A tale of two murdered women
Neda and Marwa: One becomes an icon, the other is unmentioned
On June 20th 2009, Neda Agha Soltan was shot dead during the post-election protests in Iran. The protests occupied the largest news segments around the world, with analysts and commentators predicting the fall of the Iranian regime and the dawn of freedom breaking in “the axis of evil.”
Neda’s death became an icon of the Iranian opposition and a symbol for millions of people of the injustice of the Iranian regime and the defiance of the protesters. Neda’s death was put in context. It was taken from the personal realm of the death of an individual to the public realm of the just cause of a whole society.
On July 1st Marwa El Sherbini, an Egyptian researcher living in Germany, was stabbed to death 18 times inside a courtroom in the city of Dresden, in front of her 3-year-old son. She had won a verdict against a German man of Russian descent who had verbally assaulted her because of her veil. Her husband, who rushed in to save her when she was attacked in the courtroom, was shot by the police. Marwa’s death was not reported by any Western news media until protests in Egypt erupted after her burial. The reporting that followed focused on the protests; the murder was presented as the act of a “lone wolf,” thus depriving it of its context and its social meaning.
The fact that media are biased and choose what to report according to their own agenda is not the issue in this case. What the comparison of the two murders shows, is that European and Western societies have failed to grasp the significance and the importance of the second murder in its social, political, and historical context.
The “lone wolf” who stabbed Marwa 18 times inside the courtroom is the product of the society he lives in. If anything, the murder of Marwa should raise the discussion about the latent (perhaps not so latent anymore) racism against Muslims that has been growing in European societies in the last few decades, and noticeably so since the mid-90s.
It would be difficult to avoid relating the crime to the discussions about the banning of the Niqab, or the previous discussions about the wearing of the veil. These issues and others pertaining to the Muslim immigration in Europe have been occupying large parts of the public debates in several European countries. It would also be difficult not to notice the rapid rise of right wing populist parties to power in several European countries in the last decade, all of which have built their discourse on the fear of Islam and the “immigration problem.”
The absence of reporting, or adequate reporting of the murder, and the alarm bells that did not ring after this murder, reflect the denial in which European societies and public discourse are immersed.
While Europe preaches freedom of expression and the need to accept otherness, and while Europe preaches about the dangers of racism and sectarianism in third world countries, and while Europe warns about hate speech and anti-Semitism, we see race-driven crime, prejudice, and hate speech gaining both legitimacy and power in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Denmark and other democracies in the old continent. Race-driven crimes are constantly presented as exceptions within a tolerant society. However, the recurrence of exceptions puts in question their exceptional nature.
The absence of Marwa’s story from the mainstream media and the failure to start a debate about the immediate dangers of present European anti-Muslim racism shows the depth of the problem and draws us to expect a gloomy future for Muslims in Europe. Muslims like Neda only get to the news if their story serves the dominant narrative that presents Islam as the primary threat to freedom, while Muslims like Marwa who expose the pervasive racism of the West and challenge the existing stereotypes fail to get their story told.
What is significant to note is that in Neda’s case the media accused the Iranian regime as the authority responsible for the context in which the crime was committed rather than looking for the person who actually shot her. The accused is the establishment or the institution rather than the individual shooter. However, in the case of Marwa’s murder the media were persistent in stressing on the individuality of the murderer, calling him a “lone wolf”, implying that he is a social outcast who holds no ties to the society he lives in. The murderer was given a name “Alex W.” and the institution, the society, and the establishment he lives in were taken away from the picture.
While Neda’s death enjoyed wide arrays of interpretations and readings in context, Marwa’s death was deprived of its context and was presented as a personal tragedy, featuring a madman and his victim. Meanwhile Europe keeps shifting to the right at an accelerating pace, and cultural stereotypes, failure to integrate (read: social and political alienation), miscommunication, and a growing financial crisis only nourish this trajectory and support the populist and chauvinistic discourse of various newborn and resurrected right wing parties.
