Let me break down this story to see if I have it right (if anything, for my own sanity).
A 31-year old, headscarf-wearing Egyptian Muslim woman, Marwa Al-Sherbini, who was about four months pregnant, takes her German neighbor to court for calling her a “terrorist”. Now, in the courtroom, the neighbor, Alex W., stabs her 18 times right in front of her 3-year old son.
Her husband, a research fellow, tries to come to her rescue and ends up not only getting stabbed as well by the attacker, but is actually mistaken for the attacker and shot by the security guard.
This case was so mind-baffling when I read it a few days ago and I still haven’t been able to wrap my mind around it. Many questions and thoughts have been floating around in my head, and I hate to admit it but the most pertinent one that rests right at the foreground of my brain is based on two words: 18 times.
I am not a forensic scientist but I’ve seen enough Hollywood movies to know that stabbing someone 18 times isn’t a task that you get done in 5 or 10 seconds unless you’re the cyborg or a robot sent from the future. 18 times.
How long did it take for people in the courtroom to realize this woman was being stabbed and that someone should do something about it?
18 times.
Seriously, try stabbing the wind 18 times right now as quickly as possible.
Go ahead.
I’ll wait.
See what I’m saying?
Oh, and add to that her husband getting stabbed three times by the same guy before the tragedy came to an end (with the husband being shot).
Now I know this is a question that might seem silly or even absurd in light of this event. I know a better debate is being framed elsewhere (thanks to Egyptian bloggers). I know that a great deal of the conversation that centers around this case has been with regards to the lack of western coverage (what did they expect?) and the outrage in Egypt (what did they expect?) and the outrage to come from the perhaps various parts of the Muslim world (what did they expect?) or the rising Islamophobia in the West (what did they expect?), but while all these conversations are valid and have their own time and context to consider, for some reason, I remain mesmerized by this number: 18.
18 times.
Strictly on a human level, how long does it take for someone to react. To move. To say “stop”. To say “enough”. Strictly on a human level. No religion. No gender. Just a human being watching one human being slaughtered by another.
How long does it take?
How does that number reach 18?
See, this is what’s been getting to me lately. In my head, this number, 18, rings incredibly significant. I recognize that there’s evil in this world, and that there always will be. There are breaking limits in this world and I recognize that too. There are numbers that weigh heavy on the human soul, and every one has one. It’s unmistakable. It’s undeniable. Often times we have absolutely no control over them and we relieve ourselves of any responsibilities. Like Tolstoy would put it, we pretend to simply be kings who are slaves to the whims of history. But often times, we do.
Often times, and not all the time, but some of the time, we do.
Often times these things happen right in front of us.
On our watch.
On our watch, these numbers take shape.
For Marwa Al-Sherbini that magical number was eighteen.
But what’s the body count in Iraq today?
What about the West Bank or Gaza?
What about in Darfur?
What’s their magic number? What’s their breaking limit?
At what point do we say “enough”?
More importantly.
At what point will we mean it?
All hate crimes are horrible. Yet you perceive this with blinders on. Most Muslim women murdered in Europe are murdered by their father’s or husband’s in honor killings. How many women have been murdered for wearing a veil? One. How many have been killed for refusing to? Hundreds if not more. Also, hate crimes like this have happened in Europe and the USA where it was the Muslim who was the perpertrator. I live in Seattle where a Muslim opened fire on a Jewish Center last year killing one and seriously wounding four. Why didn’t the Muslim media report on it?
Well said, Nas. The number is what hit me also.
I looked all over for some answers: how win the world, does a man obviously obsessed with hate that has already been visible, get a knife into a courtroom?
How could he get close enough to her in a courtroom, where justice against HIM was to be dispensed? Are German courts cozy enough to let a plaintiff and defendant interact?
In a courtroom with guards with guns, how could the guard allow her to be stabbed 18 times? He should have been shot in the leg before he even got to her, (IMO) killed when the first stab was made. How could he mistake her HUSBAND for an attacker, was he even paying attention?
The guy needed to be locked up for his vitrol. Now that he is a murderer, in my opinion, this is what the death penalty is for. To have that much hate for a stranger who wears a scarf, imagine what he would do to a room of former co-workers if fired.
Jane Doe:
You’re missing the point.
This was a crime that was committed while possibly hundreds of people in the same room turned a blind eye on. How could this relate to honor crimes? And even then, who said honor crimes committed for not wearing the veil were not prosecuted? Give me one case in which it had large media attention but it was not dealt with.
What is surprising even more is that you begin to discuss terrorism once again yet it was the whole purpose of the trial and the hate murder. What people, like you, fail to realize is that those who discriminate and are racist are given a blind eye but those who try to live their lives under their beliefs are deemed terrorists.
Jane Doe,
You labeled criminals using their relegion only when they were muslim. Lets see..The CIA estimates that 50,000-100,000 women and children are sold in the US yearly..Hmm…I wonder what relegion them “traders” and “customers” belong to ?Or, Or..No wait, I am not like that, I don’t label people..So please, respect our intelligence and address the issue at hand..We don’t need more hate, we don’t need more fear mongers.
This news were covered in Germany mostly through Newspapers, They mention that there were no police in the room itself and unfortunately no check for knives, the judge had to press the alarm when the thing started to bring police into the room, which gave the Russian a lot of time to do what he did, and when the police (security) arrived they thought that here husband, who was near here to rescue her, the one who is trying to kill her, so they shot him in the leg. maybe these news (or maybe facts) explain the number 18, and the husband being shot. Nevertheless Newspaper made sure to make us know that the guy was born in Russia, and lived most of his life there.
that’s just sick man..
Firstly, thanks for including this story in your blog not least because I live in London and haven’t heard a thing about it neither on the news nor on the numerous channels broadcasting the latest news about Michael Jackson’s death. Secondly, this story shook me to my core, indeed it shouldn’t be a question of religion, race or otherwise but rather a question of humanity. Shame on them but mostly, shame on us!!
Jane Doe:
Well they did, and you didn’t even check, because if you did check, you would see that media all over the world were more busy reporting the scores being killed by Israel’s army in Lebanon as this incident happened on 7/28/2006, i.e. right in the middle of Israel’s war against Lebanon, just two days after Israel hit the UN peacekeepers outpost, and just 2 days before the 2nd Qana massacre.
If Germany were in the middle of a war right now, nobody would be criticizing them for pushing this story to the back pages.
This is beyond shocking, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it. Rest in peace Marwa and her unborn child…
18 times? Never mind the absurdity of the number, but what really surprised me was how the guard had no problem shooting the husband after only thinking he was the stabber, but magically failed to recognize the man who had actually stabbed her.
18 times.
Seriously. And the coverage here is horrible, I only recall stumbling on a small article in the newspaper, on the last page, saying that an Egyptian witness was stabbed in courtroom in Germany.
May she, and at this pace the whole Muslim world, rest in peace.
Where did this happen?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
18!!! how could he?
ANSWER ME ?? IN WITCH COUNTRY ?????????
I did not hear about this story in the news, it has had no coverage in the Australian media, it was through a friend who was at uni with Marwa and close friends with her and her husband, that i was informed of the story.
More about the story:
Alex was the couples neighbour, he was not a stranger, he knew the family, he had abused her on many occasions. And when he came to the appeal, he came with an intention, he came armed with a fisherman’s knife.
When the violent attack on Marwa began and her husband tried to defend her he pushed him out of the way and said ‘i want her heart’, whilst she crouched over her 3 year old son to shield and protect him.
One of the big problems facing Germany is that this is not the first incident of court killings, this is in fact the third. When will they learn, is it so hard to have metal detectors at the courts? Or in the very least ensure each courtroom has an armed security officer.
The world, or rather humans need to make a change.
We cannot forget Marwa’s courage.
Ouch: This happened in Germany.
“This case was so mind-baffling when I read it a few days ago and I still haven’t been able to wrap my mind around it.”
My feeling as well.
i’m sick to my stomach.
Nas, have you heard of Kitty Genovese? Her brutal murder was overheard by her neighbours, who waited until she was dead to call the police (some of that has been disputed today, but Kitty did become a symbol of a kind) – and what’s interesting about crimes like that is the bystander effect.
This is essentially what happens when people see something horrible being committed and completely freeze up.
I had it happen to a friend in Jordan last year. She was stabbed in the middle of a mugging, and the witnesses essentially chose to turn away.
The bystander effect is almost as horrific as the crimes themselves.
What also bothered me about the coverage of Marwa’s killing was the statement by a German official that the perpetrator was a “lone wolf.” Now, obviously, in one sense, he was. A weirdo and certainly not a part of a stampeding mob. But he is a part of a certain culture of thinking. In fact, it seems that he has taken this culture to its logical conclusion – much like the murderer of Dr. Tiller did in Kansas. Virulent Islamophobes may trot out the usual platitudes about how they “don’t really condone this,” or whatever, but I think that if you dehumanize someone enough, it becomes much easier to kill them.
May she rest in peace. And may her family be able to carry on. I can’t imagine what’s going on in their hearts right now. I hope the little child especially is at least able to see a counselor…
how come come cnn or any other media is not saying anything about these tragedy?
oh maybe becuase she was “muslim” eh..imagine if that was a muslim guy..killing a german lady..huh we all know the entire worldy would have rushed to that scene to report it!
well well well muslims need to wake up..this is indeed a wake up call for all of us…justice will come ..if not today then certainly tomorow..INSHALLAH!
May Allah be pleased with sister Marwa
this is not only about marwa this is about all arab wemen , you call arab Terrorists,will what you call that ? it is not just alex and marwa or jermany no , all Europe and America have a Devin hatred for the beliefs and religion of the Arabs ,i am sorry to say that but it is the The painful truth.
