Farag Foda
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| Farag Foda | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 20, 1945 |
| Died | June 8, 1992 |
| Cause of death | Assassinated by two Islamic fundamentalists. |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Occupation | Thinker, human rights activist, writer, and columnist |
| Political party | Mostakbal ("The Future Party") |
| Opponent(s) | Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya |
Farag Foda (August 20, 1945 - June 8, 1992; Arabic: فرج فوده; Transliteration: Faraj Foda) was an important Egyptian thinker, human rights activist, writer, and columnist. He was assassinated in 1992 by two Islamic fundamentalists.
Contents |
[edit] Career
Based in Cairo, Foda was noted for his critical articles and sharp satires about Islamic fundamentalism in Egypt. In many newspaper articles, he demonstrated weak points in Islamic ideology.[1]
In 1991-92, he worked with Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour to establish a new political party in Egypt, Mostakbal ("The Future Party"), dedicated to a secular democratic state, and to defend the Christian Egyptians.[2]
[edit] Assassination
He was shot to death in his office on 8 June 1992 by two Islamic fundamentalists from the Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya group. His son and other bystanders were seriously wounded in the attack.
Before his death, Foda was declared an apostate and foe of Islam. An Al-Azhar University scholar, Mohammed al-Ghazali, a witness before the court, declared it was not wrong to kill a foe of Islam. Al-Ghazali said: "The killing of Farag Foda was in fact the implementation of the punishment against an apostate which the imam (the Islamic leader) has failed to implement (undertake)."
It's suspected that his assassination was executed after a fatwā issued by both a Committee of scholars of al-Azhar and by the religious leaders of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, notably Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was sentenced to life in prison in the United States in 1996.
One of Foda's killers, Abd al-Shafi Ahmad Ramadhan, was sentenced to death on 30 December 1993, and executed on 26 February 1994. The other was executed for another murder.
[edit] Books
Books of Foda: All in Arabic, with no translations in sight:
- "Before The Fall" - 1st print 1985. 2nd print 1995
- "Discussion on Secularism" - 1st print 1987. 2nd print 2005
- "The Warning" - 1st print 1989. 2nd print 2005
- "The Played With" - 1st print 1985. 2nd print 2004
- "To Be or Not to Be" - 1st print 1988. 2nd print 2004
- "Pleasure Marriage" - 1st print 1990. 2nd print 2004