In the 1930s, following the big economical crisis of the 1920s, a young populist right wing party suddenly rose to power in Germany and few predicted what was to follow. There is no realistic proof to say that Europe is a more tolerant society than any other, or to say that people necessarily learn from their history, or even that some societies are exempt from racist behavior. All the evidence points to the end of the European myth of post-war tolerance; and the media have yet to connect the dots before history repeats itself.
-- Walid El Hourican be reached at: [email protected]. This article appeared in CounterPunch.org.
Source: Middle East Online
for more Details visit http://www.aljazeera.com/news/articles/39/A_tale_of_two_murdered_women.html
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The reason that tolerance of Islam in the UK by the population (Not the government) is on the wane is because you get lunatics on the streets of the UK holding up posters which read 'Death to UK soldiers' as they parade through the streets. Other posters included 'You will all go running when the mujahideen come gunning' and 'Death to non-believers'
These soldiers were returning home from serving in Afghanistan. The Uk public was disgusted that these 'people' were not even forced to move on. They only moved when passers by took offence (which you would) and 'persuaded' them to move. The police were very reluctant to act.
These lunatics were known to the muslim community and were well known for their extreme views
Until communities of all religions work together, it will only get worse.
"murdered" is a hard word.
"Ka lain nimo oi...."
Some GCC countries admitted having supported Iraq against Iran. Yet Iran is accused of being a 'threat' to the region.
i think, the problem is that the politicians of both east and west are almost equally bad... its quite true and we are a bit guilty also of having them being selected by us....
fine.
but, its sad when i see ordinary people, like you, me and tahir are fighting each other to defend our politicians !
be humble
I think you are being a little naive..
The arms were being supplied and channeled through various entities including Iraq's neighbours..
As I said, Politics is dirty and not black and white.. its all to do with self interests and long term objectives..
be humble
Politics is a very dirty business and not always black and white..
As far as the bigger picture is concerned..
The picture also includes the facts that the GCC watched as iraq and Iran fought out a bitter war killing over a million peole.
The GCC also stood by and allowed Saddam Hussein to abuse and kill his countrymen.
The GCC didn't say much when Israel bombed the iraqi reactor.
The GCC didn't intervene when Saddam hussein walked into Kuwait.
The arabs stood by and watched The Gamat in Egypt be destroyed..
I could go on ...
i liked the answer.
be humble
tahirmir post the links that show how this story changed to validate this sequence of events.
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A wise young crackpot knows no fear - Ian Dury.
No your issue is the Western Media didn't make a HUGE deal out of it. People are murdered everyday in the world, sadly Marwa was just another victim.
issue is WESTERN MEDIA didnt report it.
why?
can you answer simply?
be humble
they're not the 1930 Qataris anyway
I know of one family that's nationalised.
Qlady -
Quote ''
In Qatar there aren't any citizens of a religion other than Islam.
Unquote
You sure? ..
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- Listen to Many...Speak to a Few -
Crimes happen all the time in Islamic countries and unless the person PROCLAIMS to commit the crime in the name of Islam (like a suicide bomber), nobody with any credibility blames Islam.
I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM
I was pointing to the fact that had this incident taken place in an Islamic country the fingers will point immediately to Islam, the Prophet or all religions.
although I did find this particular one quite repugnant.
I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM
My question has been taken literally. Read between the lines people.
Marwa's tragic murder has been discussed in depth here and is the result of one evil man and the failure of court security. And for QatariLady to suggest she is the victim or Christianity, atheism or secularism, is as insulting as suggesting that victims of so-called (dis)honor murders among Arabs, Iranians, Pakistanis and Afghanis are victims of Islam.
QatariLady, I have come to realize that you have no respect for Christians. How disappointing :-(
I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM
Again.. Mosques in UK are built for Muslim British citizens.
In Qatar there aren't any citizens of a religion other than Islam.
So QatariLady, you,re saying its a matter of supply and demand? I dont agree.
