Police Open Fire - Shoot Her Husband Instead of Killer
Story Highlights
Stabbed to death by a man convicted of insulting Islam -
Muslim women killed in courtroom while testifying against German man
Man convicted of calling Sherbini a "terrorist," "bitch" and "Islamist"
Many shout hostile slogans against Germans during her funeral
Marwa Sherbini, 31, was stabbed to death by Alex W, who, even though the entire court witnessed the whole thing - is only held on suspicion of murder.
Ms Sherbini had sued her killer after he called her a "terrorist" ...
... because of her headscarf. German prosecutors have said the 28-year-old attacker, identified only as Alex W, was driven by a deep hatred of foreigners and Muslims.
Local Muslims are saying, "Now see who are the real terrorists"
Marwa Sherbini brought a judicial complaint against her German neighbor who had harassed her and for calling her a terrorist.
Why?
Because of her hijab.
She won her case, but the German man appealed the case.
Then just as she was preparing to testify in the appeal, the German attacked her with a knife in the court, stabbing her 18 times and killing her. Her husband, who is doing a post-doc at the Max Planck Institute, attempted to intervene, and was stabbed by the attacker and shot by the security guard (who of course assumed that he was the aggressor). The husband is in the hospital in critical condition. The victim herself was a highly-educated professional (a pharmacist with post-graduate training, I believe, but was having trouble obtaining employment in Germany at least in part because she refused to take off her hijab). While it has been a non-event in Germany, it has provoked an emotional response in Egypt, where she has been adopted as a national hero – a street has now been named after her in Alexandria.
Police opened fire on Alex W. who had stabbed her 18 times and was then attacking her husband, Elwi Okaz - Gun fire hit Okaz while he was trying to save his wife now he is hospitalized in critical condition.
Alex W. stabbed Ms. Sherbini 18 times then truned on her husband Elwi Okaz, who is now in a critical condition in hospital, after being injured as he tried to save his wife.
The case has attracted much attention in Egypt and the Muslim world.
'Sherbini Being Call a Martyr'
Medics were unable to save Ms Sherbini who was three months pregnant with her second child. Her three-year-old son was with the family in court when she was killed.
Alex W and Ms Sherbini and family were in court for his appeal against a fine of 750 euros ($1,050) for insulting her in 2008, because she was wearing the Muslim hijab (Muslim covering similar to Catholic nuns).
Newspapers in Egypt have expressed outrage at the case, asking how it was allowed to happen and dubbing Ms Sherbini "the martyr of the Hijab".
Senior Egyptian officials and German diplomatic staff attended the funeral in Alexandria along with hundreds of mourners.
Media reports say Mr Okaz was injured both by the attacker and when a policeman opened fire in the courtroom.
