Ihab el-Sherif is Dead

Charles Paul Freund | July 7, 2005

Reuters is reporting that Egypt's top envoy to Iraq, Ihab el-Sherif, has been murdered by his al Qaeda kidnappers.

The group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has posted a statement that reads, "We al Qaeda in Iraq announce that the judgment of God has been implemented against the ambassador of the infidels, the ambassador of Egypt. Oh enemy of God, Ihab el-Sherif, this is your punishment in this life."

The statement adds that, "The ambassador of the infidels gave information that showed the infidelity of his regime and his allegiance to the Jews and Christians." This may be a reference to el-Sherif's former role as deputy to the Egyptian ambassador to Israel. Video of a blindfolded el-Sherif was posted along with the statement.

Comments

drf|7.7.05 @ 11:26AM|#

Man oh man. The news is just oh so cheery today.

That post about circumcision at the bottom certainly was overshadowed.

|7.7.05 @ 11:44AM|#

Bear in mind that Al-queda's operational leadership is made of rebels against the Egyptian government.

Al-Queda's hostility to the U.S. and the U.K. is really due to the U.S. and U.K. state support for the Saudi and Egyptian governments.

Adam|7.7.05 @ 11:47AM|#

I hope Egypt learns that we infidels have got to stick together. When are they going to send some troops?

drf|7.7.05 @ 11:52AM|#

Just you wait, Adam. There's gonna be a new Sherif in town.

(inappropriate humor, I know. Today sux)

|7.7.05 @ 11:59AM|#

Islamists want elections in Egypt and they want Mubarak to get involved in Iraq because it will further help them win in Egypt. As much as we would like to believe that the liberal democrats will be the ones, the Islamist fight is one about who will rule Egypt. They have the popularity with the masses and they have the will to kill. As long as they limit the murders to members of the Mubarak regime (especially envoys to Egypt, Iraq or the West), they will be able to justify the murder as necessary. Their goal is to turn Egypt into Iran.

|7.7.05 @ 12:04PM|#

Mo,

Nothing would advance the cause of Egyptian liberal democracy more than an Islamist government having to face the electorate after a few years of holding office.

Sometimes, in a democracy, the bad guys win. Once they do, they either have to start moderating, of they get booted.

|7.7.05 @ 12:10PM|#

Joe,
There is to hoping they can be booted when they screw up. What makes them strong is that they are willing to kill. They are willing to fight, the liberal democrats for the most part are not as willing to fight.

|7.7.05 @ 12:29PM|#

joe,
You could've said the same thing about Iran 30 years ago. Look now, there are liberal democrats ready to reform, but once the nasty Islamists get control, they won't let little things like elections get in the way. Not to mention there's the demographic bomb in Egypt. Half the population is under 18.

|7.7.05 @ 12:30PM|#

Mo, you're a (sort of) Egyptian liberal democrat.

Is kwais' statment about Egyptian liberal democrats' willingness to fight against tyranny accurate?

|7.7.05 @ 12:31PM|#

You know, when a liberal democratic Constitution was drafted in our country, we didn't leave the continuation of elections up to the incumbent party.

|7.7.05 @ 12:46PM|#

joe,
I may be, but I'm here. There are definitely people willing to fight and die, it's more of a question of numbers. The Islamists are popular among the poor and rural areas because they have been providing medicine, money and other help while the Mubarak regime has been screwing them over. Most people in the politically and economically powerful classes lean toward the Mubarak regime or the Islamists because that is where the power is (even though many have liberal sympathies).

The quandry they are faced with is fighting and dying to hand power to the Islamists, that's a tough gamble to make.

The odd thing is, my mom says that an Islamist government wouldn't necessarily be unfriendly to the US, she said it's "An American stereotype." I wonder if it's naivete on her part or some economic dynamic that makes it unlikely for this to happen in Egypt. I lean towards the former, but pray for the latter (since it makes the transition to a liberal democracy more likely).

|7.7.05 @ 1:01PM|#

Mo, isn't Turkey currently ruled by an Islamist government?

