The stabbing of university student Salma Bahgat, 22, in the Egyptian province of Sharqia on Tuesday at the hands of a male colleague whose advances she continually rejected is the latest in a series of violent crimes against women in the Arab world’s most populous nation.
Bahgat’s suspected killer, Islam Mohamed, was referred to a criminal court on Thursday night after extensive confessions he gave to prosecutors, in addition to 15 eyewitness accounts of the attack carried out at a residential building in the city of Zagazig.
He told prosecutors that he had been in a relationship with Bahgat when she decided to cut things off because his thoughts were too subversive (leaning towards atheism), and she feared that her religious family would not approve of his lifestyle or the many tattoos that cover his arms, torso and neck.
Mr Mohamed confessed that the murder was premeditated, a fact corroborated by a Facebook post he made days before the incident, in which he threatened to “shake God’s very throne” with what he intended to do to Bahgat after she rejected him.
Bahgat’s killing bore a disturbing resemblance to the June murder of university student Nayera Ashraf, 21, who had her throat slit on a busy street in the city of Mansoura by Mohamed Adel, a fellow student who has since been sentenced to death.
The incident has breathed new life into an ongoing national debate about women’s safety from violent crimes in Egypt, with many saying they do not feel safe leaving their homes.
"Being a woman in Egypt and on Egyptian Twitter is wild and kind of scary right now. Two cases of campus femicide in a month," Nadeen Madkour wrote on Twitter.
After Ashraf’s murder, thousands of social media users expressed sympathy for her killer, with former Al Azhar cleric Mabrouk Attia saying in a statement he has since retracted that Ashraf’s clothing played a part in her murder. He urged Egyptian families to teach their daughters modesty so they don’t provoke men into hurting them.
Similarly, after Bahgat was stabbed on Tuesday, commentators on social media reacted by advising women to not associate with men when they are at university, because it will only bring them trouble.
“A message to all female high school or university students. Don’t get to know any men or accept help from any men while in university. Don’t put your families at risk of shame if a boy decides to post a private photo of you or question your honour,” Ayman Awad wrote on Facebook.
Another user, Tawfiq El Sertawy, in a Facebook post said that “this is what happens when people conduct illicit relationships, you let your daughters date boys and then give us a headache when they get murdered”.
On the other hand, others noted some important differences between Bahgat and Ashraf, especially the fact that while Ashraf was fashionable, not veiled and had been pursuing a career as a model, Bahgat, a hijabi, was particularly pious, according to several friends.
“The girl who was murdered in Zagazig was veiled, a true believer and she was killed for the same reason as Naira Ashraf. I am interested to see what our hypocritical society is going to say about this,” wrote Twitter user DR Amin.
Furthermore, some commentators are noting a certain irony at play in the nation’s response to Bahgat’s murder, namely the fact that even though Mr Mohamed confessed to prosecutors that the victim’s family turned down his formal marriage request because of his tattoos and his lifestyle, a clear indication that her family holds religion in high regard, they are still being blamed for allowing their daughter to interact with men.
“It’s really astonishing the lengths that people will go to explain away men’s violence against women in Egypt. It just shows how deeply rooted this kind of thinking is. Have we forgotten that someone was murdered? Why is everyone making this about men and women co-mingling and inappropriate relationships?” Aya Gad, 27, a filmmaker, told The National.
Although Ashraf’s killer, Mohamed Adel, was given a death sentence on July 6, a volunteering lawyer submitted an appeal against the sentence on Wednesday to the Egypt’s Court of Cassation, claiming that “psychological pressures” were the reason he committed the murder.
Such efforts to defend Adel were said by women’s rights lawyer Nihad Aboul Komsan to be the result of foreign intervention from extremist Islamist groups seeking to disseminate a deeply conservative ideology in Egypt.
She said that if Adel is indeed executed, it will send a message that men will be held accountable for breaking the law, even if, in their minds, they were simply exercising their God-given supremacy over women.
“This will mark a shift in the nation’s ideology [whose effects] conservatives are concerned about,” Ms Gad said.
A large number of social media users support the death penalty for Bahgat’s killer, Islam Mohamed, describing it as the only effective deterrent to the country’s rampant gender-based violence problem.
On Thursday, almost two years after its issuance by a Cairo criminal court, the death penalty was carried out on two men who, in 2018, killed a young woman in the district of Maadi while attempting to rob her.
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test India won by innings and 53 runs at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
The biog
Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician
Hometown: Ghazala, Syria
Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978
Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter
Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi
Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.
Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo
Favourite food: fresh fish
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa
Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia
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The%20National%20selections
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
Abu Dhabi race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,400m
6pm: Liwa Oasis (PA) Group 2 | Dh300,000 | 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 (PA) Group 3 | Dh300,000 | 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap | Dh70,000 | 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
RESULTS
1.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winners: Hyde Park, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
2.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
2.45pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Hurry Up, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.15pm: Shadwell Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 (TB) Dh575,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Blown by Wind, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
3.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh72,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Mazagran, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh64,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner: Obeyaan, Adrie de Vries, Mujeeb Rehman
4.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
Results:
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 2,000m - Winner: Powderhouse, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap Dh165,000 2,200m - Winner: Heraldic, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Conditions Dh240,000 1,600m - Winner: Walking Thunder, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash
8.15pm: Handicap Dh190,000 2,000m - Winner: Key Bid, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 1,200m - Winner: Drafted, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
9.25pm: Handicap Dh170,000 1,600m - Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap Dh190,000 1,400m - Winner: Rodaini, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMay%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHusam%20Aboul%20Hosn%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDIFC%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%E2%80%94%20Innovation%20Hub%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEmployees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-seed%20funding%20raised%20from%20family%20and%20friends%20earlier%20this%20year%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68
