Germany strongly condemns headscarf murder (Roundup)

Jul 8, 2009, 16:29 GMT

   Berlin - Germany's government strongly condemned on Wednesday the courtroom murder a week ago of a woman wearing a headscarf, as anger continued in the Muslim community over her death.

   Marwa el-Shirbini, 31, an Egyptian, was stabbed 18 times by a German man of Russian descent as she was about to give evidence in a court case against him on July 1 in the German city Dresden.

After complaints in Germany's Muslim community that the government had been mealy mouthed, a government spokesman in Berlin said, 'This repulsive crime shocks and appalls us.'

   He denied that Berlin had previously remained silent about the case, which has led to anti-German demonstrations in Egypt.

   He said Chancellor Angela Merkel's head of minority affairs, Maria Boehmer, had earlier voiced the government's condolences to Elwy Okaz, 32, husband of the pregnant Muslim woman, and the German ambassador to Egypt had attended a memorial service for her.

   In addition, Merkel would address the issue when she met in L'Aquila, Italy with Egypt's President Hosny Mubarak, he said.

   The spokesman added that prosecutors had established that the accused man was a fanatical racist.

El-Shirbini had sued the assailant, 28, for damages after he insulted her for wearing a scarf as they were both spending time with their own children on a city playground. 

Her husband, Elwy Okaz, 32, was seriously wounded as he tried to save her in the courtroom.

In a separate statement, the husband's employer, the Max Planck Society, said, 'We condemn this despicable act of xenophobia.'

Okaz, who was doing doctoral research paid for by the federally funded scientific society, is recovering, the society said, adding that its sincere condolences at the tragedy went to the whole family.

The attack had been a 'barbaric act,' said society chief Peter Gruss, appealing to Muslims not to regard it as typical of Germany.

   Aiman Mazyek, secretary of one Islamic group, the Central Council of Muslims, had earlier attacked the initial reaction this week of the government.

   He told a newspaper, the Tagesspiegel, that government spokesman Thomas Steg had claimed Monday the facts were unclear.

   'The evidence of an Islamophobic crime is overwhelming,' said Mazyek. 'Caution is fine, but that sounded close to wriggling out.'

   A coordinating council representing Germany's four main national Islamic bodies called Wednesday for silent vigils to mark el- Shirbini's murder, saying, 'Marwa's death has made us all both scared and horrified.

   'Politicians in our country have to start dealing seriously with hatred of Islam.'

   The council charged that she was a victim of the hate websites that had sprung up after Germany had tried to prevent women teachers wearing head-scarfs.