Thursday, July 30, 2009

'The war is with the Arabs'




29/07/2009 01:00:00 PM GMT   Comments (27)     Add a comment     Print     E-mail to friend

Israeli racism rarely shocks me anymore, but its blatant display still makes me stop and catch my breath


By Hannah Mermelstein

I saw this sign as I was entering Nablus last week, again on my way to Ramallah, and again near Bethlehem. The phrase is printed in Hebrew, presumably by Israeli settlers, on huge signs throughout the West Bank. Israeli racism rarely shocks me anymore, but its blatant display still makes me stop and catch my breath as I translate it into other contexts. Imagine driving through the middle of a predominantly black neighborhood in a U.S. city or town and seeing an enormous sign that says, “The war is with the Blacks.”

I think about security. Israel’s abuse of the word has rendered the concept almost meaningless in the region, but the importance of security on individual and communal levels cannot be underestimated. However, most discussions I see in the media about security ignore the Palestinian people’s right to security. “The war is with the Arabs” is a new sign, as far as I know, but for years in the West Bank I have seen stars of David scrawled on Palestinian shops and homes, and signs like “Death to Arabs” and “Kahane was right” (Kahane was an extremist political leader who promoted ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people; this sign is essentially equivalent to “Hitler was right” in the middle of a Jewish neighborhood).

But signs are not only created; they are also destroyed. Since 1948, Palestinian people inside Israel have experienced erasure and denial of their identities that is perhaps stronger than that of any other group of Palestinian people. I visited a friend in Lyd last week who lives on Giborai Yisrael (“Heroes of Israel”) Street. Driving around the Palestinian neighborhoods in Lyd, we passed roads bearing the names of Herzl, Jabotinsky, and other Zionist leaders. None of the old Arabic street names remain. Even large cities with considerable Palestinian populations are now seeing Arabic names officially erased from signs. In Arabic script, “Yaffa” will become “Yafo,” “Nasra” will become “Natzeret,” and “Al Quds” will become “Yerushalayim.”

Lack of security goes beyond denial of identity and history as visually expressed through signs. A Palestinian friend with Israeli citizenship told me he has heard a rumor that a huge piece of land in Jordan is being cleared and built up for the eventual arrival of the Palestinian population of Israel after they are transferred from their homes. “It may be conspiracy theory,” he said, “but I don’t know.”

“I’d like to think that Israel couldn’t get away with that,” I responded.

“Of course they can,” another friend from Lyd said, “and if the conditions are right, they will.”

Imagine living day to day thinking you might be expelled from your country in the near future. Or in Gaza, wondering if you will be killed tomorrow, or if you will ever be able to come in and out of your country at will. Or in the West Bank, if your son will be arrested, or if you will be able to get through the checkpoint in the morning to get to work. Or in Jerusalem, if your residency will be stripped or your house destroyed.

Imagine little correlation between choice and consequence, an arbitrary relationship between cause and effect. If you are just as likely to get shot and killed sipping tea in your doorway, or sitting in your fourth grade classroom, or participating in a demonstration, or joining the armed resistance, is it any surprise that some choose each?

A friend of mine from the West Bank once told me that she never feels safe, so safety is not a consideration for her in making decisions. As much as I may try, I cannot truly imagine this lack of control.

I met a woman in Jerusalem who was displaced from her home by settlers, physically removed from her house by dozens of Israeli soldiers in the middle of the night. Twice a refugee (1948 and 2008), Um Kamel currently lives in a tent near her house that has been destroyed and re-pitched six times in the past six months. This is perhaps the height of insecurity, yet Um Kamel stays strong and determined. Many in Palestine would call it sumoud, or steadfastness.

This kind of strength is seen remarkably often in Palestine, and indicates a deeper security that comes in part from faith. Faith in God, sometimes, but also faith in each other, in the justice of one’s cause, in the tide of history that has shown that no single occupation in Palestine lasts forever. This, of course, is also Israel’s deepest fear. That no matter how many walls they build, how many people they imprison, how many homes they destroy, how many signs they erase, and how many people they expel, true security will remain elusive, and eventually, Zionism will fail. As many older Palestinian people have said to me, with security, “We have lived through many occupations. This too shall pass.”

-- Hannah Mermelstein is co-founder of Birthright Unplugged and Students Boycott Apartheid. She lives in Brooklyn, NY and works with the New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel and the Palestine Education Project. She can be reached at hmermels@hotmail.com. This article appeared in CounterPunch.org.

