Fence not done and never will be, it seems – Haaretz – Israel News

Fence not done and never will be, it seems
By Amos Harel
Tags: Ariel Sharon

Seven years after construction work began on the West Bank separation fence, the project seems to have run aground. Work has slowed significantly since September 2007, and today, after the state has spent about NIS 9.5 billion, only about 60 percent of the more limited, revised route has been completed.

With fierce opposition coming from the United States, Israel has halted work on the “fingers” – enclaves east of the Green Line that were to have included large settlement blocs such as Ariel, Kedumim, Karnei Shomron and Ma’aleh Adumim, within the fence. The military has, in practice, closed up the holes that were to have led to these “fingers.” But giant gaps remain in the southern part of the fence, particular in the southern outskirts of Jerusalem, in the Etzion bloc and in the Judean Desert.

Since the cabinet under former prime minister Ariel Sharon first approved construction of the fence, in June 2002, the route has undergone some dramatic changes. The original route, which was inspired by Sharon, was to have effectively annexed about 20 percent of the territory of the West Bank to Israel.
Advertisement

In June 2004 the High Court of Justice, ruling on a petition by residents of Beit Sourik, ordered the state to amend the route to reduce the disruption it caused to Palestinians.

About nine days later the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued an advisory opinion declaring the barrier illegal and demanding that Israel dismantle it.

In response, the cabinet amended the route in February 2005 to include just nine percent of the West Bank. In April 2006 an additional one percent was shaved off by the government of Ehud Olmert.

In practice, however, the route encompasses only 4.5 percent of West Bank land. The four “fingers” in the last map (and which Israel presented at Annapolis in November 2007) were never built, not at Ariel and Kedumim (where a “fingernail” was built, a short stretch of fence east of the homes of Ariel); not at Karnei Shomron and Immanuel; not at Beit Arieh, nor south of that, at Ma’aleh Adumim. Instead, with little publicity, fences were put up to close the gaps closer to the Green Line, at Alfei Menashe instead of at Kedumim, at Elkana instead of Ariel and in the Rantis area instead of at Beit Arieh.

About 50,000 people in these settlements remain beyond the fence. West of Ma’aleh Adumim the wall built along Highway 1 blocks the gap in the barrier and leaves the city’s 35,000 residents outside of the barrier, forcing them to pass through a Border Police checkpoint in order to reach Jerusalem. The fact that the “fingers” were never built also damages these people’s security because the state refuses to build periphery fences around them and declare their proximity to a “special military area.”

In some cases, such as the roads built around the original barrier route at the Beit Arieh enclave, hundreds of millions of shekels were wasted on unused roads that may never be completed.

Large gaps remain in the southern West Bank. Between Gilo in south Jerusalem and Gush Etzion are tens of kilometers of barrier, work on which was suspended due to two High Court petitions – one filed by residents of Beit Jala, the other by villagers from Batir, Husan and Nahalin. As a result access to Jerusalem from the direction of Bethlehem is relatively easy – for commuters and terrorists both.

In the case of the former petition, the state has delayed submitting its response for months. In the second, the High Court has still not ruled after about two and a half years. Part of the dispute is over the construction of the eastern barrier, one of two surrounding Gush Etzion. The bloc, which even the Palestinians will presumably agree to keeping – at least part of it – within Israeli territory in the final-status agreement, has been without a barrier for seven years.

A second, 30-kilometer gap in the fence, stretches from Metzudat Yehuda (Yatir) in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. The state announced during a recent High Court deliberation of a petition submitted by area Bedouin that work on the barrier there was suspended.

The delay in building the barrier at Ma’aleh Adumim is typical and illuminates the state’s conduct overall. The High Court has intermittently deliberated on a petition by resident of Sawahra against the route of the fence at Kedar that was to have been built on their land. Work was suspended, and the state recently submitted a new map that annexes less of the territory, but at the last High Court session, earlier this month, the representative of the state said the work would not be resumed “for budgetary and other reasons.”

Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch suspended the court’s ruling, in light of the state’s response, saying she had no intention of “dealing with virtual matters.” That description seems apt for the entire separation fence, at this point.

The Brodet Commission, which in 2007 examined the state’s military budget, included in its report scathing criticism of the way the budget for the separation barrier was handled.