“I live in Seattle where a Muslim opened fire on a Jewish Center last year killing one and seriously wounding four.”
well boo @#$%ing hoo
i think the hate among all people of world should be neded for peace and life. all people should understand that all people are alike, adn equal. please read my article upon subject at http://www.owlwrit.com/article.php?id=277 Hope we all would understand it.
To be honest with you ,I was utterly transfixed when i heard the news…
m,,
How?
two people were stabbed to death before the JUDGE !!
and one was badly wounded !! yes the secuirity did the right thing for their own good : you have to shoot the arab not the russian,,
as the woman’s brother said the reporters : “the secuirity shoot the arab since he was not blonde” ! they thought to themselves :”well he is not blond , so he must be the attacker, let’s shoot him” !
so this is the question :
“Regardless of the religion and race,how would you feel if your not your wife or your sister but a relative or even an ordinary friend is called terrist and then stabbed 18 times not in a quiet street at midnight but also in a courtroom before the judge ?”
even animals wouldnt do that to each other..
I went to school with a boy who ended up stabbing his mother 111 times. I still can’t get over that number. You can google “boy stabs mom 111 times” and you’ll find plenty of discussion. The minds of killers are a curious thing.
The entire news is just too shocking, and as a father of two young children, just imagining the situation in the German courtroom and Marwa’s family’s state makes my heart cry.
Having said that, what is more frightening is that in the last few years we have managed to create such a level of hatred between cultures, religions, and nationalities that “humans i.e. common people” are now committing these horrific acts. It doesn’t matter whether it is a German, or an Afghan, or an Israeli, or a Palestenian, or a Pakistani, or an Indian or an American. The question is, why have we let this hatred for each other reach so far that a common everyday man can even imagines committing such a crime, let alone actually commits it?
Our generation, the politicians, the media, just about everyone is to be blamed for where we stand. But I hope we can stop playing the blame game and pointing fingers across man-made borders and divides. I hope we can start finding ways to mend our ways, be positive, spread love, distribute happiness, share smiles, and somehow create positive energy and momentum to help make our world a better place for the future generations.
athiests….
Being a Russian myself (the killer is a Russian immigrant), I would suggest you looking at the situation from a different angle. He murdered Marwa not because he is a violent islamophobe, but because he is a criminal. Remember, it all started when he was sitting on the swings and started calling Marwa names after she asked him to give his place to her son.
People like that are not a rarity in Russia. You just don’t cross their path, or you risk your life. Marwa was just the wrong person in the wrong place. Under the situation, he would verbally attack regardless of the race/faith/colour, be it Marwa the muslim, or Ivan the christian, or Pria the buddist, a white guy or a black women. I mean, now that Marwa wore hidjab, this gave him the ground to call her terrorist. If it were a black person, or a Chinese, or Russian – the ugly words would have been picked accordingly.
These days, after the collapse of the USSR, when so many people lost ground under their feet, and crime plummeted starting from 90s, many young people from poor, troubled familes found themselfs in gangs, and, judging by the killer’s behaviour, he might well have been part of a youth gang, ruthless and fearful. Now in Germany where he immigrated together with his family, he was again an outcase, unemployed and angry. Marwa’s request just fueled his anger and he poured his wrath on the poor woman.
Marwa sued him, and he was fined, and that definitely made him even more angry. And then the grisley killing took place, when he realized he would be punished even more.
I deeply regret the horrible death of the young woman, but would request you not to take it as the reason for jihad. She was killed NOT FOR WEARING HIJAB, as muslims now claim. She was killed by a bandit, who does not differentiate between races or faiths.
the world is full with crazzy people
May Marwa rest in peace..
she deserves that..
you are not humans ? how some of you says the muslims should die? you make the victem gulty and the killer un gulty? i want some one says what hapend if marwa was your sister, would you says it was good to kill a muslim woman God will revenge from both said it was worth the killing and that the court did the right thing to do
I’m just speechless.
Justice will prevail, as it always does, whether in this life or the next. May Allah grant her shuhada’.
That’s true Olga, but I think the puzzling aspect of this is that the killer had a knife in court and the security guards did nothing before shooting the wrong person.
Of course, the banditry aspect is true also, and the real motivations of the killer may never be known.
salam
jane doe: this isn’t a contest on who kills the most muslim women and gets covered by the media or which crime gets covered by the media. everything has its reasons, including what the media chooses to cover and put on the front page.
Thank you, MD, to bring to this discussion valuable information:
1) There was no security in the room;
2) The guard just appeared when the Jugdge pressed the security button;
3) When the guard notice the confusion, he tought the offender was the foreigner, and so shot him in the leg (i.e. not to kill)
4) The murderer was Russian or German-Russian.
The way the post and most Muslims commentators put it, one has the impression that Germans nearly accepted this incident as something nearly normal, which is false.
The man was probably deranged.
“Now in Germany where he immigrated together with his family, he was again an outcase, unemployed and angry. Marwa’s request just fueled his anger and he poured his wrath on the poor woman.”
Precisely. Marwa was killed by a bandit, who will serve behind bars. Period. That´s it. The rest is blah, blah, blah.
if you cannot believe the number ;;;;;;;cannot youbelieve that a pregnant woman was killed in acourtroom .what is the most important for youor what thing could you believe .
can you say if the killer was amuslim ,what will happen or what will you say ?
i think many pepole will believe any thing theywill say .
she was an innocent woman trying to defend herself and her family against this german terrorist in alegal way as she believed that she was living in ademocratic and free country ……………..as many of them is claiming……………………………………..
I lived in briefly in two different periods in Germany, and know this type of bullies very well: you just keep away from them!
To give you an example, I have already heard myself things such as “Weg Ausländer” (Out, foreigner) and “Drecksau” (dirty pig) from these people (I have 25% of African blood, and it shows). The best thing to do is ignore them / move away from the path of these angry, frustrated people, specially in northern and eastern Germany (Dresden is deep East). But Marwa decided to sue the man, as if she were in the USA, where things are different.
What happened is sad, but could have happened to any foreigner who dared to cross his path or stand against him. Thus, friends, if you happen to be in Germany and someone curses you, be wise: just ignore him or her or them (quite often they are not alone). Do not give them any reason to strike back: that´s just what they are looking for – a motive to pour their wrath, as Olga brilliantly says in her post.
This is shoking and horrible. That man (i would realy like to see that face, what kind of hate he has on his face) was just a sick mentality. Now accusing all Germans or Christian for that is unfair. But the german police should realy try to improve the security measures to protect innocent people against these kind of animals in the shape of humans. Hope we dont see any such kind of sad incidents. ameen
I AM MERWA. I WEAR HER BLOODY HEADSCARF , EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE , WITH PRID.
Well I`ve been several times in Germany and fortunately never had such a problem (I`m Swiss citizen with indian heritage).
What is being said is true:East and North-East Germany are not that culturally developped as the rest of the nation.
The author of the crime is surely to condemn (I`d suggest to torture him just like an animal) BUT:
What should the Germans say when children of the turkish community go down the streets singing:”We`ll conquire Germany by having children,oh yeah we`ll conquire those pigs”?
BTW:This is NO EXCEPTION among the turkish youth:They feel divided from the rest of the germans and that`S understandable but they should also understand that most of them is separated from the rest of the society and this is widely incouraged by their families.
Back to the facts: It`s a shame for Germany in the 21st century and after having stated many times that “Nazi Zeit ist vorbei” ( the nazi era is over) still accepts those close minded idiots and animals.
Synthetizing:The Muslim community (especially the turkish one) should show respect to the German nation (they have been ADMITTED BY THE SAME NATION THEY INSULT!) and the Germany police should improve security in Courts.
To the woman and her child: If ever an heaven exists you will surely belong to.
Grüsse uus der Schwiiz!
INNALILLAHI WAINNNALILLAHI RAJIUUN.May Allah bless her soul and all other muslims.
till today most people who have been killed in da past decade our muslims. it says it all and proves the very existance of shataan and to add proof to its existance, in the 90’s the most critisized religion in literature was also islam. So why not to start from point of identifying who the enemy is?
I solute that brave lady Marwa. She was a real Muslim she was the real follower of Islam. Every where Muslims are under attack but this kind of assassinations are real crime I strongly protest.
Jane Doe : listen, why are you changing this whole subject? what you just said about honor killing is nothing to do with this story! if you want a debate about ‘honor killing’ go somewhere else and say your opinion, this isn’t the right place, You obviously don’t know nothing about those girls who had apparently been killed so you have absolute no right to judge or critisize!, May allah swt Grant this sister Jannatul-fardows, she is truly a martyr, Ameeen Ya rab!
Last summer some chinese sicko attacked a canadian man on a bus. He stubbed him dozens of times, cut off his head, started to eat his ears and eyes. All this in front of scared passengers, who started to run off the bus. This was all over the news last summer. Canadian people were furious, angry and outraged. NOT AT CHINA. NOT AT CHINESE IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA. Canadians didn’t throw stones at Chinese Embassy, they didn’t shout death threats to Chinese people. Canadians were concerned about safety of their families, they asked for more police presense on buses and bus terminals, they asked for tougher punishment for criminals (after all, the killer was found NOT GUILTY by canadian court). This is how civilized people reacted.
This “court murder” is a sad story and it’s very unfortunate for the victims. Poor Marwa was killed by a SICKO CRIMINAL, who is not part of civilized society. He could have been German ,Canadian, Muslim, Black, Chinese – race or nationality don’t matter, she was killed by a CRIMINAL. This was an isolated case, which could have happened in any city or country (as crimes occur in every part of Earth).