Source: Middle East Online


Six Imams ‘Flying While Muslim’ Case Goes to Trial

CAIR ACTION ALERT #583:

Action: Six Imams ‘Flying While Muslim’ Case Goes to Trial
Minn. judge sides with imams on key issues in discrimination lawsuit

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/27/09) - CAIR is urging members of the Muslim community and other people who value a diverse and inclusive society to support justice in the case of the six American imams who say their rights were violated in 2006 when they were removed from a US Airways flight in Minnesota and arrested.

On Friday, CAIR released the breaking news that a judge in Minnesota sided with the imams on key issues in their lawsuit against those involved in their removal from the plane. U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery cleared the way for a trial by denying several motions to dismiss the case and ruling that a law passed by Congress after the incident does not grant protection from lawsuits to those sued by the imams.

SEE: Imams Can Pursue Claims Against Police, Judge Rules (Star Tribune)
SEE ALSO: Judge Says Imams Booted from Flight Can Sue Police (MPR)

Judge Montgomery also ruled that the actions of the imams prior to their flight did not justify their detention. She noted that the imams were subjected to "extreme fear and humiliation of being falsely identified as dangerous terrorists."

Read the entire ruling here.

“The six imams ‘flying while Muslim’ case is a landmark in our nation’s civil rights movement, like other historic cases that have defined the struggle for equality and constitutional rights,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. “We urge all those who value freedom of religion and freedom from discrimination to support the imams in the final phase of their case.”

He said justice in this case will, inshallah, set a positive precedent against religious and ethnic profiling for travelers of all faiths. Awad noted that CAIR receives a number of reports each year from those who believe they were singled out for “flying while Muslim.”

Earlier this month, CAIR called on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to investigate an incident in which a disabled Muslim traveler from Pennsylvania was forced to undergo a “humiliating” search by airport security personnel in Ohio.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED TO MAKE THIS EFFORT SUCCEED:

1. Pray for the success of the case and the protection of the civil and religious rights of the traveling public.

2. Help make history by supporting the imams in the final phase of the case, the trial in August.

To donate, click here:

PLEASE POST, COPY AND DISTRIBUTE


Sunday, July 26, 2009

Morocco challenges Mideast Holocaust mind-set


RABAT, Morocco — From the western edge of the Muslim world, the King
of Morocco has dared to tackle one of the most inflammatory issues in
the Middle East conflict — the Holocaust.

At a time when Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's dismissal of the Holocaust has made the
biggest headlines, King Mohammed VI has called the Nazi destruction of
the Jews "one of the most tragic chapters of modern history," and has
endorsed a Paris-based program aimed at spreading the word among fellow
Muslims.

Many in the Islamic world still ignore or know little
about the Nazi attempt to annihilate the Jews during World War II. Some
disbelieve it outright. Others argue that it was a European crime and
imagine it to be the reason Israel exists and the Palestinians are
stateless.

The sentiment was starkly illustrated in March after a
Palestinian youth orchestra performed for Israeli Holocaust survivors,
only to be shut down by angry leaders of the West Bank refugee camp
where they live.

"The Holocaust happened, but we are facing a
similar massacre by the Jews themselves," a community leader named
Adnan Hindi said at the time. "We lost our land and we were forced to
flee."

Like other moderate Arab leaders, King Mohammed VI must
tread carefully. Islamic fervor is rising in his kingdom, highlighted
in 2003 by al-Qaida-inspired attacks in Casablanca on targets that
included Jewish sites. Forty-five people died.

The king's
acknowledgment of the Holocaust, in a speech read out in his name at a
ceremony in Paris in March, appears to further illustrate the radically
different paths that countries like Morocco and Iran are taking.

Morocco
has long been a quiet pioneer in Arab-Israeli peace efforts, most
notably when it served as a secret meeting place for the Israeli and
Egyptian officials who set up President Anwar Sadat's groundbreaking
journey to Jerusalem in 1977.

Though Moroccan officials say the
timing is coincidental, the Holocaust speech came at around the same
time that Morocco severed diplomatic relations with Iran, claiming it
was infiltrating Shiite Muslim troublemakers into this Sunni nation.

The
speech was read out at a ceremony launching the "Aladdin Project," an
initiative of the Paris-based Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah
(Holocaust) which aims to spread awareness of the genocide among
Muslims.

