Wiesenthal Centre to Egyptian President: "New Justice Minister Must Apologize for Anti-Semitic Offense"

July 3, 2015

SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTRE-EUROPE

Tel: +33(0)1 47 23 76 37

Fax: +33(0)1 47 20 84 01

Mail: csweurope@gmail.com

In view of Egypt and Israel's shared interests in the war against terrorism and the long history of the Jewish relationship with Egypt, we feel that the Justice Minister's statement is discordant to Egyptian policy and disrespectful to your own government

Paris 

In a letter to Egyptian President, Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, protested an anti-Semitic comment by newly appointed Justice Minister, Ahmed al-Zend.

Samuels noted, "On 29 June, Al-Zend stated on Sada el-Balad TV, regarding those responsible for this week's assassination of Egypt’s chief prosecutor, Hisham Barakat:

'God Almighty will treat them (the perpetrators) as he treats the Jews, they (the perpetrators) will wander through the land, a day will come where no country will accept them and they will not find a home, since there are no homelands for vileness and wickedness'

«أنا شخصيا أفخر بذلك وربنا سبحانه وتعالى سيعاملهم كما يعامل اليهود، سيتيهون في الأرض ويأتي عليهم يوما لا تقبلهم أي دولة، ولن يجدوا وطنا لأنه ليس للخسة والدنو والحقارة أوطان»

Source: Al-Masry Al-Youm

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/news/details/764734

Sada el-Balad TV (June 29, 2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfysQXTIvWw
(From 3:50 - to the end)

The letter pointed out, "Al-Zend, while head of the Cairo Court of Appeals - according to the Daily Telegraph - already sought controversy in calling for full Shariah law in Egypt, including beheading, lashing and amputations of limbs, respectively, for apostasy, fornication and theft.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/11618964/Egypts-new-justice-minister-called-for-hardline-Sharia.html

"Mr. President, in view of Egypt and Israel's shared interests in the war against terrorism and the long history of the Jewish relationship with Egypt, we feel that the Justice Minister must apologize for his offense to the Jewish people - a statement we believe discordant to Egyptian policy and disrespectful to your own government," Samuels concluded.

For further information call Shimon Samuels on +33609770158, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).