alexandria University |
| Occupation | Pharmacist |
| Known for | Murder victim |
| Spouse | Elwi Ali Okaz |
| Children | Mustafa (born 2006) Unborn child |
| Parent(s) | Ali El-Sherbini Laila Shams |
Marwa Ali El-Sherbini (Arabic: مروة الشربيني; October 7, 1977 – July 1, 2009) was an Egyptian pharmacist and handball player who was killed in a courtroom at the Landgericht in Dresden, Germany, by a man whom she had sued after he insulted her for wearing the Islamic headscarf [1] [2].
Life
El-Sherbini was born in 1977, the daughter of chemists Ali El-Sherbini and Laila Shams from Alexandria. In 1995 she graduated from the El Nasr Girls' College, where she was the students’ speaker. She was also a member of the Egyptian national handball team 1992−1999.
Moving to Germany
In 2005 El-Sherbini moved with her husband to Germany. They lived first in Bremen and since 2008 in Dresden. Her husband, a lecturer at Minufiya University, researches in the field of genetics and is doctoral candidate in Dresden’s Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics. They have one son, who was born in 2006. El-Sherbini was three months pregnant with her second child at the time of her murder.
Verbal abuse and criminal case for insult
In August 2008 Alex W. (a German of Russian origin, not identified by full name in line with common practice of German authorities and media concerning criminal suspects) shouted abuse at El-Sherbini in a Dresden playground, calling her an "Islamist", a "terrorist" and a "bitch" in a dispute about her 3-year old son, who was apparently playing on a swing that his niece wanted to use. El-Sherbini was wearing an Islamic headscarf.
El-Sherbini brought charges against him for insulting behaviour and he was fined 780 euros by the Amtsgericht in Dresden. The Public Prosecutor filed an appeal to achieve a higher penalty because of the openly xenophobic character of the incident, since Alex W. stated "You don’t have the right to live here" at the time of the first trial.[3]
Murder
The appeal hearing started in the late morning of July 1, 2009. Eight persons were present in the courtroom: a panel of one professional and two lay judges, the prosecutor, Alex W. as the defendant, his defence counsel, El-Sherbini as witness for the prosecution, and her husband and son as members of the public [4]. No security personnel was present and the pockets of persons entering the court building were not searched, as is usual in cases where no security problems are anticipated and no person under arrest is present [5].
After El-Sherbini testified, 28-year-old Alex W. leapt across the courtroom and attacked her in front of her husband and son. Alex W. stabbed El-Sherbini 18 times, killing her.[6][7] Some witnesses allege that he shouted "You don′t deserve to live" as he attacked her. A policeman who was in the court building testifying in an unrelated case was called to the scene and mistakenly wounded El-Sherbini's husband by a shot in the leg while the latter was attempting to protect his wife. He had already been critically wounded in the attack.[8].
Emergency services were called at 10:26 CEST and four ambulances were dispatched, but the victim died on the scene. [9]
Alex W. was arrested on the scene and is being held on remand and investigated on a charge of murder [10]. His trial is expected to be in late 2009 or early 2010. As of 11 July 2009 he had made no statement to investigators [11].
Media and public reaction
Initial media reports
The murder was reported on 1 July 2009 in German radio and television[12] and in print media on the following day. According to general practice with crime victims, El-Sherbini was not identified by name but referred to as a 32-year old witness. Initial reactions were a expression of condolence with the family by the Saxon minister of justice, accompanied by calls for increased security in court buildings by politicians and representatives of judges. [13]
Response in Egypt
El-Sherbini's case became the main focus of Egyptian public and media. She has been called "head scarf martyr" or "hijab martyr" and Egyptian public opinion decried what was described as the muted reaction in Germany. [14]
The remains of El-Sherbini were brought – after funeral prayers in Berlin and Dresden which were attended by 2,000 mostly Egyptian Muslims – to Egypt and she was buried as a martyr in her home town of Alexandria on 6 July.[15]. Mourners accused Germany of racism and Islamophobia. [16]
Response by Muslim and Jewish bodies
The Central Council of Muslims in Germany claimed deeds like El-Sherbini's murder are facilitated by growing Islamophobia on the Internet.[17]
The General Secretaries of Germany's Muslim and Jewish Councils visited El-Sherbini's husband in hospital on 6 July 2009. Stephan Kramer, General Secretary of the Central Council of Jews in Germany stated: "You don't have to be Muslim to oppose anti-Muslim behavior, and you don't have to be Jewish to oppose anti-Semitism. We must stand together against such inhumanity." [18] [19]
Response of the Max Planck Society
Both the Max Planck Society and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics have strongly condemned the attack saying "The fact that the attack was racially motivated is especially distressing to us, considering that the Max Planck Society is a scientific research organisation with staff members from the most various nations." [20] [21]
References
- ^ Woman killed in courtroom bloodbath was pregnant, The local, 12 July 2009
- ^ Egyptian woman killed in German court drama, iol, 12 July 2009
- ^ Frankfurter Rundschau: Dresdner Bluttat - Mehr als Ausländerhass, 3 July 2009
- ^ "Landgericht Dresden: Messerattacke gibt Rätsel auf" (in German). Frankfurt: Frankfurter Rundschau. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ "Landgericht Dresden. Angeklagter tötet Zeugin im Gerichtssaal" (in German). Leipzig: MDR (Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk) Sachsen. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ Die Welt: Blutbad im Gerichtssaal - Polizei ermittelt wegen heimtückischen Mordes, 3 July 2009
- ^ Frankfurter Rundschau: Dresdner Bluttat - Mehr als Ausländerhass, 3 July 2009
- ^ Protestors Accuse Germany of Racism, Spiegel Online, 7 July 2009, accessed 8 July 2009.
- ^ Angeklagter tötet Zeugin im Gerichtssaal, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk 1 July 2009, accessed 8 July 2009.
- ^ Blutbad im Gerichtssaal "Blutbad im Gerichtssaal - Polizei ermittelt wegen heimtückischen Mordes" (in German). Berlin: Die Welt. 3 July 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
{{cite news}}: Check|url=value (help); Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ "Trauerfeier. Dresdner nehmen Abschied von getöteter Ägypterin" (in German). Hamburg: Spiegel Online. 11 July 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ Tod der Zeugin im Gericht, Deutschlandfunk 1 July 2009, audio recording accessed 8 July 2009
- ^ Angeklagter tötet Zeugin im Gerichtssaal, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk 1. July 2009, accesed 8. July 2009.
- ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/06/headscarf-martyr-marwa-sh_n_226104.html Huffington Post: Headscarf Martyr Marwa Sherbini Mourned in Egypt, 6 July 2009
- ^ Almasry Alyoum: More Than 2000 Muslims Mourn Veil Victim in Berlin; Special Grave in Alexandria, 6 July 2009
- ^ The headscarf martyr: murder in German court sparks Egyptian fury, The Guardian 8 July 2009
- ^ Islam.de Aus Islamhass getötet, 5 July 5 2009
- ^ Protestors Accuse Germany of Racism, Spiegel Online 7. July 2009, accessed 8. July 2009
- ^ Egyptian woman killed in German court for being veiled, Global Voices Online 6. July 2009, accessed 9. July 2009
- ^ "Max Planck Society response "
- ^ "MPI-CBG, Dresden response"