Egypt mourns German “martyr of the hijab”

Much of Egypt is in angry mourning today, it seems, over the tragic stabbing of a young Egyptian woman in a German court last Wednesday:

Marwa Sherbini, 31, was stabbed 18 times by Axel W, who is now under arrest in Dresden for suspected murder.

Husband Elwi Okaz is also in a critical condition in hospital, after being injured as he tried to save his wife.

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 Axel W, was driven by a deep hatred of foreigners and Muslims.

The killing comes at a particularly sensitive moment in the debate over Islamic dress in Europe. Several European countries have either banned or discussed banning the hijab, or the traditional headscarf (which President Obama notably defended in his Cairo speech). Sherbini’s case has, in turn, is being seen by many Egyptian bloggers as another case of European hypocrisy on race. 

CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP/Getty Images