Farag Foda

Dr. Farag Foda (فرج فوده, 1946 - 8 June 1992) was an important Egyptian thinker, human rights activist, writer, and columnist.

Based in Cairo, he 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.

He was shot to death in his office on 8 June 1992 by Islamic fundamentalists from the Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya group. His son and other bystanders were seriously wounded in the attack.

Before his death, Farag Foda was declared an apostate and foe of Islam. His death went unpunished because an Al-Azhar scholar, Mohammad Al-Ghazali , a witness before the court, declared it was not 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 state) has failed to implement (undertake)." The court followed this view and those who killed Foda were released.