Egyptian street to carry Sherbini's name

Thu, 16 Jul 2009

Egyptian officials have announced plans to name a street after Marwa el-Sherbini, the woman who was stabbed to death in a German courtroom two weeks ago.

"[We have] agreed to give the name of martyr Marwa el-Sherbini" to a street, the governor of her hometown, Alexandria, said during a public mourning ceremony on Wednesday, according to a MENA report.

“The international community should realize that fanaticism has become a public issue that is not restricted to a certain place,” said Adil Labib, governor of the northern Mediterranean city.

“What happened to Marwa can be repeated not only against Muslims, but also against Jews and Christians, as long as fanaticism exists,” he added.

The 31 year-old Sherbini died in a courtroom in the eastern German city of Dresden after being stabbed at least 18 times by a German man of Russian decent in front of her three-year-old son and her husband.

The assailant, identified only as Alex W., attacked Marwa as she was about to give evidence against him in an appeal case held to decide whether he should face heavier fines for calling her a 'terrorist' because of the way she dressed.

At the time of the attack, Sherbini was three months pregnant with her second child. Her husband Elwi Ali Okaz was also injured, suffering stab wounds from Alex W. and gunshots from the police who had mistaken him for the attacker.

The Egyptian officials' decision comes as authorities in Dresden are also mulling the idea of naming a street after Sherbini as a tribute to her.

"We are thinking of naming one of the city's streets after her, but the last time we wanted to do that, it took 16 years,” Dresden's immigration officer, Marita Schieferdecker-Adolph said on Tuesday.

Sherbini's death has created outrage in across the world, with Muslims in various countries giving her the title 'veil martyr' in demonstrations held to condemn the hate crime.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/100823.html.