“The conduct regarding construction of the fence is another example of wasteful, inadequate conduct. The committee was not persuaded that the process was carried out with due, detailed consideration that took in all of the economic and security considerations. The commission saw no analysis of cost-effectiveness or a thorough examination. The army viewed itself as a subcontractor,” the report said.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak is “determined to complete the security fence, despite the delays,” his office said in a statement. “The minister and the military establishment are working to solve the problems delaying its completion.”

Defense Ministry officials pointed out that Barak was “among the first supporters of the fence and did much to advance its construction.”

Security officials claim the rate of construction depends on finding a solution to the legal issues and point out proudly that there is an unbroken barrier from Tirat Zvi in the Beit She’an Valley to the southern entrance to Jerusalem, and from southern Gush Etzion to Metzudat Yehuda.

Mysore police attack on peaceful PFI demonstrators, scores injured, hundreds arrested

US Ambassador visits Jamiat Ulama office, meets its leaders

Its time you should move from your low quality 2D  webcam to these 3D webcam which are the first of their kind called a ‘Minoru’ which is a japanese word meaning ‘Reality’ as it brings real things captured and you can even upload these 3D videos to your youtube account and share with your friends.

Not only the features but the looks are also fascinating because they are not like those other dumb looking camera’s but look like a robot or may be are inspired Wall-E robots from the Pixar movie which came recently.

Another features of this 3D Webcam include :

The webcam user has to use 3D glasses to view the video in order to  experiance the 3D effects, the same way as the viewers have to watch movies in theatures with 3D glasses while watching a 3D movie.
This Webcam is compatible with instant messengers like AIM, Windows Live Messenger & Skype using which you can stay connected with others and share the webcam and broadcast yourself live.
The output videos would be in youtube compatible format making sure that you can directly upload the captured videos easily.
The price of these webcam’s are expected to be around 100$ lets wait and watch when they are officially launched and we can see something which is almost near to human eyes vision.

AMU off campus: Kerala Government to hold meeting on 14th | TwoCircles.net

AMU off campus: Kerala Government to hold meeting on 14th
Submitted by admin4 on 9 July 2009 – 4:34pm.

* Indian Muslim

By Najiya O., TwoCircles.net,

Kochi: The Kerala Government will hold a meeting on 14th July in connection with the setting up of the off-campus centre of the Aligarh Muslim University in Malappuram, said Revenue Minister KP Rajendran in the Assembly. A representative of the AMU too will be invited to the meeting.

The Minister informed that the government had taken measures for time-bound acquisition and transfer of the land for the campus. The survey procedures of the land have been completed. The Higher Education Council has allotted Rs 50 lakh for the survey procedures. The office of the Land Acquisition Unit, which deals with acquisition and survey procedures, has begun functioning at Perinthalmanna. Mr Rajendran also informed that 11 acres of land have been acquired in fast track.

He welcomed the allotment of Rs 25 crores for the AMU off-campus by the centre. The government wishes that Malappuram won’t lose the campus, he added.

Malappuram district in Kerala is one among the four centres that the AMU had selected to set up its regional centres. The state government had earlier planned to acquire 200 acres of land at Panakkad and written to the AMU about it. But later the government changed its plan stating that the Industries Department had already handed over that land to a public-private company. However, later it was known that the land had not yet been transferred to any agency, and that it was still under the state government.

In the meantime, the government decided to acquire 400 acres of land at Perinthalmanna for the purpose, but the land is in some legal disputes. Moreover, the land owners have approached the court against the acquisition.

Though it is clear that there are no problems with the land at Panakkad, the government wants to acquire the land at Perinthalmanna. It is feared that the campus may be lost for Kerala if the procedures are not completed soon.

Taj Mahal builders used Harappan measurement units that British discarded | TwoCircles.net

Taj Mahal builders used Harappan measurement units that British discarded
Submitted by admin4 on 9 July 2009 – 3:16pm.

* Art/Culture
* India News
* Indian Muslim

By K.S. Jayaraman, IANS,

Bangalore : Designers of the 17th century Taj Mahal, the finest piece of Mughal architecture, employed the same unit of measurement used by the Harappan civilization as far back 2000 BC, according to a study by an IIT-Kanpur professor. These units were used by builders in India till the British imposed their own units in the 18th century.

The study by R. Balasubramaniam of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and reported in the latest issue of Current Science, has for the first time shown that the unit of length called ‘angulam’ – mentioned in Kautilya’s treatise on statecraft “Arthasastra” dated 300 BC — was used without a break in India for over 3,900 years.