What’s extremely sickening is the reaction of NON-CIVILIZED people. DEATH TO GERMANY ??? DEATH TO EUROPE ??? “NOW WE KNOW WHO IS OUR ENEMY” (i.e. Germany) ? JIHAD IS COMING ?
It’s so sad that a bunch of uneducated, brainwashed (i.e. brainless) muslims destroy the image of islam and create hatred towards muslims.
There are many muslims who move to the Western countries in order to enjoy freedom, human rights, high quality of life.This all can be achieved only by integrating into civilized society. And then there are fake muslims, who come to civilized countries with goals of destruction, war, jihad, death and so on.
I am Iranian ,living in Canada. I promote Islam as religion of PEACE. I do not have enemies, and I do not wish death to anyone (especially not to a whole nation). I welcome and will help to people of all religions or races (muslims , jews, christians, black , chinese, etc) if they wish to integrate in civilized society. I do not welcome hostile people who bring with them non-civilized cultures.
It’s a shame that the whole world has negative perception on Islam due to a big number of brainless, brainwashed with jihad, hostile muslims.
I’m sure that man isn’t ethnical russian, he is a jew
the most people from USSR (now Russia) in other countries who calls self “russians” are jews, they just call self “russians”, but they aren’t – they just speak russian, but ethnicaly are jews
and they hate everybody – and cristians, and muslims
RUSSIAN, I am sure that you are not a true russian, but a stupid racist trash.
o, its so sweet – Ukrainian protects Jews
something new
Russian , your childish replies are nothing but stereotypes given to you by your bydlo parents.
Sometimes, if they lived in Ukraine, they can call themselves Ukrainians – in the name of the country of origin, but Ukrainians by nationality they will not be
Here’s a vivid example of the same “Ukrainian”
Sometimes homeless russian alcoholics get together under a bridge and decide to conceive a child.
The result of that accident is writing nonsense on this forum under the nickname “russian”.
I have only seen this today and i think i just lost my faith in humanity.
unbelievable …
To Jane Doe:
Ummm…wats honor killing here? Did Marwah’s neighbour honour himself by killing her? What are u trying to say? That u dnt condemn this in the name of humanity? Then hw different are u from the murder himself…
To Olga:
I’m nt sure if u read- he called her a terrorist out of all his neighbours he chose to harass her…im nt sure hw much in denial u wanna live…bt he for sure didnt choose his German neighbours to harass!! Hmmm…i wonder why…
So Jarbas: Why did Marwah anger him? That a muslim lady can have a job bt nt him? How come his other neighbour’s happy life didnt bother the hell out of him?
To Rezah Farouq : I liked the beginning of ur thoughts…the thing here which no1 seems to realize is that her neighbour could have killed any1 in the courtroom – the judge/ lawyers/ any1 near him…bt he crawled over his area and went across the courtroom and stabbed not once not 5 times not even 10 times bt 18 times!! That also mercilessly? A pregnant women being attacked!!!
In Muslim countries every1 is given equal rites- it is true some are nt given any rites bt thats a small portion of the whole community-
IF A GAL IS RAPED IN A MUSLIM COUNTRY/ A ROBBERY OCCURS/ SOME1 IS MURDERED- It is on the media for sure it is AND it doesnt matter if the person is MUSLIM/ NON-MUSLIM…
But this is nt the case for the west…Muslims are given 2nd priority…like the blacks once upon a time!
The history shows that west are incapable of adapting to other cultures so dnt talk abt us not being able to adapt…just coz we dnt leave behind our ISLAM…doesnt mean we cant adapt!
BTW PEOPLE….Hatered is different from wat happened…coz hatered to a human level fades prob after the aim is completed- stabbing once in this case…bt he stabbed 18 times and even managed to put 2 in the husband…
This now either refers to inhuman or insanity!
And the power to do it in front of the court shows he is ignorant about punishment…as his punishment was based on harassment not on murder which he added on!
So, nw i ask all those who gave weird comments:
Do u say that people should not have justice? They shud not fight for their rights? Then why does the west have the most protests abt human rights? It is ur area which has lost many rights and yet those who try to gain their rights u say they are either unimportant or it is no big deal.
THIS IS HENIOUS and if u dnt learn to codemn it …
The worse part comes no media covers it coz its nt impo! This is wat makes the case heinous…18 is just a figure for u all…bt if u cut ur finger u feel the pain…imagine the pain of being stabbed once, 5 times, 10 times, 15 times then 18 times and knowing it happening in front of ur innocent child and ur husband being attacked in front of ur eyes and ur baby – the unborn in ur womb!! nw tell me…if 20 yrs from nw Germany gets attacked by some crazy muslim loonatic! Germany will remember his mother- and his unborn sibling! This is how terrorism is born- when u fail to say wat is wrong…when u fail to right a wrong happening in front of u…when u fail and fail in the name of humanity!
THIS IS WHY THE WORLD IS SHOUTING AT THE WEST- SHOW THE KID THAT UR NOT MONSTERS WHO HE WOULD HAF TO FINISH OFF WHEN HE GROWS- its a big impact on his mentality and his conscious …he doesnt see justice he takes it in his own hands…
The Muslims are screaming for GERAMY’s own sake!
EACH LIFE IS A BIG DEAL…so far no human can make another human- even scientists cant so u shud knw how IMPORTANT OR PRECIOUS 1 LIFE IS- be it MUSLIM or not!
“So Jarbas: Why did Marwah anger him? That a muslim lady can have a job bt nt him? How come his other neighbour’s happy life didnt bother the hell out of him?”
Hi Shas:
Can you really read English?
Marwa was cursed by the Russian-German because she was probably *different* from the other neighbours. If she were Black, the offender would have called her something as “verdammte Negerin” (acursed black woman) and she/his husband had a job. If she were from Latin America, he would have perhaps said things like “Hure” (bitch), and even tried to touch her legs or her breast, for they assume all Latin women are sensual and enjoy having sex with everyone.
It is crystal clear to me you do not know Germany, especially the North and the East, and thus talk of things you do not know about: there are many beasts there (poor, alienated, frustraded people) at large just looking for a chance to pour their wrath, and foreigners (specially from less developped countries) seem to be their the primary targets.
But if you prefer to believe there is a conspiracy against Muslims in Germany and in the West and generall and call for Jihad – as many fools are doing all over the world by now – be my guest.
I agree however that it is a shame that police and authorities do not do more – specially in the Eastern side – to face these xenophobic types and protect people in general – and specially legal immigrants – against them.
Ooops! Shas, sorry for the strong words. Of course a succesful foreigner with a job angered the German-Russian. If she were German that would probably never happened, of course. If this is what you were meaning, I agree with you and ask you to accept my sincerest apologies. Thanks.
Jane Doe:
You are trying to change the discussion to suit your view of the world.
This was a crime that was committed while hundreds of people in the same room turned a blind eye to what is happening around them. Is that because she was Muslim and he was White? Isn’t turning “Blind Eye” to what is happening around them caused holocaust? I don’ want to blame the whole country for the actions of one very sick individual but I cannot understand how this guy could get close to the victim to stab her 18 times with o one doing anything? Shouldn’t he be dead by now?
How could this relate to honor crimes?
What is surprising even more is that you begin to discuss terrorism in spite of the fact that this was the whole purpose of the trial and the hate murder. Your tone seems to indicate that those who try to live their lives under their beliefs are terrorists.
To Olga
I really find your response logical especially that you have managed to bring my rage down. However, let us presume that what you said was right, and by the same logic you have used, I need that you explain to me the following: How by all logical interpretations is it possible to have some criminal barge in into the courtroom and stab this woman 18 times without even having someone to stop him or say enough to him? Olga my friend, hatered of Islam is rooted deeply in the western minds and seems to me like it is not going to end. What I dislike more is the growing ignorance of Europeans and Americans towards this religion . It is time that we respect each ones beliefs and learn how to adapt to it. Throughout history it is believed that muslims were the most tolerant to accept all religions and beliefs for as long as their’s are not violated. People like yu are , are needed to use their logic probably to understand the other encounter. We can never be understood unless we understand the other.
“Precisely. Marwa was killed by a bandit, who will serve behind bars. Period. That´s it. The rest is blah, blah, blah.”
No, actually the rest is not blah blah blah. And that is exactly the problem. Things like this have happened in Germany before- MANY foreigners have been attacked, and more than often, the criminals do not get sentenced. This, however, does not reach the outside world. And no, this is not merely about a bandit. There is GROWING racism and especially anti-islamic sentiment in Germany, so do your research, before you put the case away – we are talking about a beautiful woman being killed here, who had more courage than all the other people in the country who speak about freedom and blah blah blah.
So terribly and unbelieveably tragic! Where ‘hate’ and ‘prejudice’ exist, in my opinion, no thinking is
taking place. As an American, I must say that not ALL American’s hate Muslims. I do not. However, I must also state that too American’s choose ignorance and self-righteous hatred. In that, we all share the human
condition: it seems each religion, each country, each group can be subject to absolute beliefs that
exclude and dehumanize others who are different from them. I for one am appauled that we, as humans,
are so ugly to one another. I send my best to Marwa’s family and friends and pray that this story will catch
the eye of the Western journalists. Pass it on!!
Stabbed 18 times! This makes it absolutely clear to me that the murder took place with full support from the police, court officers and the judge. There is no possible way that an average citizen would have the nerve to pull something like this in an open courtroom. I do not believe for a minute that the husband was ‘mistaken’ for the attacker. Ridiculous. Just wait and see, the attacker will plea ‘temporary insanity’ and the court will let him go with a slap on the wrist. Only appropriate thing to say to our German ‘friends’ is; Heil Hitler.
The big thing here is why the media didn’t cover this. A muslim woman who chose to wear hijab is killed in a courtroom by a person who was able to bring in a knife, 18 times, along with her husband getting shot, and this is in Germany.