Isn't the incumbent Republican government in the US "Christianist?" Now, the most obvious retort is, "They aren't Christianist the way the Islamic Brotherhood is Islamsit," which is true, but might that have something to do with the Republicans' ability to pursue power and policy goals through the ballot box?

|7.7.05 @ 1:06PM|#

Back before the West had elected governments, our Christianist governments and movements behaved in very similar manners to contemporary Islamists.

|7.7.05 @ 1:23PM|#

joe,
Fair point on Turkey. Though Egypt doesn't have the EU carrot in front of them. Among the people I know that are sympathetic to liberal democracy, the feelings are split as far as to what it will look like long term.

|7.7.05 @ 1:46PM|#

Although the current ruling party in Turkey is Islamist they have had to face the radical secularism of the Army. Every time a govt has gotten out of hand in the past the army has removed it. I know of no other country that has this dynamic.

And as Mo says Turkey is now trying to harmonize with EU attitudes.

|7.7.05 @ 2:28PM|#

Wouldn't the success of Europe's carrots in Turkey suggest a way forward for promoting democracy in Egypt?

Also, is Turkey's army that much more secular than Egypt's? I don't recall Nasser, Sadat, or Mubarak putting out any fatwas against the infidels.

|7.7.05 @ 2:52PM|#

Mmmmmm...European turkey stuffed with carrots...gaaahhhhhh!!!!

|7.7.05 @ 2:58PM|#

One possible difference between Egypt and Turkey is the illiteracy rates. It is 13% in Turkey, while it is a staggering 42% in Egypt. Mubarak's regime indifference to this problem is criminal.

|7.7.05 @ 3:00PM|#

Modern Turkey was founded in the 1920s. Anyone know what their literacy rate was back then?

I'm guessing it's in the same ballpark as Egypt's.

|7.7.05 @ 3:02PM|#

joe, I think we both need Mo to field the one about Egypt's army. What I do know is that the Turkish army is notoriously secular and that they consider themselves guardians of Attaturk's westward-looking, secular vision for the Turkish Republic.

Nasser was a secular Pan-Arabist (like Saddam) and had no friends among Islamists but as far as I know he did not see the need to put an institution like the Turkish army in place. Mo feel free to correct me now.

|7.7.05 @ 3:20PM|#

Well, the military leadership is largely loyal to Mubarak. However, due to mandatory service, there is a significant number of the troops that are highly religious and this is probably true of a good deal of the leadership. You must also take into account that officer service is significantly shorter than non-officer, so all of the college educated people are in there for a year or two tops (if I were to forced serve, I'd be there 13 months [thank God for my US citizenship :D]), while the poorer, less educated and more susceptible to religious extremists are there longer. The Egyptian army is nothing like the Turkish army, as far as political influence goes.

FWIW, the Egyptian army likes the money our Camp David enforced military aid provides, so the military is in support of positive relations with the US.

Interestingly enough, one of the recent trends in Egypt is a rehabilitation of Sadat's image. This is a good thing, IMO, since Sadat had more positive and peaceful relations with the West and Israel than Nasser. Especially when you remember that Sadat's assasins were Islamic fundamentalists.

|7.7.05 @ 4:15PM|#

Wouldn't the success of Europe's carrots in Turkey suggest a way forward for promoting democracy in Egypt?

Maybe we can get the EU to let in North Korea while we're at it.

|7.7.05 @ 5:05PM|#

Rhywun,
Wow, Egypt's in the Axis of Evil? I guess we should just scuttle the trade agreements between ourselves and Egypt and cut off the aid first. Of course, they actually do try to go out and kill terrorists, aren't trying to develop nuclear weapons and are significantly more humane to their populace. Despite all the human rights and governance issues I have with Egypt, they're no North Korea. They're not even a Saudi Arabia.

|7.7.05 @ 6:58PM|#

Given most Western-European citizens' reactions to the last round of EU expansion, I'm willing to wager that it will be a cold day in hell before Turkey is asked to join up.

|7.7.05 @ 8:17PM|#

I've decided I don't want to continue this thread. I don't feel good talking about "what the Egyptians should do" today. Mr. el-Sharif died in the service of his country, and he was obviously a brave and dedicated man to take the job in the first place.

But you just that behind the scenes, the US was cajoling Egypt to establish relations with the new Iraqi government and increase the presence of their diplomatic staff. In light of this, I don't feel like lecturing Egypt about what they should do.

It's an interesting conversation, but we'll have to continue it on a future thread.

But I wasn't talking about EU membership per se.

|7.7.05 @ 8:24PM|#

And why is this the first I'm reading about Iran training Iraqi soldiers? You'd think something like that would make the news.