Cairo, March 16 (BNA) Egyptian Minister of Immigration and Expatriate Affairs Nabila Makram welcomed the decision of the German city of Dresden to name a park after the late Marwa El-Sherbiny, who was stabbed to death in a racist attack in 2009.
Marwa is a German resident who was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1977.
She graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Alexandria University in 2000 before moving to Germany in 2005.
Marwa worked at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus in Dresden and was studying for accreditation to practice pharmacy in Germany.
In July 2009, Marwa, who was wearing the Islamic headscarf, was stabbed several times in court by a German man who was testifying in a criminal case for verbal abuse and racial insults for wearing the Islamic headscarf in August 2008, according to Al-Ahram.
She was three months pregnant with her second child at the time of her murder.
The perpetrator also stabbed Marwa’s husband and injured him.
He was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in the case that angered public opinion in Egypt.
The park was named as part of the International Week Against Racism organized by Dresden to combat racism and xenophobia.
Makram expressed her appreciation for the activities launched by Dresden to emphasize tolerance and acceptance without any discrimination.
Makram said in a statement that tolerance and love are the only way to achieve security and safety everywhere, adding that Egyptians abroad integrate into their societies and add many positive experiences.
An Islamic center had previously been established and named after Marwa, and an award bearing her name was launched to spread tolerance.
HF