The ancient ‘angulam’ has been found to be equal to 1.763 modern centimetres, according to Balasubramaniam, a professor of materials and metallurgical engineering. He has carried out dimensional analysis of some of India’s historical structures, built during different times, to identify the measuring units used in their engineering plans.

He says he was surprised that ‘angulam’ and its multiples ‘vitasti’ (12 angulams) and ‘dhanus’ (108 angulams) have been used as the unit of measurement right from the Harappan times – the highly developed civilization that thrived for a few centuries on the floodplains of the Indus river in what is now northwest India and Pakistan – till the pre-modern era when the Taj was built.

Balasubramaniam, who last year studied the dimensions of the 1,600-year-old Delhi Iron Pillar at the Qutub Minar complex, found that ‘angulam’ and its multiple ‘dhanus’ were used as the basic units of length in its design.

For example, the total height of the pillar is exactly 4 dhanus, Balasubramaniam told IANS.

Now in a paper published in Current Science, Balasubramaniam has shown that the modular plan of the Taj Mahal complex is based on use of grids of sides measuring 60 and 90 vitasti. He says the study has established that the design and architecture of the Taj is based on traditional Indian units codified in “Arthasastra” and that “there is nothing foreign” in its design.

“The fact that the unit of angulam of 1.763 cm could match very well the dimensions of historical monuments establishes the continuity of India’s engineering tradition through the ages for as long as 3,900 years,” says Balasubramaniam in his paper.

“With the new knowledge we can analyse all the important ancient structures in India,” he says, and hopes the findings “will open a new chapter in the study of metrology (science of measurements)”.

But how did the angulam tradition remain unbroken for so long?

As quoted in the website of Nature India, Balasubramaniam believes the workers from the Harappan days were perhaps using some kind of scale “that was handed over through generations”.

Taj Mahal builders used Harappan measurement units that British discarded | TwoCircles.net

Taj Mahal builders used Harappan measurement units that British discarded
Submitted by admin4 on 9 July 2009 – 3:16pm.

* Art/Culture
* India News
* Indian Muslim

By K.S. Jayaraman, IANS,

Bangalore : Designers of the 17th century Taj Mahal, the finest piece of Mughal architecture, employed the same unit of measurement used by the Harappan civilization as far back 2000 BC, according to a study by an IIT-Kanpur professor. These units were used by builders in India till the British imposed their own units in the 18th century.

The study by R. Balasubramaniam of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and reported in the latest issue of Current Science, has for the first time shown that the unit of length called ‘angulam’ – mentioned in Kautilya’s treatise on statecraft “Arthasastra” dated 300 BC — was used without a break in India for over 3,900 years.

The ancient ‘angulam’ has been found to be equal to 1.763 modern centimetres, according to Balasubramaniam, a professor of materials and metallurgical engineering. He has carried out dimensional analysis of some of India’s historical structures, built during different times, to identify the measuring units used in their engineering plans.

He says he was surprised that ‘angulam’ and its multiples ‘vitasti’ (12 angulams) and ‘dhanus’ (108 angulams) have been used as the unit of measurement right from the Harappan times – the highly developed civilization that thrived for a few centuries on the floodplains of the Indus river in what is now northwest India and Pakistan – till the pre-modern era when the Taj was built.

Balasubramaniam, who last year studied the dimensions of the 1,600-year-old Delhi Iron Pillar at the Qutub Minar complex, found that ‘angulam’ and its multiple ‘dhanus’ were used as the basic units of length in its design.

For example, the total height of the pillar is exactly 4 dhanus, Balasubramaniam told IANS.

Now in a paper published in Current Science, Balasubramaniam has shown that the modular plan of the Taj Mahal complex is based on use of grids of sides measuring 60 and 90 vitasti. He says the study has established that the design and architecture of the Taj is based on traditional Indian units codified in “Arthasastra” and that “there is nothing foreign” in its design.

“The fact that the unit of angulam of 1.763 cm could match very well the dimensions of historical monuments establishes the continuity of India’s engineering tradition through the ages for as long as 3,900 years,” says Balasubramaniam in his paper.

“With the new knowledge we can analyse all the important ancient structures in India,” he says, and hopes the findings “will open a new chapter in the study of metrology (science of measurements)”.

But how did the angulam tradition remain unbroken for so long?