It organizes conferences and has translated key
Holocaust writing such as Anne Frank's diary into Arabic and Farsi. The
name refers to Aladdin, the young man with the genie in his lamp, whose
legend, originally Muslim, became a universally loved tale.

The Holocaust, the king's speech said, is "the universal heritage of mankind."

It
was "a very important political act," said Anne-Marie Revcolevschi,
director of the Shoah foundation. "This is the first time an Arab head
of state takes such a clear stand on the Shoah," she said in a
telephone interview.

While the Israeli-Palestinian conflict often
aggravates Arab sentiment toward Israel, Morocco has a long history of
coexistence between Muslims and Jews.

The recent Israeli military
offensive in the Gaza Strip has further inflamed resentment at Israel's
treatment of the Palestinians. But Ahmed Hasseni, a Casablanca cab
driver, echoes a widely held view that it shouldn't affect relations
with Morocco's Jews.

"We're not dumb," he said. "We don't confuse the Israeli army with the Jewish people," he said.

Jews
have lived in Morocco for 2,000 years. Their numbers swelled after they
were expelled from Spain in 1492, and reached 300,000 before World War
II, when yet more fled the German occupation and found refuge in
Morocco, then a French colony.

Today they number just 3,000, most
having emigrated to France, North America or Israel, but they are free
to come back to explore their roots, pray at their ancestors' graves
and even settle here.

Simon Levy heads the Jewish Museum in
Casablanca, a treasure trove of old Torah scrolls, garments and jewelry
illustrating the rich culture of Moroccan Jewry.

"That I still run the only Jewish museum in the Arab world is telling," he said.

Andre
Azoulay, a top adviser to the current king, is Jewish and one of six
members of the king's council in a monarchy that oversees all major
decisions. Considered one of Morocco's most powerful men, he views his
country as "a unique case" for the intensity of its Jewish-Muslim
relations. "We don't mix up Judaism and the tragedy of the Middle
East," he told The Associated Press in an interview.

A founding
member of the Aladdin project, Azoulay says part of the program's goal
is to show the West that Muslims aren't hostile to Jews, and that
Morocco was among countries that resisted Nazi plans to exterminate
their Jewish populations. He points to king Mohammed V, the current
ruler's grandfather, who is credited with resisting French colonial
anti-Semitic policies.

Such actions were rare, but not unique in
North Africa during World War II. In Tunisia, the late Khaled
Abdelwahhab hid Jews from the Nazis on his farm, and was the first Arab
to be nominated as "Righteous Among the Nations," a title bestowed by
Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, on those who risked their
lives to save Jews in the Holocaust. His case is still under study.

The
Aladdin project is only just beginning. Its work has yet to reach
schools or bookstores in Morocco, although the Shoah foundation's
Revcolevschi said Anne Frank's diary is among Holocaust memoirs
available in Arabic and Farsi on the Internet, and is being sold under
the counter in Iran.

"People speak of a clash of civilizations, but it's more a clash of ignorance," she said. "We're countering this."

Hakim
El Ghissassi, an aide to the senior Islamic Affairs official who
delivered Mohammed's speech, said the king is uniquely positioned to
promote Islam's dialogue with Judaism, because his titles include
"Commander of the believers" — meaning he is the paramount authority
for Moroccan Muslims.

"What the king has said on the Holocaust
reflects our broader efforts," said El Ghissassi, listing such reforms
as courses to reinforce Morocco's tradition of tolerant Islam by
familiarizing local imams with Jewish and Christian holy books.

"We want to make sure everybody can differentiate between unfair Israeli policies and respect for Judaism," he said.







Related articles


Monday, July 13, 2009

Mysore police attack on peaceful PFI demonstrators, scores injured, hundreds arrested

Mysore police attack on peaceful PFI demonstrators, scores injured, hundreds arrested

 

By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,

Kochi: Showing their loyalty to the BJP government of Karnataka, the Mysore city police on July 9 attacked on and arrested hundreds of peaceful demonstrators of the Popular Front of India who were demanding release of two hundred innocents including dozens of PFI activists arrested on July 6 in connection with the Mysore communal clash.



Popular Font of India members stage a protest on Bangalore Road in Mysore on Thursday demanding the release of people who were arrested during Kyatamaranahalli violence.