But, since this is a muslim woman that actually chose to wear hijab and ultimately got killed because of it, no coverage over here whatsoever. Yet when one woman gets killed by some muslim fanatic for not wearing the hijab the news is all over it and will repeat it over and over for weeks to come.
It’s this kind of media bias that has most people pissed off.
My message is specially for “jane doe” I think you are not human , I think you are a kind of alien speciy , This is matter of humanity stabbing 18 times itself a horrific crime and that too against a pregnent Women he killed two lifes , I think this man should be given a death penalty. you cant stop anyone to follow his religional beliefs whethear It a Muslim , Juda or cristian . We are bound to some religion belifs and and no body have right to put question mark what to follow and what not. Sarkozi the french president I seen his comments on Muslims women hijabs his own charachter is under scanner of Media , I think he should first look himself then comment on someone else. May god give Marwa peace in gardens of heavan.
dirt blood of a Crazy Ivan…these assholes should be hanged in the public!
I guess it happened because its not Hitler’s Germany..as he said:
“I could have annihilated all the Jews in the world, but I left some of them so you could know why I was killing them.”
LET HER SOUL RIP!
you may join this group set up in facebook to further discuss this matter..
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=105749237611&ref=mf
al-fatihah, may her soul rest in peace.
Uh, yeah… because more bigotry is the perfect response to bigotry. Thanks for taking the discussion up a notch. *clap clap*
Jane Doe is just a stupid concern troll, btw. These people always show up on threads that deal with anything done wrong against a Muslim to point out “but somewhere else, a Muslim person has done this,” “but a Muslim looked at me wrong on the subway the other day, why aren’t you writing about THAT?” It’s pointless to engage them, as they will always turn the discussion back to their favourite topic of how scary Muslims are scary.
First of all, the idea that this murder was somehow “approved” by those in the courtroom is ridiculous. I posted above about the bystander effect, and I’m positive that it had a role to play there. The bystander effect plays a role in crimes committed around the world. If you, God forbid, ever witness a horrific murder happening out of the blue in front of your eyes, you can’t predict with any degree of accuracy as to how you will actually respond.
“Heil Hitler” is not a remotely clever response – Germany is a pretty progressive country, less reactionary than many other countries, despite pockets of genuine racist lunatics there (in Bavaria especially as I understand, although I could be wrong, I haven’t been to Germany in a while) who do actively write stuff like “Ausländer Raus!†(foreigners out) and worse.
Plenty of Muslims/Arabs have been murdered in my home country of Ukraine since the Fall of the USSR, and those murders rarely ever make it onto the international news networks. Why? The global community doesn’t care a whole lot, let’s put it this way. Ukraine, I’m sorry to say, is way less progressive than a place like Germany is today, regardless of the history of Nazism. So to single out a country like Germany and somehow brand it as an intolerant, backward state is not, I believe, a solution to the problem of racism and Islamophobia in Europe in general.
The question that NEEDS to be asked is whether or not the murderer really was a “lone wolf.” Perhaps he was. But he was also obviously angered by the idea of a woman taking him to court for making a bigoted statement. He thought himself above her and above reproach. Confronted with the consequences of his actions, he snapped. And I’d be interested to know who his friends were, who he hung out with, and whether he was part of a community that shared certain ideas and certain ways of “dealing” with people they deem beneath them, be they Muslim women or else.
What is it about many Westernized cultures that produces so many of these murder-suicidal maniacs? or maybe suicidal killers from less developed get underreported. You may say the man was not suicidal, but I think he planned this action even before entering the courtroom, and willing to die to make a statement. He just let himself be arrested so that he can kill another Muslim the next time he gets a chance. I’ve had suicidal murder thoughts myself before being “cured” and I’ve got a pretty good idea how these guys think. At least the German press hid his identity because there would be plenty of Muslims out there willing to take him out and/or die trying. He probably deserves it but would probably be better for him to have a kind Muslim guard as a sole companion as he spends 3 years in solitary confinement. Pardon me for my overly-Christian thinking nowadays.
I agree with Olga.. This should not be turned into a religious debate.
It was one of those sick-minded, disturbed people, Marwa ( May her soul rest in peace) crossed paths with out of love for her child.
All she had asked him was to give up his seat to her child so he could also enjoy the swing.
What the main debate here is, HOW could someone manage to stab another person in a court EIGHTEEN times.??!!
If he was part of a trial why was he not checked by the authorities before being allowed to enter the courtroom?! Is it a normal practice to be able to slip in a fisherman’s knife or a gun or any form of harmful weapon?!!
He stabbed her Eighteen times, and in the process when her husband tried to help her he managed to stab him thrice and the guard… shot the husband?!!!
was the guard not aware of who was who ?!!
Peace be with Marwa…and May God guide her son!
Amen
I was once in a situation where I witnessed a person going amok with a knife. He was slashing at anyone who came near but was after a particular passenger of a bus. The bus was stopped in the middle of the street and most passengers had gotten off including the driver. Being somewhat crazy and semi-suicidal myself, I was willing to jump into the melee with a jacket wrapped around my left hand. But I had a friend (girl) with me who knew something of my mentality and forcefully dragged me away from there. Don’t know what happened after cuz it was never reported in the news. All I remember is the blur of my friend berating me for my crazy near-stunt. She was a doctor and clearly was trying to frighten me by her emergency room experience with knife and stab wounds.
I guess in such situations, people are more concerned with watching over own skin and that of their immediate companions rather than some stranger that they may or may not have been able to help. Only people with nothing lose would be willing to help selflessly and without hesitation. Maybe. Just my opinion.
I am a Filipino with some interest in knife fighting having been close to one. You cannot approach someone brandishing a knife without them fleeing. You have the knife hidden in a long-sleeved shirt or something similar. Alex W. first attacks may have been interpreted as punches and it may have taken a few seconds for even the victim to realize she was bleeding. And yes, someone deft with a small knife can slash and stab 18 times in 30 seconds. In a bloodlust, he could probably do it in 12. Not with knife held above the head though as depicted in some movies.
Well, it is German’s we are talking about. They stood by for much longer last time.
the crime was a normal result of an all time German tradition that begins at the highest level of state,,, German media are indeed responsible for the crime. they seem to have an organized strategic plan to support Christianity in a secular state, or at least fight new religions entering the state, claiming they were threatening security or ”western cultural values”
i just want to add to NASs argument that the German media, which ignored the crime completely tell the foreign minister apologized officially and found themselves cornered with only one choice, is now selling the crime as one committed by a RUSSIAN !!!
(its disgusting) not only that he is a German citizen born and raised but also that we all here know that only Russian of German origins were offered the German citizenship so the fella is a German product regardless of the trivial details.
Everyone here has valid points. Are Muslims making a big deal out of this because a fellow Muslim was killed and there was hardly any media coverage? Is that the issue? I think that the bigger issue is the mere fact that since September 11, Muslim have been given a bad name. They are seen as terrorists and non peace loving people when in fact all that we want is peace. The media has jumped on the band wagon of portraying terrorist acts, Islamic extremists and fundamentals. Why? Because it makes news! It sells papers! Right now, being Muslim and causing terror is a hot button! Why is it when Michael Jackson died, you did not hear about the terror in Iran? You did not hear about Muslims dying or bombing others. Why? Because there was something else that was big news. When it becomes same old same old, you will no longer hear about it.
I agree with everyone that states that there are Muslims shooting Jewish centres. There is hatred everywhere. There are people in Europe being sold as sex slaves. Do we hear about that? Nope. There are thousands of children that go missing in third world countries but we never hear about that.
I think as Muslims, we are senstive right now when we hear news such as this. We feel that it is injustice in an already sensitive world where the growing trend of Islamaphobia is becoming rapant. But let’s not forget that as sad as this is and my heart goes out to everyone that has been killed, beaten or tortured in the name of religion, incidents like this happen every day! If you want to do something about it, show the world that Muslims are NOT violent and are peace loving. Hold an event and invite people and educate them.
It is absolutely heartbreaking that one human being could do this to another person. What did she do to deserve this, what did her husband do to deserve this? What did that child who witnessed this horrific crime, do to deserve this? What about that unborn child who died before he/she could even live?
What a sick and revolting world we live in today! Rightly said by the author of this article, if we just put religion aside and think about this on a humanitarian perspective, it makes me angry and sad at the same time. No one, and I mean no one, has a right to judge whether a person ‘deserves’ to live or not, and this crazy phase of Islamophobia has just reached a new low.
Jane Doe, it’s funny how if a white person was to kill a black person or vice versa, everyone would say ‘oh no, that’s horrific’. Yet when a racist attack happens to a Muslim woman, you try to compare it to honor killings and make it look as if it’s not so bad at all. What’s wrong with you, are you sick??? She was still a human being, and so is that little child she has left behind.
Drop this stupid snobbish ignorant attitude, people.
My heart goes out to that poor little boy, left without a mother and a million unanswered questions.
I pray to God that He gives strength to her husband, her family and her little boy. Rest in peace sister.
I recall a case in Detroit several years ago where, during a traffic incident, a man dragged a woman to the edge of bridge and threw her over the edge to her death. Dozens of pedestrians looked on and did nothing.
Having a large number of people around often seems to make matters worse because everyone is expecting someone else to take action. People assume that there is always someone standing a little closer or someone better equipped to deal with an enraged maniac than themselves. People aren’t ordinarily prepared for violence and it is deceptively easy for people to become distracted and fail to act.
This is an important fact to remember if you ever find yourself in a situation which might require you to put your own life on the line for another person. No matter the size of the crowd, you cannot wait for someone else to move first. You have to assume that everything depends on your actions alone.
