A woman's murder & an era's death

One of the many strong, perceptive Egyptian women was Imtethal Fawzy, who refused to fall under the hands of avarice, persecution and mistreatment. Even though she was living through an era of fatwas (فتوات) and thuggery when it came to paying royalties (إتاوات). After some family disturbances, Imtethal started performing in (مقهى الغزاوي) following the discovery of her talent in dancing to later partner with Mary Mansour in a casino named Bosphorus. Previously known as Asmaa, Imtethal refused to pay Fouad Al-Shami (Emad Eldin street's فتوة), who, among other fatwas, took money from owners in return for protection, although the only danger businesses were in was because of their violence and theft of money unjustly. Imtethal kicked him and his men out of her casino, as he claimed later that not only did she use Grecian slurs against him, but she also translated them to Arabic when he dared her to. Threatened to be killed and have her casino destroyed, Asmaa reported to the police again, despite their failure to help the first time she felt endangered. Kamel (كامل الحريري), one of Fouad's men, had been waiting for her to return just to stab her in the neck with a sharp piece of broken glass. The news of her death aggravated people, leading to campaigns being launched alongside the newspapers with angry titles. It took another life, Ayosha, a dancer, to make matters worse, and Mustafa El-Nahhas issued a decision to end the era of fatwas. Time in jail served Fouad well, as he later said, ”Even though I was a devil, I loved her.”

“مع أني كنت شيطان فظيع، ولكنني كنت أحبها”