The PFI had organized a Jail Bharo Andolan yesterday afternoon even though Section 144 was in force in the place. The people had assembled at the Fountain Circle. They were peacefully demanding the release of more than 210 innocent people arrested in connection with the communal clashes in Mysore. The people were sitting peacefully and offering voluntary arresting. A group of local women activists of PFI marched in to join the protest. As they reportedly resisted arresting by the police and refused to disperse the police unjustifiably resorted to lathicharge and bursting of tear gas to disperse the protestors. Several people were severely wounded in the lathicharge and the stampede-like situation that followed.

With the police arresting 200 more people yesterday the total number of people arrested so far in relation with the communal clashes in Mysore has reached to 400. None have been released yet.

The state leaders of the PFI including President K Abdul Latheef and General Secretary Afsar Pasha who had been arrested on the spot have not yet been released. Talks are going on with the higher authorities of the police for the release of the leaders and others, said Abdur Razak, a PFI official.



Communal clashes broke out in Udayagiri and nearby places in Mysore on 2nd July when a masjid compound was desecrated by miscreants. The violence that followed took lives of three including a 14-year old, who people say, was killed in police firing. Police had to resort to firing to disperse the angry mob. Prohibitory orders were imposed in the areas till July 6th and then extended to 13th.


US Ambassador visits Jamiat Ulama office, meets its leaders

US Ambassador visits Jamiat Ulama office, meets its leaders

 

By RINA

New Delhi: The New Delhi US Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Peter Burleigh and Cultural Counselor Michael P. Macy yesterday visited the headquarters of the Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind in the National Capital. This is the first high profile visit by the American officials after the change of guards both in United States of America as well as India.

The American officials discussed with the leaders of JUH various issues including the America’s new strategy to reach out to the Muslims and the Islamic world.

The discussions mainly focused on Islam, desecration of the Holy Quran, Prisoners in the Guantanamo Bay, Deoabandi School of Thought, Israel-Palestine conflict, Afghanistan, Iraq, terrorism and targeting of Muslims in the name of terrorism. Maulana Mahmood Madani made a strong case for Deobandi school of thought and stressed that there are some vested interests who are trying to present a wrong image of it by indulging into false propaganda leading to a sort of extremist perception about it although Deoband is a school of peace and moderation. In the present international scenario peace, Islam and Deoband are three hot topics that need to be tackled cautiously and sensitively.

Maulana Mahmood Madani drew the visiting officials’ attention to the volatile political situations in Pakistan and Afghanistan and remarked that the war on terror initiated by the United States of America against a particular group (read Taliban) has now spread to the civilian population of the country. Maulana Mahmood Madani told the US officials that with the inauguration of the office of President Barack Hussain Obama it is hoped that he will reverse the policies of his predecessor and bring about a paradigm shift in the policy towards Muslims and Islam. The visiting officials assured the Jamiat leaders of all possible steps to redress their concerns.

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Sunday, July 12, 2009

Autorickshaw Driver of the year!!!

Suvendu Roy of Titan Industries shares his inspirational encounter with a rickshaw driver in Mumbai

"One man CAN make a Difference" 

"Think Global, Act Local"


Last Sunday, my wife, kid, and I had to travel to Andheri from Bandra. When I waved at a passing auto rickshaw, little did I expect that this ride would be any different. As we set off, my eyes fell on a few magazines(kept in an aircraft style pouch) behind the driver's back rest. I looked in front and there was a small TV. The driver had put on the Doordarshan channel.

My wife and I looked at each other with disbelief and amusement. In front of me was a small first-aid box with cotton, dettol and some medicines. This was enough for me to realise that I was in a special vehicle. Then I looked round again, and discovered more - there was a radio, fire extinguisher, wall clock, calendar, and pictures and symbols of all faiths - from Islam and Christianity to Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism. There were also pictures of the heroes of 26/11- Kamte, Salaskar, Karkare and Unnikrishnan. I realised that not only my vehicle, but also my driver was special.

I started chatting with him and the initial sense of ridicule and disbelief gradually diminished. I gathered that he had been driving an auto rickshaw for the past 8-9 years; he had lost his job when his employer's plastic company was shut down. He had two school-going children, and he drove from 8 in the morning till 10 at night. No break unless he was unwell. "Sahab, ghar mein baith ke TV dekh kar kya faida? Do paisa income karega toh future mein kaam aayega."

We realised that we had come across a man who represents Mumbai – the spirit of work, the spirit of travel and the spirit of excelling in life. I asked him whether he does anything else as I figured that he did not have too much spare time.. He said that he goes to an old age home for women in Andheri once a week or whenever he has some extra income, where he donates tooth brushes, toothpastes, soap, hair oil, and other items of daily use. He pointed out to a painted message below the meter that read: "25 per cent discount on metered fare for the handicapped. Free rides for blind passengers up to Rs. 50.

