CAIRO: Egyptian Marwa Al-Sherbini, who was stabbed to death 18 times in a Dresden courtroom in front of her three-year-old son on July 1, was three months pregnant, according to German newspaper Bild on Friday.
Her body was scheduled to arrive in Cairo at 8 pm Sunday accompanied by her brother and her child.
According to islamonline.net, Al-Sherbini, 32, was a member of Alexandria’s Pharmacists’ Syndicate in Egypt, which has reportedly announced that it will hold a protest on her behalf in front of the German consulate in Alexandria. They have also threatened to boycott German pharmaceutical products for a whole week to draw attention to the xenophobic murder as well as to influence German public opinion on the case.
Al-Sherbini had sued her attacker after he insulted her for wearing the Islamic headscarf. The attacker, identified only as Alex W., was appealing the ?780 fine he was ordered to pay in the libel suit.
She was the wife of Egyptian academic Elwi Ali-Okaz, who was also hurt in the incident after he tried to help his wife and is in critical condition in hospital. Press reports indicate that his condition is stabilizing, but he is yet to be released from hospital.
According to Islamonline, hundreds or Muslims held demonstrations on Friday in Dresden in front of the hospital where Okaz lies.
Police are now investigating Alex W. for manslaughter.
“The investigation into this bloody crime is bound to show there are some indications the suspect was hostile toward foreigners – the signs are there, said Saxony police chief Bernd Merbitz told Bild.
Magdi Al-Sayed, press officer at the German embassy in Cairo, said the case was isolated and did not reflect German attitude towards Muslims.
“It is a criminal act. It has nothing to do with persecution against Muslims, Sayed told the Egyptian state newspaper The Egyptian Gazette.
The stabbing happened July 1, just before Al-Sherbini was to give her evidence. During the struggle, other bystanders were injured and police fired a shot. Al-Sherbini died in the courtroom.
The 28-year-old attacker was overpowered and is now under investigation for manslaughter, a spokesman for the Dresden prosecutor’s office said.
Chairman of the German judge federation Christoph Frank is now demanding that safety and security measures must be brought up to standard.
On August 21, 2008, Marwa was with her then two-year-old at a playground in the Dresden suburb of Johannstadt. She had arrived in Germany together with her son and husband, Ali, three years prior to the incident from Egypt. Ali holds a fellowship at the renowned Max-Planck-Institut
On the playground, an argument arose between Al-Sherbibi and Alex W. where he insulted her with words like “slut, “Islamist, and “terrorist. After she filed an official complaint, a local court fined the man ?780.
The prosecutors felt that the punishment was too soft, and the man proceeded to appeal the decision. As a result, the appeal was heard by the State Court in Dresden in July 2009. -Daily News Egypt
