—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
JAMAICA, New York (July 9, 2009) – In The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) expresses deep concern over the heinous murder of an Egyptian woman in a courtroom in Dresden, Germany.
According to newspapers and various media reports, Marwa Al-Sherbini, a 32-year-old Egyptian based in Germany, was stabbed to death 18 times in a German courtroom in the presence of the police
The victim was involved in a lawsuit against the alleged attacker who had called her a “terrorist” because she was wearing the Muslim headscarf, or hijab. She was scheduled to testify against him in the court when this despicable act of murder took place. Her husband, who tried to save her life, was also stabbed by the attacker and shot in the leg by a security officer who mistook him to be the attacker. Al-Sherbini was three months pregnant and was murdered in-front of her three-year old son.
“This horrendous act of murder appears to be the result of growing Islamophobia in Europe and hence a matter of great concern for all of us,” says ICNA President Dr. Zahid Bukhari. “The German authorities must conduct and complete a comprehensive investigation of this murder case urgently and classify this incident as a hate crime,” he added.
The ICNA President has also appealed to the German government and the European Union to take more concrete steps to protect the Muslim minorities and ensure their civic and religious rights in Germany and all parts of Europe.