"

My wife and I were struck with awe. The man was a HERO! A hero who deserves all our respect. Our journey came to an end; 45 minutes of a lesson in humility, selflessness, and of a hero-worshipping Mumbai, my temporary home. We disembarked, and all I could do was to pay him a tip that would hardly cover a free ride for a blind man.

I hope, one day, you too have a chance to meet Mr Sandeep Bachhe in his auto rickshaw: MH-02-Z-8508.

Take a look at pic 1 -

which has got a first aid box on the left and a newspaper box on right (which had all hindi-english-marathi-gujrati and economic times)

Take a look at pic 2 - which has got a tv on the top with cable (I was watching colors channel) and below tat is the tissue box. on the left is the mandir types and dont miss the "Only gandhigiri" written there , below tat is the calender and a notepad and pen along with a blue fan (which is blowing towards the customer who sits)

Take a look at pic 3 - 25% discount for handicap!! who on this earth can expect somethin like this from an rickshawala yaar!!

The photographer spoke to tat person and found him so much interesting and creative. he was telling some new stuff he is gonna do more for the customers to be happy.

Its amazing there are ppl still alive like him in this world!


 
 
 

Friday, July 10, 2009

AMU off campus: Kerala Government to hold meeting on 14th

AMU off campus: Kerala Government to hold meeting on 14th | TwoCircles.net
AMU off campus: Kerala Government to hold meeting on 14th
Submitted by admin4 on 9 July 2009 - 4:34pm.

* Indian Muslim

By Najiya O., TwoCircles.net,

Kochi: The Kerala Government will hold a meeting on 14th July in connection with the setting up of the off-campus centre of the Aligarh Muslim University in Malappuram, said Revenue Minister KP Rajendran in the Assembly. A representative of the AMU too will be invited to the meeting.

The Minister informed that the government had taken measures for time-bound acquisition and transfer of the land for the campus. The survey procedures of the land have been completed. The Higher Education Council has allotted Rs 50 lakh for the survey procedures. The office of the Land Acquisition Unit, which deals with acquisition and survey procedures, has begun functioning at Perinthalmanna. Mr Rajendran also informed that 11 acres of land have been acquired in fast track.

He welcomed the allotment of Rs 25 crores for the AMU off-campus by the centre. The government wishes that Malappuram won’t lose the campus, he added.

Malappuram district in Kerala is one among the four centres that the AMU had selected to set up its regional centres. The state government had earlier planned to acquire 200 acres of land at Panakkad and written to the AMU about it. But later the government changed its plan stating that the Industries Department had already handed over that land to a public-private company. However, later it was known that the land had not yet been transferred to any agency, and that it was still under the state government.

In the meantime, the government decided to acquire 400 acres of land at Perinthalmanna for the purpose, but the land is in some legal disputes. Moreover, the land owners have approached the court against the acquisition.

Though it is clear that there are no problems with the land at Panakkad, the government wants to acquire the land at Perinthalmanna. It is feared that the campus may be lost for Kerala if the procedures are not completed soon.

Egyptian Protesters Accuse Germany Of Racism

Free Internet Press :: Egyptian Protesters Accuse Germany Of Racism :: Uncensored News For Real People

EGYPTIAN FURY AT DRESDEN MURDER


Protestors Accuse Germany of Racism


Fury
and sorrow in Egypt: the murder of a pregnant Egyptian woman in a
German courtroom last week has sparked protests in Egypt with mourners
chanting "Down With Germany." The woman was stabbed to death in a
racist attack.





A brutal murder in Germany last week has caused shockwaves in
far-off Egypt. Thousands of mourners took to the streets of Alexandria
on Monday to protest at the funeral of a pregnant Egyptian woman who
was stabbed to death inside a German court in a crime that has provoked
fury in her home country.





PHOTO GALLERY:
EGYPT'S ANGER OVER DRESDEN MURDER




Click on a picture to launch the image gallery

(6 Photos)





Egyptian newspapers have given strong coverage to the death of Marwa
al-Sherbini (32), describing the veiled woman as a "martyr in a
headscarf" and suggesting the killer was motivated by a hatred of
Islam.