Of course, this did happen in Detroit…
It probably took him some time, but it depends on this guy’s background and the circumstances. In the United States, hard-core prison convicts with shanks have been known to stab rival inmates 35 times in under 30 seconds. Of course, most of these guys are members of some of the violent prison gangs that frequent the U.S. penal system and have a lot of experience with shanking other inmates. This guy was probably not so experienced.
This is a terrible story I hadn’t heard about previously. Thank you, Nas.
The Western proponents of Human Rights need introspection! They dont seem to utter even a word of bafflement simply because the lady was Muslim. Were she a Christian or Jew, i m sure the whole world would have set its face against such brutality! It could have become a burning issue for the world in such a case.
I can see in some of these Egyptian blogs shades of Lenin’s old “Who? Whom?” They claim that if this had been a Jew or some other non-Muslim in Germany, this story would have received more attention from the press. They may be right. However, I would like to reverse the situation and ask if this story had involved a Muslim killing a non-Muslim in Germany if anyone in the Arab blogosphere or the Arab street would have raised a peep?
The lack of attention from the international media doesn’t surprise me. Solitary killings in countries like Germany rarely receive much attention in the English-speaking press. I cannot read German and thus I cannot say much about the level of coverage in Germany itself. If it hasn’t received much attention, then I would suggest the the possibility that political correctness rather than Islamophobia may have been a factor in the lack of coverage the story has received. For example, this event involved a Russian immigrant and this fact has been omitted in at least some of the reporting that has occurred. If the press in Germany is anything like its Scandinavian counterpart, there may be a tendency to minimize stories on the criminal behavior of immigrants.
Did this story involve in a man of Russian ethnic descent born in Germany or a Russian immigrant to Germany? I seem to be reading conflicting things.
The stories I’m looking at suggest that the killer was ethnically German, but was indeed an immigrant from Russia. He is probably a Volga German. The idea that the killer was Jewish seems unlikely if the man’s first name is indeed Axel. This sounds like a Germanic rather than a Jewish first name. It’s also unlikely that they would identify a Russian Jew as an ethnic German. A Russian Jewish immigrant would probably be identified as being simply a Russian immigrant.
in the name of Allah..all kafr is mean person..we as muslim will take revenge soon
Its so sad to witness now that people seem to entangle themselves into the debate whether the killer was russian and not german.no matter what the tragedy took place in the courtroom of none other than Germany!
our concern should not be the killer’s ethnicity rather we need to draw our attention to the baseness of the incident that how ruthlessly an honourable woman was assaulted in broad day-light and the ruthlessness with which the so called civilized world reacted to it!
Can an immigirant living in Germany take the law into his hand so easily and horrendously?
Had a muslim killed a Chiristian Lady in the courtroom, the whole world would leave no stone unturned to treat the issue seriously and effectively!!
I want ur kind attention to give a serious thought to the double-standards of international media and officials at the helm of affairs to which Marwa Al-Sherbini fell victim!!
Be realistic and Humanistic please and condemn such barbarity according to its merit and if u cant do so, stop calling urself the advocates of Human rights and justice.. Its not a matter of ethnicity or religious affliation but of humanity!
Focus on the injustice done to a woman and dare call Axel a desperate terrorist! Isn’t he a terrorist and threat to the mankind???
i repeat, is he not a Terrorist??? and will he ever recieve appropriate punishment??? or a non-muslim cant be a terrorist for some divine reasons? lolz..
They do it all the time and that includes not only Eastern European immigrants, but Muslim immigrants in countries like France, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Germany. Need I even bring up dozens of incidents where Muslims murdered non-Muslims in countries like the UK that received only modest media attention in their own countries and almost none at all in the international press?
There is a tendency in both the European and the American press to avoid writing about crimes committed by immigrants or their children or, if nothing else, to avoid mentioning the immigration status of the criminal when it can be conveniently overlooked.
It is also possible that journalists in Germany are worried about setting off an explosion among Muslims in Germany and elsewhere. Everyone saw what happened over some stupid cartoons the last time, and the murder of this woman far more horrific than any blasphemous drawings.
Maybe, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the only place you would find any mention of such a crime in the English-speaking press would be a small story or two from the wire services and places like Jihad Watch. I’ve only heard of some crimes committed by Muslim immigrants through blogs run by anti-immigration and anti-Islam activists. The wave of brutal gang rapes committed by Muslim immigrants and their progeny in Sweden has hardly received any attention at all in the international press and the Swedish media and political system has done its best to downplay the epidemic. Muslims, devout or not, are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime in Europe and yet the response of politicians and the media in Europe has been denial rather than extensive anti-Muslim coverage.
While I cannot be certain exactly what factors played a role in the level of coverage the story received in Germany, and I leave open the possibility that the murder of a Christian woman by a Muslim may have received more attention, I would bet money that if a Christian woman in Germany had been killed by an Egyptian immigrant who hated the “kafr,” this tragedy would receive a lot less attention from Muslims.
Muslims are as guilty of holding double standards as anyone else. I see this in comments on Arab blogs covering this horrific murder. I read Muslims claiming that we can infer the latent Islamophobia of Westerners from this one incident. These are the same Muslims who argue that it would be prejudicial to say anything about Muslims in the wake of thousands of attacks committed by members of their own religion in the past several years. When handing out blame, Muslims hold Westerners to a much lower standards of evidence than they hold themselves. I want to be clear: I don’t think Muslims are unique in this regard. I think this is an unfortunate tendency of partisans in any debate and from any group, but it hardly makes for rational or objective thinking.
In the States we have metal detectors prior to entering any courtroom buildings, I am sure as hell that Germany follows the same..how did this guy enter witha knife is my question?
I am thinking, if that 3years old child (who’s parents killed in front of his eyes), if he took any kind of revenge in the later stage of his age, what he’d be called,
and to jane doe:
This was not ‘honor killing’ this was ignoring fact of security because she was Muslim.
and
Do I have to remind you what American Soldiers being doing during Iraq war apart from killing them.that you won’t called inhuman acts,
grow up..
of course theres many cases involving muslim too like you say one cases of open fire.the problem is this time it happened in court!! can you ever imagine that.futhermore 18 times!! its not really a matter if the man brings in a knife and try to killed Dr Marwa but the fact that no one try to help and even security that is their job to SECURE..this is insane.can you see the difference now?
There is no value of bloods of Muslims in this world.Where is western media now?? probably they are not much interested in it…..
“In the States we have metal detectors prior to entering any courtroom buildings, I am sure as hell that Germany follows the same..how did this guy enter witha knife is my question?”
The answer is no, German courts often do not have metal detectors just as they don’t have security guards in every courtroom. For Americans, this sounds rather crazy, but security is relaxed in many European countries.
Its time to JAHAD
look marwa died in a horibble way that i cant describe.and that asshole stabbed her 18 times and infront of her three old son. and look i am a muslim myself i do not were A headscarf but look it doesnt make any sense A COURT WITH NO GUARDS ? BULLSHIT thats not a court and when the guards arrived instead of shooting the murderer they shot the husband on his leg.and i feel terribly sorry to her son he saw his mom being killed infront of him not to mention the mom is 4 month pregnant and this particular scene will always stay in his mind.this murderer is a violent,rascist,mently retarded and has no manners and he killed 2 souls the baby and marwa.and now a german organisation is defending him.MARWA WAS A VICTIM DUE TO RASCISM AND THIS PARTICULAR STORY IS A STORY THAT I WILL NOT FORGET.MAY SHE REST IN PEACE.
Blind eyes of major western media like BBC and CNN in Marwa al-Sherbini case raised many question about thier role in conducting such event. many muslim believe that they are main responsibles for extending racism against Islam. Removing images of this anti human case from internet had a clear message for human rights fans. THERE IS NO RESPECT TO HUMAN RIGHT IN WESTERN COUNTRIES!!!
This case is a sad event (needless to say). It shows up the double standards prevalent in the West regarding Muslims and Islam. Let us compare… A young lady is killed in Iran during the post election violence. I think her name is “Neda”. All the main Western media outlets ran her story for quite a period of time. (Definitely not just once off). Her “killer” according to those media, was the “Iranian government”,the “hardliners”,
“Islamic extremists”, the “brutal system” in Iran. Note well that he or she was NEVER referred to as a “lone wolf”. WHY?
Is it because Neda’s tragic case can be served up by Western media for their own agenda? A case where the “cruel, backward Islamists” can be given the blame COLLECTIVELY. a case that can be used to further the anti-Islam agenda that we all know is there.
However, poor Marwa’s case does the exact opposite. She’s a Muslim. She was killed by a “civilized, Christian Russian-German”. If there is going to be fairness from the Western media, then a Muslim will actually have to be portrayed as a victim!!! Can you imagine that? Muslims as victims at the hands of the West??? It can’t be and that’s why “Alex W” is called a “lone wolf”. In the West, Muslims are not victims. They are “perpetrators”. That’s the mainstream narrative.
Jews on the other hand are always victims. Imagine Marwa was Jewish… Would we only know her killer as “Alex W”? How many times would the words “anti-semitic” have been thrown around on all the TV channels and in all the newspapers? Would the killer’s identity have been hidden as it is right now? Would we know him only as “Alex W”? Would the German government and all other Western governments have disperectly downplayed the incident as they are doing now? Would “Alex W” be referred to as a “lone wolf”, or a product of some heinous hate group tendency?
When a Dutch film maker was killed by a Muslim extremist some time ago, after he made a film which is anti-Islamic by any standards, all the Western media went to town for months on end. They never skipped an opportunity to report the incident, often portraying it as a product of “Europe’s unfortunate neccssity to allow Muslim immigration”!!! Poor Marwa is clearly not equal to a Dutch film maker or a Jewish person in the eyes of the Western media or governments.