Do you think that if there was a sudden influx of Christian expats to Qatar, you would see more churches (im talking hundreds of churches)? I dont think so.
In general, western countries are more tolerant of other religions than Middle Eastern countries. Thats obvious. How many Indians are in Qatar? And how many places of worship do they have? There are more expats than locals in Qatar yet i dont see too many places those expats can go to worship.
In the UK the government is accused regularly of doing 'too much' to cater for other religions, and that is why two BNP 'politicians' have recently won landmark seats in Europe
It's about time you put this boycott in effect, MD.
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Both..
As long as they pay taxes they have to have all rights.
Explain 'Local Muslims' please QatariLady. Is that Muslims that were born in the UK? Muslims that have moved to the UK? Not sure i understand what you are saying
We are mixing apples and oranges here.. sadly,Marwa El Sherbini was the victim of a hate crime.
As many as the use necissates.
London has enough mosques for its local Muslims. In Qatar we don't have local Christians, yet there are enough places for expats to practise their rituals.
How is it when someone asks a question that is 'awkward', nobody answers.
I will ask again - How many churches in Qatar? Iran? Dubai? Bahrain?
And how many mosques in UK? Ok, i will narrow it down to just London.....
I suspect i will not get an answer
And so are the conditions and circumstances......
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"A Wise Man knows what he does not know!"
Qatar is actually doing things the 'right' way. Making those that choose to work/visit the country observe THEIR way of living. This is especially true during the Holy Month, where nobody can eat in public during the day etc etc.
The UK has become too interested in trying to accomodate other religions. It has lost its own identity. I hope Great Britain stops all this 'politically correct' crap and remembers that it is a Christian country and all other religions are 'welcomed'.....but you will respect Christinity.
Remember those protests in London where the muslim extremeists had placards saying 'Death to non-believers' etc.....now imagine that happening in Qatar...Christians holding up placards saying 'Death to non-believers'....these guys in London werent even told to put the placards down, never mind arrested, deported and banned from UK for life.
As i said, look at the bigger picture
I don't tend to get involved in religious discussions but the comment of being a "victim of Christianity" has really annoyed me. Where does it say that he was a Christian??? If this is the case then was she also a vicitim of Muslim as she wore a veil? I think it is better to be a bit sensitive to others religious view and spend more time praying that both victims are resting in peace to "whoever" we pray to.
As Midfielder 4 says, would this have even got to court had it been say, a Qatari lady saying something about an English Womans crucifixt in Qatar? I highly doubt it.
Claims that racism is increasing is true and has been true since 9/11. However, in the UK, taxi drivers are not allowed to have Union Jacks in their cabs as it may 'offend' muslims/other religions. Some primary schools have stopped putting up Christmas trees in case it offends. There are thousands and thousands of mosques in UK. How many churches in Qatar or any GCC country?
Before you cry 'RACISM' think about the bigger picture.
if marwa was not victim then whats happening in autralia now
If anything she's the victim of Europes rise into liberalism. Europe is allowing more and more expatriates in, and is granting them greater and greater freedoms. Some people can't handle that and they take it out violently on poor people like Marwa. But luckily they are the VAST minority of people.
It is very, very sad what happened to her, this is senseless violence that occurs far, far more as "euro vs euro" than "euro vs muslim."
One other angle to this: she won a court decision against this wacko. If, say, an aussie woman was verbally assaulted by a GCC national here in the Gulf would there even be a court case?
Just asking. Again I do not condone at all what happened to this woman, but I don't think you can then generalise this into some treatise about the descent of Europe into fascism.
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A wise young crackpot knows no fear - Ian Dury.
She was a victim of a crack pot racist, but ONE crack pot racist. Not an organized movement of crack pot racists.
Are you sure she's not a victim of Christianity, secularism or atheism?
What a pile of crap. Marwa was the victim of a crazy man that's all.
hi , the same happening in australia europe,western world racism on expats ,just imagine if the GCC do the same, u can watch the news in every news channel for every second.