Mourners chanted "Down with Germany" and scuffled with police after
prayers in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria for al-Sherbini, who
was murdered on July 1 in a courtroom in Dresden, eastern Germany, by a
German man of Russian origin.


"We will revenge her death," al-Sherbini's brother, Tarek
al-Sherbini," told the Associated Press. He said Muslims faced racism
and discrimination in the West.


Al-Sherbini, mother to a three-year-old child and three months
pregnant, was stabbed 18 times by the man she was testifying against
during an appeal hearing, German prosecutors said.



'He Wasn't Blond, so They Shot Him'


Her killer also stabbed her husband, who German police then mistook
for the attacker and shot in the leg, prosecutors added. The husband is
in hospital and has awoken from a coma. "They thought that he had to be
the attacker because he isn't blond and then they shot him," Tarek told
Egyptian TV.


The killer, named only as Alex W., was appealing against a
conviction for insulting Sherbini by calling her an "Islamist,"
"terrorist" and a "slut" when she asked him to make space for her son
to go on the swings on a playground in Dresden, prosecutors said.




He had been fined €780 and last Wednesday's court session had been called to hear his appeal against the ruling.

State prosecutor Christian Avenarius described him as a man driven
by hatred of Muslims. "It was clearly a racist attack by a fanatical
lone wolf," he said. W. had moved to Germany from Russia in 2003 and
had already expressed his contempt for all Muslims at the start of his
court case, the prosecutor said.


Al-Sherbini's body was flown to Cairo on Sunday, and met by her
family and the German ambassador. Her funeral was attended by members
of parliament, a minister, a representative of Egypt's Coptic
Christians and others.


Al-Sherbini moved to Germany in 2005 with her husband Elwi Okaz, a
genetic research scientist. They lived in Berlin at first and moved to
Dresden in 2008 where Elwi had a research position at the
Max-Planck-Institute.


Members of the Muslim Brotherhood parliamentary bloc, Egypt's most
powerful opposition group, have called for MPs to discuss the killing,
the group's Web site said.



German Consulate Under Police Protection


More protests are planned in front of the German consulate in
Alexandria on Thursday. Egyptian newspapers reported that police had
been put on alert and would deploy to protect the consulate. The city
council plans to name a street after al-Sherbini, Daily News Egypt reported on Tuesday.


Hundreds of Arabs and Muslims demonstrated in Berlin on Saturday.
The Egyptian Pharmaceutical Association has called for a boycott of
German-made drugs -- al-Sherbiny was a pharmacologist and a member of
Egypt's national handball team from 1992 to 1999.




The General Secretaries of Germany's Muslim and Jewish Councils, Aiman
Mayzek and Stephan Kramer, visited al-Sherbini's husband in hospital on
Monday. "You don't have to be Muslim to oppose anti-Muslim behavior,
and you don't have to be Jewish to oppose anti-Semitism," said Kramer.
"We must stand together against such inhumanity."

German government spokesman Thomas Steg said Chancellor Angela
Merkel had reacted "very emotionally" to the incident. "If there's a
xenophobic, racist background to this case, the government of course
condemns it in the strongest terms," he said.


Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, Egypt's most senior cleric, called
the attacker a murderer and said al-Sherbiny was a martyr. But he
appealed for calm and said he hoped the murder wouldn't harm the
dialogue between the West and Islam. "It was an isolated case," he
said.


cro -- with wire reports



Fury and sorrow in Egypt: the murder of a pregnant Egyptian woman in a German courtroom last week has sparked protests in Egypt with mourners chanting "Down With Germany". The woman was stabbed to death in a racist attack.

A brutal murder in Germany last week has caused shockwaves in far-off Egypt. Thousands of mourners took to the streets of Alexandria on Monday to protest at the funeral of a pregnant Egyptian woman who was stabbed to death inside a German court in a crime that has provoked fury in her home country.

Egyptian newspapers have given strong coverage to the death of Marwa al-Sherbini (32), describing the veiled woman as a "martyr in a headscarf" and suggesting the killer was motivated by a hatred of Islam.

Mourners chanted "Down with Germany" and scuffled with police after prayers in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria for al-Sherbini, who was murdered on July 1 in a courtroom in Dresden, eastern Germany, by a German man of Russian origin.

"We will revenge her death," al-Sherbini's brother, Tarek al-Sherbini," told the Associated Press. He said Muslims faced racism and discrimination in the West.