Lets not assume we know the man’s religious beliefs beyond the obvious fact that he wasn’t a Muslim. There is a strong possibility he had no religious beliefs and I think it is a bit silly to suggest that German journalists assume he is a devout Christian and, therefore, gave him a pass. I have not heard anyone insinuate that the killer was “civilized” or that al-Sherbini was “uncivilized.” Whether the media would have given al-Sherbini’s murder more attention if she had been a native German and the killer a Muslim given the circumstances, I don’t know, but I am curious to hear some considered opinions on the matter. I know that honor killings committed by Muslims in Germany and a number of other crimes committed by Muslims in Europe haven’t garnered much international attention beyond the blogs. I don’t know how media coverage of some of these things compares with coverage of al-Sherbini’s murder in Germany itself, and I don’t know what kind of biases German journalists might hold.
The individual who shot Neda was a member of a militia sanctioned and dispatched by the Iranian government to quell protesters. Neda was not the only one killed by this militia, only the most visible. (Did those other protesters killed in Iran receive much individual attention? Could you call all such militiamen who shot protesters “lone wolves?”) No claim has yet been made that the killer of al-Sherbini was sanctioned or dispatched by the German government or that the murder of Muslims by hate-filled people in Germany is a recurrent problem. Also, the killer of al-Sherbini will almost certainly see his day in court and the killer of Neda will get a pat on the back. I certainly hope that al-Sherbini’s killer receives the maximum sentence under German law. I’m sorry that Germany doesn’t allow capital punishment since this man probably deserves as much.
It’s possible that if al-Sherbini’s death and the events surrounding it had been captured on camera, the media might have taken greater interest, and maybe if al-Sherbini’s death had occurred during the course of a mass movement, it would be all over the international networks. Neither happened. That’s the way the media works: easy to explain narratives, strong imagery, and big events draw the most attention. Admittedly, that isn’t always a good thing.
Yes, this is standard legal procedure in Germany. Those accused, but not convicted of, serious crimes generally have their full names withheld. I see no good evidence that the identity of the victim would change this.
That is, unfortunately, true. The killer of van Gogh would not have been in the Netherlands to kill the film-maker had the Netherlands refused to accept Muslim immigrants as Bouyeri was a second generation Dutch-Moroccan. Whether the death of van Gogh or other problems associated with Muslim immigration outweigh its benefits is another debate entirely. That debate is an important national question for the Dutch (and for Europeans), but not very relevant to our purposes. It might be noted that if Germany and the Netherlands refused to accept immigrants, van Gogh and al-Sherbini would not have been murdered.
Few crime victims of any race or religion are going to be given the attention that van Gogh received due to his public persona before his murder. My death will not equal the death of Michael Jackson in the eyes of journalists either, but I don’t lose sleep over it.
Security people in court and international Media has acted like racist as well, in this matter
Tell us Mitch… Do you seriously find it so necessary to try and argue away the blatantly obvious facts behind this case and its implications??? Is it really so difficult to admit that the behaviour that has been unfolding in Europe is that, “some are not as equal as others”? What exactly is it that you would like to gain with the denials? Would you like for us all to agree with you that the way this case and others like it have been handled is “standard” in Europe?
Do you want us all to “concede” that Marwa’s story would have had the same treatment if she were Jewish or Christian and “Alex W” was Muslim? Do you want us all to pretend that if Alex was Muslim, the spectre of “Islamic terrorism? would not have been brandished all over the Western world over and over by now??? Do you want us all to pretend that if Alex was Muslim, other Muslims would by now NOT have been required to condemn his misdeeds??? Do you want us all to believe that if Alex was Muslim and Marwa Jewish or Christian, the media and others in the West would by now not have singled out Islam as a religion and Muslims as a group, for at least some of the blame???
Empires throughout history have fallen because of their
“inability” at self-introspection and honesty. The Incas and Old Egypt were 2 cases in point.
Truth is not an enemy Mitch. It is not a disease that will defeat us if we give in to it. Lets learn the lessons from others who have passed before us.
I am not surprised at all to hear about this tragic story, and the fact that it happened in Germany does not make me surprised at all. I have been five times to Germany, and each time I go there, I sense so much racism against myself and against Muslims. Theyway they talk about Muslims is disgusting. These people have no sense of political correctness, no respect for the other, no sense of shame. They think they are the self-appointed superior race on earth, and I in fact find some of them so stupid. It is completely a joke.
What blatantly obvious facts have I argued away? Opinions about the hearts of men are not facts, and neither is hyperbole offered without evidence. I don’t claim familiarity with Germany’s journalistic culture and I am open to possibilities that there may have been other factors involved which led to a lack of coverage. I don’t take at face value the argument that every crime that is perpetrated by a Muslim in Germany receives national and international attention. I don’t rule out that there may be bias, and that may explain the coverage of al-Sherbini’s murder in part or entirely, but I see a lot of dubious comparisons by people who appear to know little more about German journalism that I do. I know that journalists in most Western countries tend to be more left-wing than the general public and are more likely to be sensitive to ethnic or religious minorities than your average man on the street. I can’t say whether German journalists are an exception.
That may or may not be the case. I don’t recall much coverage outside of Germany over the killing of Morsal Obeidi a year ago, and I have no idea how long it took for the German media to pick up on this story. A story featured in the LA Times about another honor killing in Germany (the latest in a string of honor killings) mentions that “[s]uch crimes are rarely mentioned in Germany’s newspapers.” If the German media is as eager to pounce on Muslims as many here have claimed, then I have to wonder why they often fail to report such events.
I don’t take the lack of coverage of al-Sherbini’s murder in isolation or rush to claim that I know what the German media would report when I haven’t investigated what has been reported or unreported in the past. I don’t rule out bias, but I don’t claim certainty that bias explains the situation.
No, of course it is not, but I get the impression that many people are not interested in the truth. Few people seem to avoid rushing to judgment in this case. I don’t know all the answers and I’m honest enough to admit my ignorance. I would venture to guess that you’re no more knowledgeable than I am about this topic, but you claim to know the truth beyond all doubt. With that in mind, may I recommend reading (or rereading) Plato’s account of Socrates?
“Do you want us all to “concede†that Marwa’s story would have had the same treatment if she were Jewish or Christian and “Alex W†was Muslim? Do you want us all to pretend that if Alex was Muslim, the spectre of “Islamic terrorism? would not have been brandished all over the Western world over and over by now??? Do you want us all to pretend that if Alex was Muslim, other Muslims would by now NOT have been required to condemn his misdeeds??? Do you want us all to believe that if Alex was Muslim and Marwa Jewish or Christian, the media and others in the West would by now not have singled out Islam as a religion and Muslims as a group, for at least some of the blame???”
Above are the facts which you need to look at Mitch. I post them again as I did before, because they make up the reality of the situation, which I believe many in the West deliberately overlook. Look at them and tell us for real that this particular reading of events, are wrong…
Mitch I post this article also as evidence of this “imbalance” toward others such as Muslims, in the West.
If you’ve read it already, my humblest apologies. I do not wish to take anything away about the topic at hand i.e Miss Sherbini’s case. I put this here to show yet another example of the “standard” behaviour of the “tolerant” West towards Muslims.
Georgia State University professor discriminated against Muslim woman
22/07/2009 09:00:00 AM GMT Comments (2) Add a comment Print E-mail to friend
By Yvonne R. Davis
Georgia State University stands behind a professor who discriminated against an Arab and Muslim woman
Behind the tears she shed on CNN this past 4th of July weekend is a brilliant, brave and beautiful 25 year old woman by the name of Slma Shelbayah. A doctoral student in Journalism and guest professor at Georgia State University, it appears the system geared up against her in a most ill-mannered way. It seemed okay in 2008 for a University Professor to harass a Muslim student and get away with it.
You ask why? The answer is, because they could, and also because an Arab “girl” who wears a Hijab can’t demand respect from a professor who is the Graduate Director in the Department of Communications. A woman committed to following Islam and the call by the Holy Qu’ran to dress modestly has to swallow the tenured Professor’s constant queries if she is “wearing a bomb” in her hair underneath that scarf. After all, this professor is beyond reproach.
She penned eight books on presidential communication and rhetoric, including national identity, strategic failures and the pre-presidential and presidential rhetoric of Ronald Reagan. Her recent book Defining Americans puts Dr. Mary Stuckey in the position as “Commander In Chief” of what it is to be an American and a person like student Professor Slma Shelbayah does not fit because she covers her head.
When Dr. Stuckey who has appeared on CSPAN and active in the Women’s Caucus was confronted by student Professor Shelbayah for these anti-Arab/Muslim comments, she just said, “sorry.” However, to show how remorseful she was, with University approval she stripped Shelbayah of her guest professorship.
Additionally, she lost her position in the Department of Middle East Institute Exchange Program and worst of all she lost her financial support to complete her doctoral studies. Shelbayah has been reduced to nothing because she wants her freedom of religion and expression to be upheld.
In protest, tenured professor Dona Stewart stepped down as director of the University’s Middle East Institute. She filed a discrimination complaint with the Justice Department. It is quite noble she is standing with Shelbayah. Stewart’s job is safe. She received a promotion at Georgia State University and it will be interesting to see how hard she will continue to push to make sure that student Professor Shelbayah receives restitution for being treated as less-than for being Arab and Muslim. Professor Stewart should not be so naïve to think this issue is only about Civil Rights. Perhaps focusing on this aspect of it along gives her comfort to fight for justice. The Anti Arab/Muslim fight is perhaps too messy.
Georgia State University should be ashamed for allowing a woman who in 2004 completed her Bachelors degree at this institution in only two years become reduced to this level of humiliation. By the way, Shelbayah received her Masters at Georgia State as well. The retaliation she received is thanks for her loyalty to Georgia State University.
