Ahmed Sonbol

BY JIHAD ABAZA

Political disagreements should not justify oppressing or killing the other, thus believed Ahmed Sonbol, Marine Biology teaching assistant at AUC, who was shot dead on August 14 when Egyptian forces dispersed the Pro-Morsi sit-in at Rabaah by force.

“Sonbol’s message was simple. It is very likely that we may disagree politically, but that does not mean that you can justify or condone my death or oppression,” said Karim Khaled, a close friend of Sonbol and research assistant at AUC.

Khaled, who described Sonbol as someone who opposed injustice and repression, added that although Sonbol did not politically agree with some of the Tahrir sit-ins, he was quick to join protesters as soon as deadly clashes erupted.

According to Khaled, Sonbol was injured during the January 25 Revolution which overthrew former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011 after ruling Egypt for almost three decades.

“His participation in any revolutionary movements was a given,” said Khaled, adding that “It was something inside him.”

Khaled said Sonbol would always tell him that God did not grant him martyrdom during the first days of the January 25 Revolution of 2011, hoping that God would grant him martyrdom for something greater. “Sonbol wanted people to know that the protestors in Rabaah were not terrorists,” Khaled added.

Describing her brother as one of the brave men who stood at the Rabaah entrances to defend protestors, one of Sonbol’s five sisters, Sarah said, “When we found out he was killed, we were sure that he is a martyr.”

Sarah told the Caravan that when people checked on his condition after being shot, he would reassure them, asking them to protect other protestors.

Khaled described Sonbol as someone who opposed injustice and repression.

Sonbol was not just a Marine Biologist who was politically active. He was engaged in community work and fundraising activities for war-torn areas in Syria and Gaza. His sister Sarah added that Sonbol would take children on educational trips to observe and study marine life, believing it was a way to show these children how great God is.

Sonbol also worked as a teaching assistant for Edwin Cruz-Rivera, assistant professor of marine biology at AUC. Rivera described Sonbol as an enthusiastic individual with a joyful attitude towards everything he took part in. He added that before Sonbol’s passing, he had been accepted to a graduate school in Turkey.

It was a joy to work with him and be his mentor. I think he would have made a fantastic educator; that was really his calling,” Cruz-Rivera told the Caravan.