Al-Sherbini, mother to a three-year-old child and three months pregnant, was stabbed 18 times by the man she was testifying against during an appeal hearing, said German prosecutors.
(story continues below)



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'He Wasn't Blond, so They Shot Him'

Her killer also stabbed her husband, who German police then mistook for the attacker and shot in the leg, prosecutors added. The husband is in a hospital and has awoken from a coma. "They thought that he had to be the attacker because he isn't blond and then they shot him," Tarek told Egyptian TV.

The killer, named only as Alex W., was appealing against a conviction for insulting Sherbini by calling her an "Islamist," "terrorist" and a "slut" when she asked him to make space for her son to go on the swings on a playground in Dresden, said prosecutors.

He had been fined €780 and last Wednesday's court session had been called to hear his appeal against the ruling.

State prosecutor Christian Avenarius described him as a man driven by hatred of Muslims. "It was clearly a racist attack by a fanatical lone wolf," he said. W. had moved to Germany from Russia in 2003 and had already expressed his contempt for all Muslims at the start of his court case, said the prosecutor.

Al-Sherbini's body was flown to Cairo on Sunday, and met by her family and the German ambassador. Her funeral was attended by members of parliament, a minister, a representative of Egypt's Coptic Christians and others.

Al-Sherbini moved to Germany in 2005 with her husband Elwi Okaz, a genetic research scientist. They lived in Berlin at first and moved to Dresden in 2008 where Elwi had a research position at the Max-Planck-Institute.

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood parliamentary bloc, Egypt's most powerful opposition group, have called for Parliament Members to discuss the killing, said the group's Web site.

German Consulate Under Police Protection

More protests are planned in front of the German consulate in Alexandria on Thursday. Egyptian newspapers reported that police had been put on alert and would deploy to protect the consulate. The city council plans to name a street after al-Sherbini, Daily News Egypt reported on Tuesday.

Hundreds of Arabs and Muslims demonstrated in Berlin on Saturday. The Egyptian Pharmaceutical Association has called for a boycott of German-made drugs - al-Sherbiny was a pharmacologist and a member of Egypt's national handball team from 1992 to 1999.

The General Secretaries of Germany's Muslim and Jewish Councils, Aiman Mayzek and Stephan Kramer, visited al-Sherbini's husband in hospital on Monday. "You don't have to be Muslim to oppose anti-Muslim behavior, and you don't have to be Jewish to oppose anti-Semitism," said Kramer. "We must stand together against such inhumanity."

German government spokesman Thomas Steg said Chancellor Angela Merkel had reacted "very emotionally" to the incident. "If there's a xenophobic, racist background to this case, the government of course condemns it in the strongest terms," he said.

Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, Egypt's most senior cleric, called the attacker a murderer and said al-Sherbiny was a martyr. But he appealed for calm and said he hoped the murder wouldn't harm the dialogue between the West and Islam. "It was an isolated case," he said.

A Palestinian Boy's Death Gives 5 Israelis The Gift Of Life

A Palestinian Boy's Death Gives 5 Israelis The Gift Of Life (VIDEO)

A Palestinian Boy's Death Gives 5 Israelis The Gift Of Life (VIDEO)
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By Wide Angle

When a 12-year-old Palestinian boy was killed in the West Bank city of Jenin by Israeli soldiers who mistook his toy gun for the real thing, it could have been just one more blip on the news: one more war, one more child, one more human tragedy that ripped the heart out of a family and a community, but rippled no further into the world's consciousness.

But something extraordinary happened that turned Ahmed Khatib's tragic 2005 death into a gift of hope for six Israelis whose lives were on the line: while overwhelmed with grief, Ahmed's parents consented to donating their son's organs. Suddenly, amid the violence and entrenched hatred surrounding an intractable conflict, a simple act of humanity rose above the clamor and captured worldwide attention.

Heart of Jenin tells the story of Ahmed's tragic death and his father Ismael Khatib's journey to visit three of the organ recipients two years later. One of Ahmed's kidneys went to an Orthodox Jewish girl and his other kidney went to a Bedouin boy. While his parents hesitated to donate Ahmed's heart, it now beats in the chest of a Druze girl.

"I see my son in these children," Khatib says.

Crossing from northern Israel to the Negev desert and ending up in Jerusalem, Khatib encounters every complexity of the conflict: deep-seated animosity, hardened judgments, and heartfelt generosity. While laying bare the deep divisions between Israelis and Palestinians, Heart of Jenin offers a rare vision of common humanity and hope.