A determined young lady, when student Professor Shelbayah was 20-years old she pushed through her undergraduate education registering and completing between 16 to 18 hours worth of course work per semester while simultaneously holding a job at a bookstore and interning at CBS 46. She even taught religious and Arabic classes and interacted with youth groups.
During one semester as an undergrad, she dedicated 30 hours or 10 classes to graduate in December. Do you really think a student like this deserves to have Dr. Stuckey who has won teaching awards from the American Political Science Association treat her this way? Maybe since Dr. Stuckey is interested in how political power is constructed and communicated this was a part of her qualitative research for her ninth book or 31st article on the “Rhetoric of Hatred — How to Intimidate an Arab Woman by Telling Her Colleagues She Does Not Have a Bomb In Her Scarf?”
Student Professor Shelbayah and her tenured supporter professor have a battle to fight, but if Georgia State University is an Institution of Higher Learning that it is supposed to be then it will not stand for any type of discriminatory practices against any student. Instead of “siding” with its star studded academic professor against a “lowly” Arab female student Professor, the leadership should take up this issue and not feel they have already dealt with the matter when they have done nothing.
The Middle East Institute’s leadership does not list one Arab/Muslim/Coptic professor on its web page. Something is wrong here. How can you promote and talk about the Middle East, when no one in your leadership is named Muhammad, Abdullah, Latifah or Shelbayah? Even the school’s 2009 spring lecture series is pretty lame and does not give any more hope in having someone by the last name of Bukai or Shelbayah!
African Americans know good and well if white advertisers, corporations and yes Universities want our attention they need to have someone who looks likes like us on their team in a leadership position. If one wants the attention of Latinos someone better habla Espanol! Institutions that ignore these simple facts are arrogant and exploitative.
This sadly is not the first time this University has been down this road of discrimination. In 2007, it had a case filed by a female Asian Professor who was treated horribly and paid less then her counterparts. She heard comments such as “there are too many Chinese professors.”
Therefore, it is with great hope Georgia State University President Mark P. Becker steps in to resolve this issue immediately. As he considers his plan of action, he may want to ponder the words of our 44th President Barack Hussein Obama. “I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality.”
— Yvonne R. Davis, President and CEO of DAVISCommunications, is an internationally recognized leadership development coach, speaker, and award winning journalist. She is an expert in cross-cultural and global emerging markets. A hard-hitting political columnist, Ms. Davis is passionate about critical economic and socio-political issues in the Middle East, Central Asia, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe. She continues to play a crucial role in developing strategies to advance the status of women in these developing regions.
Source: Middle East Online
I want you to honestly consider that possibility, do some further research on what has and has not been covered by the German media, and then come to your own conclusion.
I don’t doubt that there will always be those who discriminate unfairly against others, but an ongoing discrimination case in the U.S. is your evidence that the German media is biased?
The university denies any wrongdoing in her firing and cites other reasons for terminating her employment in other reports. There is more than one side to this story and claiming Islam doesn’t make you honest by default. Lets not forget that Muslims in the United States have cried wolf before. In fact, like other minority groups seeking the pity of the public, they’ve done it plenty of times.
This woman may an honest victim of discrimination or she may just be trying to get back at her employer for personal gain. I’m sure an ongoing investigation by the EEOC will help to clarify the situation. In any event, the coverage given to this woman by major news outlets suggests her claims were not ignored because she was a Muslim. It’s just the opposite: countless non-Muslim women file complaints of discrimination by employers each year and very few of these cases are seen on CNN.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Marwa_El-Sherbini for some more background.
The shocking part of this story is that it was allowed to happen in a ‘civilised’ country’s courtroom with no one other than the woman’s husband defending her. It wasn’t a street crime. It happened under the noses of the authorities. She was stabbed 18 times……they let it happen in full view of the law. This means no one is safe. How come no one else came to her rescue on stab no, 2, 3, 4…they all just continued to watch until stab number 18. Germany is very sick
“How come no one else came to her rescue on stab no, 2, 3, 4…they all just continued to watch until stab number 18. Germany is very sick”
Once again, I think it’s important to remember the bystander effect when talking about this situation.
Read about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect
And of course, you can stab someone pretty quickly, a great number of times. You just need sufficient rage and some prowess with a blade.
I do think that the police officer who mistook her husband for the attacker was operating under a pretty common set of prejudices. Man of Middle Eastern origin? Must be a killer. Point. Shoot.
It’s a tragedy of enormous proportions, but labeling Germany as “sick”? I don’t know about that. I’ll never know what it’s like to be Middle Eastern in Germany, however, so take that with a grain of salt.
We can reacall the german slaughterism. I think we can compare germans with old apes who dont know what to do when to do and how to do. Apes just fight for nothing and gets nothing.
Now GERMAN TERRORIST/KILLER/MURDERER is called “civilized, Christian Russian-German”.
the “police officers” should resign..
imagine..a police saw a robbery and he had Bystander_effect .. .. .. .. lols..never happen..he just stood there?or he shoot the victim?…in this case..the “police officer” get Bystander_effect and shoot the victim.ha ha ha
I HOPE GERMANS GOVERMENT WILL PROVIDE GOOD TRAINING FOR THEIR POLICE!and include ways to avoid Bystander_effect..hahahahahaha
it doesnt matter christian/muslim/white/black/green/german/russian/alien or whatever…..in this case…..the POLICE is so motherfarking stupid and he should not be a POLICE!go ask any police if he had this “Bystander_effect”…if he does…HE IS A VERY STUPID OR UNPROFESSIONAL POLICEMAN!!!
BTW..i have christian/budhis/hindu/muslim friends….
we respect eachother.we live happily peacefully..our parents talk and had dinner together sometime.
this shows that ANY RELIGION DONT TEACH THEIR FOLLOWERS to HAVE HATRED.!
dont get brainwashed by any partys…
I DONT THINK ANY PARENTS TEACH THEIR KIDS TO KILL OTHERS…be it muslim or whatever..
those so called JIHAD IS VERY CLOSE TO HELL..THEY RESPONSIBLE TO THOSE WHO DIED ON 9/11 and IN IRAG/AFGHANISTAN…THEY ARE NOT MUSLIM!THEY ARE THE TERRORIST THE KILLERS..
p/s somone is paying for you to get brainwashed.hahahaha
first of all, i don’t know about other western outlets but the BBC and the wire agencies all had very good coverage of this tragedy (that’s how i learned about it), so i think many of you are jumping to unfair conclusions.
yes, unfortunately it’s probably true that the coverage would’ve been greater if he had been the one who was muslim… but on the other hand, if they’d both been white it would not have been reported internationally at all (and none of us would’ve ever heard about it).
also, the real anger (in addition to anger at this bigoted psychopath mr. axel) should be directed at the german courts (NOT the german people) for failing to provide adequate security. if one good thing can come from this tragedy i hope it will be the installation of security checks at ALL german courts and the presence of armed officers in EVERY courtroom, even those that hear smaller claims like marwa’s.
you can rest assured that had a neo-nazi skin head had killed a pregnant jewish lady in court in similar circumstances the response from media, international outrage and reactions from leaders would have been completely different…
“you can rest assured that had a neo-nazi skin head had killed a pregnant jewish lady in court in similar circumstances the response from media, international outrage and reactions from leaders would have been completely different…”
Absolutely Zofia. But, this is exactly what many Westerners, (not only Germans) deny, no matter what evidence is brought before them. They act like they’ve never heard of or experienced such an instance EVER! And, they’ll pretend the same thing even if, today a Muslim killed a Jewish or Christian, pregnant lady in one of their courts, and there is the kind of media and political backlash like we all know that would lead to.
The Western mindset has been programmed to see Muslims as perpetrators who are NEVER deserving of sympathy. This is no accident. It’s that way by design. Many in the West view Muslims as “deserving” of the bad things that happen to them.
If “Alex W” had been Muslim and Marwa Jewish or Christian, the Western media and leaders alike would have asked questions like, “Where are the moderate Muslims”? They would never have claimed that “Alex W” is a “lone wolf”. He would have been portrayed as a product of Islam. As a product of a group.
I ask now, “Where are the moderate Germans”? “Where are the moderate Westerners”?
I am a Westerner, but I refuse to believe, follow or subscribe to the mainstream narrative of Muslims. IT’S A BLATANT LIE!!!
Actually, he was called in from a different part of the court building as the crime was happening, and shot the husband. So what happened there is actually a little bit more damning for him than for anyone else in that courtroom at the time. Confusion in such cases is common, and we will never know for certain if he was honestly reacting to what he believed her saw, or if he automatically assumed that a dark, Arab man was the attacker.
Either way, it’s of no small comfort to the bereaved family.
I believe it was Mitch that said that Alex was not necessarily a civilised practicing Christian and that this is not necessarily important to the matter–so then why is that when a Muslim committs a crime, it is necessary to report it each time….hmmm, i wonder.
It is sickening to not have heard about this in the news–i heard about it by word of mouth through some friends. There are too many unanswered questions regarding what happened in the courtroom and how this could occur. I wish the best for Marwas family and hope that her son finds peace as this will eventually be most difficult for him.
Be remember when at Tianmen Square in China, hundreds were murdered and the media of China was not reporting the case in true manner, this was the European and US media which was saying that mis-reporting or not reporting something in media is a crime. What is your opinion when this media is not reporting the case of Marwa.
Also imagine 18 knife wounds over a human being take time, it can not be happened in one or two seconds. It all happened in the presence of more than a dozen people including a Judge. What was the role of ‘so respectable’ Judge and all presents in whole episode.
Salute the responsibility of guards, who opened fire on the husband of Marwa.
