Outraged readers decry the "Veil Murder" in Dresden

The following comments reflect the views of DW-WORLD.DE readers. Not all reader comments have been published. DW-WORLD.DE reserves the right to edit for length and appropriateness of content.

Berlin rejects Ahmadinejad's Islamophobia accusations

While this murder can never be excused, it is clear that Ahmadinedjad is only looking for a target for his own aggression, that he's trying to rally his own people (who by now wouldn't accept him as one of them since he is killing and torturing his own people) against a so-called threat from outside. I, as a German, don't feel proud about this happening in a German court, but we had a Nazi regime some 60 years ago and we don't want it back! - Thomas Born, Germany

Egyptian woman's courtroom murder prompts Merkel, Mubarak meeting

The German government's response to the murder was not sufficient. It's not just about that extremist Axel W., it's about how the guards at the courtroom responded to the attack. I mean how come a criminal gets the chance to stab a civilian 18 times and then attack another person (the husband) in a fully equipped courtroom? It doesn't make sense! That mother did nothing, said nothing, harmed no one ... she just wore a headscarf. May her soul rest in peace and may justice prevail. - Aya Thabet, Egypt

Why wasn't the participant in a court hearing searched for weapons? How could he smuggle a knife into the proceedings? At the time of the murder, where were the authorities: the judge, policemen who supposedly must keep order during the hearing? And the policeman, supposedly in the courtroom to keep order, was not able to distinguish between the aggressor and the victim's husband? All these unanswered questions make one wonder about the kind of justice being imparted in German courtrooms these days. - Guillermo, Thailand

I believe the response of the German officials was very weak and very late. I guess they intentionally tried not to highlight the subject because of the origin of the victim and the place where the crime took place. But they were forced later to demonstrate their sorrow and shock regarding what happened after the strong and angry reaction of Egyptians all over the world. - Sameh Shams, Egypt

How in the name of heaven was this woman stabbed in a court room? Don't the German courts have security systems like metal detectors while going into the building? I find that hard to believe that the court had no such system. That woman would be alive today if they had a detection system, or else the security people were very lax. - John Stuhr, US

This was a very sad and painful crime, especially for the victims. Germany's response I think is sufficient. The perpetrator should face the maximum penalty allowed under German law. However, I think that sometimes German law overall is not severe enough for such crimes. Islam (or any other group) should not be singled out for special treatment. All crime, be it rape, murder, assault, etc., are “hate” crimes. What other reason is there to commit them? To distinguish one group above another would be prejudice; it elevates the chosen group to a special status while demeaning the rest of society. The best way to deal with this or any such severe crime is to have more stringent sentencing and longer jail times. Concerning Egypt's response, Egypt has laws concerning the Christians (e.g. Copts) living there, yet harassment and persecution of those Christians continues unabated while the Egyptian government turns a blind eye to the harassment and persecution. For Egypt to say anything is hypocritical. Egypt needs to work on their own country and rectify their own problems with hatred and intolerance before condemning other countries. – D. Papadakis, US

I think people like "Axel W." are a disgrace to democracy in such a country like Germany which is built upon democracy and justice. Such people should bear the consequences of their deeds - which I think in that case should be death. "Axel W." commited this murder with no respect for the court, the country in which he resides, the helpless woman, nor any human being at all. Islamophobia exists because the media spread falsehoods about Islam, Muslims and even Arabs. Now I'm really terrified by the fact that my life could be in danger in a country like Germany which I like very much. -- Mahmoud, Egypt