Farag Foda

Medium: Personal Opinion, Print Journalism

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Artist: Farag Fodda

Confronting Bodies: Islamic Fundamentalists from the group Al-Gamma'ah Al-Islamiya

Dates of Action: 1990 and 1992

Location: Cairo, Egypt

Description of Artwork: Farag Foda, a secularist Egyptian writer, thinker, journalist and human rights defender, was outspokenly critical of Islamic fundamentalism in Egypt. In many newspaper columns, he demonstrated weak points in Islamic ideology. Foda's book To Be or Not to Be was banned in 1990 on the grounds that it offended religion. And, a week before his murder, Foda had been branded as an apostate by Al-Azhar, the government-supported religious establishment.

The Incident: On June 8, 1992, Foda was assassinated by religious extremists for advocating beefing up laws against religious terrorism and for his views in favor of normalizing relations with Israel.

Results of Incident: Foda, along with his son Ahmad and a friend of his son's were shot dead. The Islamist fundamentalist group Al-Gamma’ah Al-Islamiya took responsibility for the murders.

Source: www.democracyfrontline.org