As quoted in the website of Nature India, Balasubramaniam believes the workers from the Harappan days were perhaps using some kind of scale “that was handed over through generations”.

Free Internet Press :: Egyptian Protesters Accuse Germany Of Racism :: Uncensored News For Real People

EGYPTIAN FURY AT DRESDEN MURDER

Protestors Accuse Germany of Racism

Fury
and sorrow in Egypt: the murder of a pregnant Egyptian woman in a
German courtroom last week has sparked protests in Egypt with mourners
chanting “Down With Germany.” The woman was stabbed to death in a
racist attack.

A brutal murder in Germany last week has caused shockwaves in
far-off Egypt. Thousands of mourners took to the streets of Alexandria
on Monday to protest at the funeral of a pregnant Egyptian woman who
was stabbed to death inside a German court in a crime that has provoked
fury in her home country.

PHOTO GALLERY:
EGYPT’S ANGER OVER DRESDEN MURDER

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  

Click on a picture to launch the image gallery

(6 Photos)

Egyptian newspapers have given strong coverage to the death of Marwa
al-Sherbini (32), describing the veiled woman as a “martyr in a
headscarf” and suggesting the killer was motivated by a hatred of
Islam.

Mourners chanted “Down with Germany” and scuffled with police after
prayers in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria for al-Sherbini, who
was murdered on July 1 in a courtroom in Dresden, eastern Germany, by a
German man of Russian origin.

“We will revenge her death,” al-Sherbini’s brother, Tarek
al-Sherbini,” told the Associated Press. He said Muslims faced racism
and discrimination in the West.

Al-Sherbini, mother to a three-year-old child and three months
pregnant, was stabbed 18 times by the man she was testifying against
during an appeal hearing, German prosecutors said.

‘He Wasn’t Blond, so They Shot Him’

Her killer also stabbed her husband, who German police then mistook
for the attacker and shot in the leg, prosecutors added. The husband is
in hospital and has awoken from a coma. “They thought that he had to be
the attacker because he isn’t blond and then they shot him,” Tarek told
Egyptian TV.

The killer, named only as Alex W., was appealing against a
conviction for insulting Sherbini by calling her an “Islamist,”
“terrorist” and a “slut” when she asked him to make space for her son
to go on the swings on a playground in Dresden, prosecutors said.

RELATED SPIEGEL ONLINE LINKS

• Photo Gallery: Egypt’s Anger over Dresden Murder

• Politically Motivated: Far-Right Crimes Up Sharply in Germany (04/21/2009)

He had been fined €780 and last Wednesday’s court session had been called to hear his appeal against the ruling.

State prosecutor Christian Avenarius described him as a man driven
by hatred of Muslims. “It was clearly a racist attack by a fanatical
lone wolf,” he said. W. had moved to Germany from Russia in 2003 and
had already expressed his contempt for all Muslims at the start of his
court case, the prosecutor said.

Al-Sherbini’s body was flown to Cairo on Sunday, and met by her
family and the German ambassador. Her funeral was attended by members
of parliament, a minister, a representative of Egypt’s Coptic
Christians and others.

Al-Sherbini moved to Germany in 2005 with her husband Elwi Okaz, a
genetic research scientist. They lived in Berlin at first and moved to
Dresden in 2008 where Elwi had a research position at the
Max-Planck-Institute.

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood parliamentary bloc, Egypt’s most
powerful opposition group, have called for MPs to discuss the killing,
the group’s Web site said.

German Consulate Under Police Protection

More protests are planned in front of the German consulate in
Alexandria on Thursday. Egyptian newspapers reported that police had
been put on alert and would deploy to protect the consulate. The city
council plans to name a street after al-Sherbini, Daily News Egypt reported on Tuesday.

Hundreds of Arabs and Muslims demonstrated in Berlin on Saturday.
The Egyptian Pharmaceutical Association has called for a boycott of
German-made drugs — al-Sherbiny was a pharmacologist and a member of
Egypt’s national handball team from 1992 to 1999.

NEWSLETTER

Sign
up for Spiegel Online’s daily newsletter and get the best of Der
Spiegel’s and Spiegel Online’s international coverage in your In- Box everyday.

The General Secretaries of Germany’s Muslim and Jewish Councils, Aiman
Mayzek and Stephan Kramer, visited al-Sherbini’s husband in hospital on
Monday. “You don’t have to be Muslim to oppose anti-Muslim behavior,
and you don’t have to be Jewish to oppose anti-Semitism,” said Kramer.
“We must stand together against such inhumanity.”

