The discovery of the lifeless body of an 8-year-old boy whose hands had been cut off in Egypt has shocked and angered the country. Prosecutors investigating the case have alleged that the murder was related to illegal excavation of antiquities. His father, Abu El Wafa, found the body of his son, Muhammed, who had been missing for four days, in an agricultural field in the city of Asyit in Upper Egypt.
THEY WERE GOING TO GIVE THE CHILD’S HANDS TO THE MINE EXPLORER…
Police have detained three brothers, relatives of the boy, in connection with the murder. According to a statement shared by the prosecutor’s office, two of the suspects said they committed the murder in order to sell the boy’s hands to a prospector who wanted to reach ancient Egyptian treasures in an illegal dig.
“I CRY EVERY DAY”
“I remember all the memories I have with my son Mohammed. Whenever I am alone, I cry and I can’t stand it. He would wait for me to come home from work every day,” Abu El Wafa told BBC Arabic.
Father Al-Wafa said he did not think anything bad could happen to his son Mohammed because “everyone in the village knows him very well.”
“After the police investigation, I was shocked when I learned that my son was killed by his own cousins, my relatives who played with him and even searched for him with me when he went missing,” El Wafa said.
THE PEOPLE ARE ANGRY
The murder also caused a huge outrage on social media in Egypt.
Many people called for harsh punishment for criminals as a deterrent.
Others warned parents to better protect their children by monitoring who they spend time with.
SIMILAR CRIMES HAVE BEEN COMMITTED BEFORE
Other similar crimes have been committed in Egypt in recent years.
In September 2021, official newspapers reported that a young man was killed and his limbs were cut off in a village in Upper Egypt.
According to local media reports, the young man’s uncle, aunt and cousins confessed to the murder and said they sacrificed the young man’s lifeless body to a spirit so that one of the ancient tombs would be opened.
In 2023, a girl was raped in front of her father in Giza and the guilty man was referred to the Giza Criminal Court. The suspicious man claimed that he obeyed an order given by a genie to open an ancient tomb under his house.
The girl’s father was arrested and died in prison, and the suspect died months later, just days before his sentence was handed down.
SHEIKHS NEED CHILDREN’S BLOOD FOR THEIR TREASURY
Ancient Egyptians kept burial sites secret to protect them from theft. In Egypt, it was common for human lives to be sacrificed by those seeking to find ancient treasures.
There is a belief that graves must be opened in front of “sheikhs” who are there to break spells.
These people, who claim to be sheikhs, claim to call upon the spirit that guards the ancient tomb. In return, they demand large sums of money and blood sacrifices. Most often, this is the blood of an animal, but some “sheikhs” claim that human blood, or even the blood of a “child”, is required.
‘IT HAS NO EQUIVALENT IN EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATIONS’
Dr. Ahmed Badran, a professor of archaeology at Cairo University who studies ancient Egyptian civilizations, says these crimes are mostly committed in Upper Egypt by those who dream of getting rich quickly by finding historical artifacts.
Badran says that these people, whom he calls “fraudulent sheikhs,” convinced some people that there was treasure or a tomb under their houses and told them that the guardian spirit or “jinn” would only open the door of the tomb in exchange for human blood.
“Ancient Egyptians hid tombs containing treasure to protect them from thieves, but it is not true that they used demons or spirits to protect these tombs,” said Badran, emphasizing that all scientific and archaeological excavations were carried out “without bloodshed and sacrifice.”
Badran calls for raising awareness among the public, introducing stricter punishments and combating fake sheikhs, and for the media to highlight the issue.