My friends, all this is not new, Europeans including Germans are not having a responsible citizen track record. Europeans were responsible for two wrold wars. Europeans with their partner US are responsible for use of atomic bomb over Japan when the war was about to end. Europeans are responsible for massacre of Iraq without any proof of so called ‘Mass Destruction Weapons’. Europeans are responsible for destroying Afghanistan without Afghans involvement in 9-11 (Note that all media reports held Saudis responsible for 9-11). Europeans are blood suckers of third world. They made most of the Asia and Africa their colonies and theft all valuables of these regions during 18th and 19th centuries. Their crimes are countless.
Well, for starters, you cannot report what isn’t true. Since the man is from Russia, there is a very good chance he is an atheist or at least has little involvement with any religion. Why would they report him as being a “civilized practicing Christian” if he wasn’t?
Europeans had no involvement in the bombings of Hiroshima or Nagasaki, and the war wasn’t “about to end,” as you put it, when the bombs were used. In fact, the top leaders in Japan only narrowly agreed to surrender after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Innalillahi Wa’inna Ilahi Rajiun…..
Ya Rabb Terima lah Hamba-Mu ini Disisi Terbaik bersama Orang-orang yang mati Syahid….Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar…
J.doe or whatever your name is, are you sure your not related to the killer in question? you seem to have ignored what the reality of this subject is.
the poor lady was stabbed to death and no one stopped that crual creature becuase their either a coward or they dont want to interfere because after all if one muslim (terrorist) dies it will benefit the messed up western sociaty. what pple need to know is that if you kill one a thousand are born everyday and no matter how much they try they cannot wipe us out.
Sure this world is not for muslims unfortunately we will see these things more often as we are near to the end and dont forget for sincere muslims we have been promised paradise and im sure this is where Marwa and her family will be.
the media didnt get involved becasue they didnt want to anger the muslims around the world as they know we will want answers for what happend to sister Marwa. you see a muslim would interfere in situations like this because we value life and speak against injustice but these pple will watch you die and get counselling for watching someone die.
munafeek (hypocrics) they conceal their own faults and show what others have done and headline the word (MUSLIM)
when they see or hear ‘the word Muslim’ they hear sirens!
im not hear to spread hatred but on a human level if christians, jews, hindu or pple belonging to any other religion except Islam, just think what if feels likes to be a muslim then you too would be angered
Peace!
This is too much shocking, May her soul and her unborn child’s soul rest in peace..
Thank you for your thoughts of peace, Rezah Farouq. It is so true that a group of radicals tend to make positive change so much more difficult since they tend to utterly misrepresent the larger group. If more people concentrated on spreading understanding for different cultures and expressed interest in getting to know them and focused on the positive attributes of faith (and religion) = love and caring, be it Islam, Judaism, Christianity or any other religion, we wouldn’t have these types of killings. Atrocities they all are – regardless of of who killed whom. Whether the killer here was deranged or not – racism and hatred most definitely played a part. Spouting hatred back at certain groups of people who happen to be affected by the violence (this time) and getting into a pissing contest over who was at fault, is, as usual, unproductive.
It is sad that some people use forums such as these to express their hatred rather than doing everything in their power to counteract and change it.
Being German myself, I also think German society needs to wake up and realize that reality is that people will hurt each other. People deserve more protection in the courtroom. Not having police present, not having metal detectors in place and not being aware of what is going on around you is not only dangerous but embarrassing. For a country that prides itself in its great intellectual wealth and knowledge, we still have a ways to go when it comes to awareness of reality and caring for all our people – regardless of what we look like and what religious group we belong to.
I just can’t understand why this woman would go Germany to be stabbed.
The real problem here is that “Alex” should never have been charged money for speaking his mind. Germany needs to adopt Free Speech laws. Now all the Muslims in Germany know that speech in Germany is indeed, not “free” — it cost 760 Euros. You people in Germany need to speak out for Freedom of Speech and the judge should have thrown out that case that she filed. It was NOT reasonable of Marwa to file a case against someone in the West where people have always been free to speak their minds. She stepped on an egg and it exploded. Stay away from the eggs, hijab.
The Real problem is:
a) a woman was murdered
b) the murderer’s freedom of speech had been denied
…& you chose b)? Really? Hmmm
In this particular situation, nothing matters more than the loss of this innocent life. Nothing. Which isn’t to say that freedom of speech isn’t an important topic – it is. But in this situation, it’s mind-boggling that you would opt for b) as the ‘real’ problem.
Also, do you think freedom of speech should cover any & every kind of speech? Slander, libel, defamation? Incitement of hatred?
All hate crimes should be condemned unconditionally. Including those committed against the victims of 11 Sep 2001, and many many others, murdered by jihadist racists in the name of Islam, only because they were perceived as Jews and Christians, Hindus and Buddhist.
I cannot understand, and it makes me very angry, that not a SINGLE demonstration has been organised anywhere in the world, ever, in the name of Islam, against the racist savagery perpetrated by jihadists on a daily basis.
Judging from some of the Islamo-fascist reactions drained in stomach wrenching self-pity found on this website I do not expect to find any clarifications here.
May Marwa ash-Sherbini rest in peace.
H de Pup: you’re comment was frankly idiotic. it is the kind of blindman instance that we, in the muslim world, do not speak out against extremists and terrorists. Jordan just marked the 4th year since suicide bomber killed dozens in hotels in our capital. the next day there were tens of thousands of people marching in protest of these extremists and calling for zarqawi’s head.
WOW. thats crazy.
hi. be sure that Germany more than any country in the world defends the law and human rights. and be sure that It is possible to stab someone 18 times when police officer cant see the murderer and is shocked by the incident . so first SEE THE MOVIE if there is any.. and then imagine yourself in the police officer’s place. then consider that the man was accused by the court and were fined for 750 euros just for calling her a terrorist. and see the man in jail. and now OK that man was a racist or Nazi. he is a murderer and is guilty and that was a real tragedy and I’m also very unhappy about that .
but that was not judge’s fault. nor the police officer.
not Europe. they were shocked too because they were supporting Marwa…
so Muslims must not judge everything without thinking. and ignore the reality because that’s exactly what the real terrorists want.
I defend Marwa (peace upon her) and I hope All the courts have a program to prevent such things all over the world.
but thats my idea. when all religions make such grate hates why should we show off our religion? in a time when extremist want to take advantage of that. like ‘Nazi’,
‘Islamic extremism’, ‘Zionist extremism’,’even christian extremism in ancient times’ and…
isn’t our life by itself holy?
isn’t out development and justice holy?
isn’t a girl or a boy who happily laughs and make love holy?
so why we want to develop things that at the end will makes us hate others or make others hate us for nothing.
think about it… please…
dear guys :
i am 13 years old and the marwa al sherdini crime was the most horrible crime i have ever knew . i mean the women was killed for wearing a veil i mean come on and in front of her 3 year old son.Also , while her husband was defending the security guard shot him ,
The fact that Marwa El Sherbini was stabbed 18 times AND her husband was stabbed 3 tmes + shot before the tragedy comes to an end is so mind-boggling that I smelt fish somewhere.
I tried stabbing the air 18 times. It does not take 20 seconds. And heck, it does not even take 5-10 seconds. There is almost enough time for me to sing the chorus of Guns N Roses’ song.
Why wasn’t the tragedy stopped in time? She could have survived if she received lesser stabbings. Her kid would not have to suffer the trauma of the scene where his mom was brutally stabbed and killed infront of him. Her husband would not have been stabbed and shot.
All said and done, being a Muslim myself, I say that her time is up. Allah wanted her to end that way to open our eyes and see what is actually happening under our very noses everyday, everywhere. If this tragedy did not happen, I doubt this much hype would happen.
Allah is Great.
someone should of done something about it especially if she had the same name as me!
the fact remains. westerm media have turned there attention to anything that sells and suits there individual needs and brings in the dollar. hijaab has been banned in many countries, the first being in belgium and the trend seems to passing along in western society. i then ask the pertinent question… what has happened to freedom of expression ?? where are the rights of women gone to ?? what has happened to the equlity and freedom that modern societies claim to posses?? is it not ironic that it is these very same modern first world countries that then portary such barbarrism and cruelty ?? whats more astonishing is that the world remains in silence…. coincidental that she is a muslim woman ? media thrives on islamaphobia and that is no secret. a quick fact… islam is the fastest growing religion in the USA. and if you didnt know that…. well then blame it on the media on not feeding you the correct information. the beauty of Islam is beyond expression. It is simply fear of the true religion that drives others into taunting and tainting a noble religion. you have your religion and i have mine. we have both been granted the gift of intellect , use it to distinguish between good and evil, between truths and false, between what is correct and that which is incorrect. Islam deserves the respect that it teaches and inculcates into its believers . . . let us shine the white flag and bring peace into this world through unity and love. let each religion live in harmony.
This is exactly what I thought. 18 times… Well the only explanation I got is in one of the comments, saying that there was no security in the room (and no metal detectors!). Sounds pretty German to me. They are like this until something happens. I bet they have changed courtroom regulation by now. Still no excuse.
Today is 1st July and it been three years but i heard this story today, may be because lack of interest from media.
Muslim, Christians , Jews, Hindus, Buddhist , whatever, these are believes came hundred of years back based on spiritualism, modern world is globlaised, we are the same human being inside. World is getting globalisrd day by day, people travel faster than ever, we see all ethnic groups in all parts of the world, stop judging people from their religion , colour or race.
I am pleased to see comments from all parts of the world taking it as a HATE CRIME. Make the world a safe place for everyone. Definition of terrorist is one who spread terror or murders, he can be anyone, don’t specify from his ethnic background or religion as no one wants be another Alex Wiens.