In the Marwa El-Sherbini murder trial the killer as well as the German judicial system are hit hard. Doaa El-Bey follows the hearings On the fourth day of the trial, the judge, Birgit Wiegand, read a letter Marwa El-Sherbini's killer Alex Wiens wrote to the court in October 2008 protesting against paying the expenses of the case, the fine and the conviction for racial abuse. The letter was read aloud during the session at the request of El-Sherbini's lawyer Khaled Abu Bakr. In the letter, Wiens described Islam as a dangerous and crazy religion and that its followers believe that all non- Muslims are not human and that they should either believe in Islam or be exterminated. "Every Muslim is definitely my enemy... and nobody can convince me to have that enemy stand close to me," he wrote. He described the headscarf that El-Sherbini was wearing as "a symbol of subordination to religion, to culture, to men and to Satan, and she offended me with it." The letter forced Abu Bakr to question the German judicial system. "Why didn't the judge who issued the fine or the judge who presided over the civil case in July that witnessed the stabbing deal with the letter? Why didn't they at least warn El-Sherbini?" Abu Bakr asked. The reaction of Tom Maciejewski, the judge who presided over the case in July was also questionable. Defence lawyers asked him why he did not press an emergency button to call for the armed guards as soon as he saw Wiens attacking El-Sherbini. He first came down near the killer before deciding to return to his bench, hide under it and then press the bell. "During his testimony, he cried twice. First the defence held him partially responsible and when Wiegand read Alex's letter," Abu Bakr said. Maciejewski was called as a witness in the trial last week. El-Sherbini's husband Elwi Okaz filed a criminal complaint against Maciejewski, as well as against the president of the regional court, accusing them of having failed to provide adequate security. Inadequate security in the court was another point in El-Sherbini's case. The trial was held amid tight security: some 200 police were said to be guarding the court and whoever attended the hearing -- including Wiegand -- was subjected to strict security screening. All concurrent trials were transferred to other local venues. The setup clearly contrasted to the July case when Wiens was able to smuggle a kitchen knife into the same courthouse and stab El-Sherbini to death. No security personnel were present and no security searches of individuals and their possessions were carried out. Some politicians and the Association of Judges in Saxony, where Dresden is located, demanded a review of security procedures in court buildings. Wiens has not helped his own case. He appears as a racist who hates Muslims and who can kill any Muslim who comes near him as he clearly stated in his letter to the court. He is suspected of being a right-wing radical. Judge Maciejewski described him as "a man possessed". His teacher who testified in the first week confirmed that Wiens was normal but a snob who had a problem accepting others. The prosecutor in the July case confirmed Wiens intended to kill El-Sherbini because of the knife that he possessed and because he moved his chair as close as possible to the door, indicating he intended to kill her and then escape. Wiens also adopted a strange behaviour in court. He first appeared in a hooded top and sunglasses and refused to take his sunglasses off at the request of the judge who had to fine him. He refused to confirm his personal details (the judge consequently allowed him till the end of the trial to do so). If he insists on refusing, the judge will have to summon his mother to confirm the information he has given. On the third day of the trial Wiens hit his head against a wall in a fit of rage but after examination by a doctor summoned by the judge he was regarded mentally fit to further attend the trial. However, the judge was forced to postpone the trial on the fifth day after Wiens became too upset to attend. "The picture that he painted in court in addition to his non-compliant behaviour served our case well. I thank him for making our job easier," Abu Bakr added. Wiens is facing charges for murder, attempted murder and causing bodily harm. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment -- a 15- year term under German law. The trial brought to the forefront an important issue: do Germans have problems accepting others? Tarek Abdel-Bari, a professor of German literature in Ain Shams University, said Germans are very civilised people who respect others and know how to deal with them. While Abdel-Bari warned against generalisation, he said there were unemployed young people originally from East Germany and who were brought up under the strict rules of communism. In addition, Germany opened its door to other nationalities from German origins to return to their country, as in Wiens' case. Wiens arrived from Russia in 2003. "Those people who are usually unqualified or poorly qualified face difficulties in finding a job. They are unemployed and they think in hardline or extremist ways, as Alex," Abdel-Bari told Al-Ahram Weekly. Abu Bakr said racism in Germany, especially in the east, is high. In Dresden, it is relatively higher than in other places. He said Wiens had adopted racist views that allegedly belong to the radical right wing. In a separate development the concerts due to be performed by the Dresden Orchestra in Egypt were postponed at the wish of El-Sherbini's family for fear of clashes erupting with the troupe over the killing. Saechsische Staatskapelle Dresden was scheduled to perform in Sayed Darwish Theatre in Alexandria on 31 October and in Cairo Opera House on 2 November. The performances were not rescheduled. Whether they will be rescheduled or cancelled depends on the outcome of the trial.
