Sued for Biblical 'plunder'
Reuters
CAIRO, September 12
An Egyptian lawyer said Wednesday he was planning to sue the world's Jews
for "plundering" gold during the Exodus from Pharaonic Egypt thousands of
years ago, based on information in the Bible.
Nabil Hilmi, dean of the law faculty at Egypt's al-Zaqaziq University,
said the legal basis for the case was under study by a group of lawyers in
Egypt and Europe.
"This is serious, and should not be misread as being political against any
race. We are just investigating if a debt is owed," Hilmi said in a
telephone interview.
The relevant passage from the Bible, Exodus 12 verses 35 to 36 reads: "The
Israelites had done as Moses told them; they had asked the Egyptians for
jewelry of silver and gold, and for clothing. ...
And so they plundered the Egyptians." This translation is in the New Revised Standard Version of
the Bible.
Some Jewish commentators say that while the Biblical passage may be fact,
the Hebrews were enslaved by the Egyptians and therefore had a right to
claim compensation for wages.
"Hilmi's assertion that the Hebrew Bible is fact has given Israel and Jews
the world over a reason to rejoice. He has opened the door for all Jews to
sue Egypt for over 400 years of slavery," writer Beth Goodman told
Reuters.
Tareq Zaghoul, a lawyer at the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights in
Cairo, said it would be difficult to prove historical fact in the passage
that would stand up in court.
"This needs historical documents and evidence to back it up. It is rather
far-fetched," he said.
Hilmi said Egyptian and European historical and religious experts were
trying to establish if the biblical passage could be taken as fact, and
hence form the basis for a lawsuit.
He said the argument that Jews could sue Egypt for enslaving them was also
being studied by experts.
Hilmi gave no details of which court he planned to file the case in or
whether he thought such a case would be exempt from the sort of statute of
limitations that in many countries rules out legal cases after a certain
period of time.
He also declined to put a value on the goods "plundered."
Reuters
CAIRO, September 12
An Egyptian lawyer said Wednesday he was planning to sue the world's Jews
for "plundering" gold during the Exodus from Pharaonic Egypt thousands of
years ago, based on information in the Bible.
Nabil Hilmi, dean of the law faculty at Egypt's al-Zaqaziq University,
said the legal basis for the case was under study by a group of lawyers in
Egypt and Europe.
"This is serious, and should not be misread as being political against any
race. We are just investigating if a debt is owed," Hilmi said in a
telephone interview.
The relevant passage from the Bible, Exodus 12 verses 35 to 36 reads: "The
Israelites had done as Moses told them; they had asked the Egyptians for
jewelry of silver and gold, and for clothing. ...
And so they plundered the Egyptians." This translation is in the New Revised Standard Version of
the Bible.
Some Jewish commentators say that while the Biblical passage may be fact,
the Hebrews were enslaved by the Egyptians and therefore had a right to
claim compensation for wages.
"Hilmi's assertion that the Hebrew Bible is fact has given Israel and Jews
the world over a reason to rejoice. He has opened the door for all Jews to
sue Egypt for over 400 years of slavery," writer Beth Goodman told
Reuters.
Tareq Zaghoul, a lawyer at the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights in
Cairo, said it would be difficult to prove historical fact in the passage
that would stand up in court.
"This needs historical documents and evidence to back it up. It is rather
far-fetched," he said.
Hilmi said Egyptian and European historical and religious experts were
trying to establish if the biblical passage could be taken as fact, and
hence form the basis for a lawsuit.
He said the argument that Jews could sue Egypt for enslaving them was also
being studied by experts.
Hilmi gave no details of which court he planned to file the case in or
whether he thought such a case would be exempt from the sort of statute of
limitations that in many countries rules out legal cases after a certain
period of time.
He also declined to put a value on the goods "plundered."
