Egyptian minister asks for 'prayers' after son accused of murder

Nabila Makram said she differentiates "the private and the public" and asked for prayers for her family, in "severe distress".

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab Staff

29 May, 2022

The son of the Egyptian minister of Immigation, Nabila Makram (R), is being investigated for involvement in a double murder. [Getty]

Egypt's minister of immigration invited Egyptians on Saturday to pray for her and her family after her son was charged with a double murder committed in the United States.

"My family and I are under severe distress following my son being charged with murder in the US," Minister of Immigration and Expatriate Affairs Nabila Makram wrote on Facebook. "Whatever the consequences, as a minister, I take full responsibility for my position and the requirements of working with it, and I clearly differentiate between what is personal and what is public."

Makram's 26 years-old son, Ramy Hani Mounir Fahim, was arrested on April 22 and charged with premeditated murder and killing of two men - one of them his coworker. The two victims were stabbed to death in their apartment in April. If found guilty, Fahim could face a death sentence.

Unnamed Egyptian sources told news channel Arabi21 that Egyptian authorities had unsuccessfully intervened "to contain the issue."

Makram's plea has received limited sympathy among Egyptians on social media.

While some posted messages of support on Twitter, others recalled that in July 2019, the minister famously said that opponents to Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi abroad would be "punished" - making a slicing motion across her neck that was widely interpreted as mimicking a beheading.