German government spokesman Thomas Steg said Chancellor Angela
Merkel had reacted “very emotionally” to the incident. “If there’s a
xenophobic, racist background to this case, the government of course
condemns it in the strongest terms,” he said.

Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, Egypt’s most senior cleric, called
the attacker a murderer and said al-Sherbiny was a martyr. But he
appealed for calm and said he hoped the murder wouldn’t harm the
dialogue between the West and Islam. “It was an isolated case,” he
said.

cro — with wire reports

Fury and sorrow in Egypt: the murder of a pregnant Egyptian woman in a German courtroom last week has sparked protests in Egypt with mourners chanting “Down With Germany”. The woman was stabbed to death in a racist attack.

A brutal murder in Germany last week has caused shockwaves in far-off Egypt. Thousands of mourners took to the streets of Alexandria on Monday to protest at the funeral of a pregnant Egyptian woman who was stabbed to death inside a German court in a crime that has provoked fury in her home country.

Egyptian newspapers have given strong coverage to the death of Marwa al-Sherbini (32), describing the veiled woman as a “martyr in a headscarf” and suggesting the killer was motivated by a hatred of Islam.

Mourners chanted “Down with Germany” and scuffled with police after prayers in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria for al-Sherbini, who was murdered on July 1 in a courtroom in Dresden, eastern Germany, by a German man of Russian origin.

“We will revenge her death,” al-Sherbini’s brother, Tarek al-Sherbini,” told the Associated Press. He said Muslims faced racism and discrimination in the West.

Al-Sherbini, mother to a three-year-old child and three months pregnant, was stabbed 18 times by the man she was testifying against during an appeal hearing, said German prosecutors.
(story continues below)

Make a donation today to remove the advertisments!

‘He Wasn’t Blond, so They Shot Him’

Her killer also stabbed her husband, who German police then mistook for the attacker and shot in the leg, prosecutors added. The husband is in a hospital and has awoken from a coma. “They thought that he had to be the attacker because he isn’t blond and then they shot him,” Tarek told Egyptian TV.

The killer, named only as Alex W., was appealing against a conviction for insulting Sherbini by calling her an “Islamist,” “terrorist” and a “slut” when she asked him to make space for her son to go on the swings on a playground in Dresden, said prosecutors.

He had been fined €780 and last Wednesday’s court session had been called to hear his appeal against the ruling.

State prosecutor Christian Avenarius described him as a man driven by hatred of Muslims. “It was clearly a racist attack by a fanatical lone wolf,” he said. W. had moved to Germany from Russia in 2003 and had already expressed his contempt for all Muslims at the start of his court case, said the prosecutor.

Al-Sherbini’s body was flown to Cairo on Sunday, and met by her family and the German ambassador. Her funeral was attended by members of parliament, a minister, a representative of Egypt’s Coptic Christians and others.

Al-Sherbini moved to Germany in 2005 with her husband Elwi Okaz, a genetic research scientist. They lived in Berlin at first and moved to Dresden in 2008 where Elwi had a research position at the Max-Planck-Institute.

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood parliamentary bloc, Egypt’s most powerful opposition group, have called for Parliament Members to discuss the killing, said the group’s Web site.

German Consulate Under Police Protection

More protests are planned in front of the German consulate in Alexandria on Thursday. Egyptian newspapers reported that police had been put on alert and would deploy to protect the consulate. The city council plans to name a street after al-Sherbini, Daily News Egypt reported on Tuesday.

Hundreds of Arabs and Muslims demonstrated in Berlin on Saturday. The Egyptian Pharmaceutical Association has called for a boycott of German-made drugs – al-Sherbiny was a pharmacologist and a member of Egypt’s national handball team from 1992 to 1999.

The General Secretaries of Germany’s Muslim and Jewish Councils, Aiman Mayzek and Stephan Kramer, visited al-Sherbini’s husband in hospital on Monday. “You don’t have to be Muslim to oppose anti-Muslim behavior, and you don’t have to be Jewish to oppose anti-Semitism,” said Kramer. “We must stand together against such inhumanity.”

German government spokesman Thomas Steg said Chancellor Angela Merkel had reacted “very emotionally” to the incident. “If there’s a xenophobic, racist background to this case, the government of course condemns it in the strongest terms,” he said.

Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, Egypt’s most senior cleric, called the attacker a murderer and said al-Sherbiny was a martyr. But he appealed for calm and said he hoped the murder wouldn’t harm the dialogue between the West and Islam. “It was an isolated case,” he said.

Free Internet Press :: Egyptian Protesters Accuse Germany Of Racism :: Uncensored News For Real People

Fury and sorrow in Egypt: the murder of a pregnant Egyptian woman in a German courtroom last week has sparked protests in Egypt with mourners chanting “Down With Germany”. The woman was stabbed to death in a racist attack.

A brutal murder in Germany last week has caused shockwaves in far-off Egypt. Thousands of mourners took to the streets of Alexandria on Monday to protest at the funeral of a pregnant Egyptian woman who was stabbed to death inside a German court in a crime that has provoked fury in her home country.

Egyptian newspapers have given strong coverage to the death of Marwa al-Sherbini (32), describing the veiled woman as a “martyr in a headscarf” and suggesting the killer was motivated by a hatred of Islam.

Mourners chanted “Down with Germany” and scuffled with police after prayers in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria for al-Sherbini, who was murdered on July 1 in a courtroom in Dresden, eastern Germany, by a German man of Russian origin.

“We will revenge her death,” al-Sherbini’s brother, Tarek al-Sherbini,” told the Associated Press. He said Muslims faced racism and discrimination in the West.

Al-Sherbini, mother to a three-year-old child and three months pregnant, was stabbed 18 times by the man she was testifying against during an appeal hearing, said German prosecutors.
(story continues below)

Make a donation today to remove the advertisments!

‘He Wasn’t Blond, so They Shot Him’

Her killer also stabbed her husband, who German police then mistook for the attacker and shot in the leg, prosecutors added. The husband is in a hospital and has awoken from a coma. “They thought that he had to be the attacker because he isn’t blond and then they shot him,” Tarek told Egyptian TV.

The killer, named only as Alex W., was appealing against a conviction for insulting Sherbini by calling her an “Islamist,” “terrorist” and a “slut” when she asked him to make space for her son to go on the swings on a playground in Dresden, said prosecutors.

He had been fined €780 and last Wednesday’s court session had been called to hear his appeal against the ruling.

State prosecutor Christian Avenarius described him as a man driven by hatred of Muslims. “It was clearly a racist attack by a fanatical lone wolf,” he said. W. had moved to Germany from Russia in 2003 and had already expressed his contempt for all Muslims at the start of his court case, said the prosecutor.

Al-Sherbini’s body was flown to Cairo on Sunday, and met by her family and the German ambassador. Her funeral was attended by members of parliament, a minister, a representative of Egypt’s Coptic Christians and others.

Al-Sherbini moved to Germany in 2005 with her husband Elwi Okaz, a genetic research scientist. They lived in Berlin at first and moved to Dresden in 2008 where Elwi had a research position at the Max-Planck-Institute.

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood parliamentary bloc, Egypt’s most powerful opposition group, have called for Parliament Members to discuss the killing, said the group’s Web site.

German Consulate Under Police Protection

More protests are planned in front of the German consulate in Alexandria on Thursday. Egyptian newspapers reported that police had been put on alert and would deploy to protect the consulate. The city council plans to name a street after al-Sherbini, Daily News Egypt reported on Tuesday.

Hundreds of Arabs and Muslims demonstrated in Berlin on Saturday. The Egyptian Pharmaceutical Association has called for a boycott of German-made drugs – al-Sherbiny was a pharmacologist and a member of Egypt’s national handball team from 1992 to 1999.

The General Secretaries of Germany’s Muslim and Jewish Councils, Aiman Mayzek and Stephan Kramer, visited al-Sherbini’s husband in hospital on Monday. “You don’t have to be Muslim to oppose anti-Muslim behavior, and you don’t have to be Jewish to oppose anti-Semitism,” said Kramer. “We must stand together against such inhumanity.”

German government spokesman Thomas Steg said Chancellor Angela Merkel had reacted “very emotionally” to the incident. “If there’s a xenophobic, racist background to this case, the government of course condemns it in the strongest terms,” he said.

Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, Egypt’s most senior cleric, called the attacker a murderer and said al-Sherbiny was a martyr. But he appealed for calm and said he hoped the murder wouldn’t harm the dialogue between the West and Islam. “It was an isolated case,” he said.