Khalil Abdel Karim

 

He was born to a well known  family, in Aswan City in Upper Egypt. His family was religious like all  families in “Sa3ed”.

His father Hajj Abdul-Karim Nasser was a relatively wealthy trader who engaged in various trading activities, and he was at the time the head of the Chamber of Commerce in Aswan Governorate.

Hajj Abdul-Karim was an open-minded person. He was the founder of the first regional newspaper in Upper Egypt: “The Distant South”. He was also the owner of “al-Tawfiq” print press.

Mr. Khalil Abdul-Karim joined the Muslim Brotherhood in his youth. After attaining his high school diploma he traveled to Cairo to study Law and he graduated from Cairo University (then, Fouad the First University). He then joined the Lawyers Syndicates. He spent two year as a trainee lawyer at the office of prominent Muslim Brotherhood lawyers. These were Mr. Abdul-Qader ‘Udda (the under-secretary of the society) and Ibrahim al-Taib (the head of the special apparatus of the society). Both were executed in 1954 following al-Manshia attack on the then Egyptian President, Jamal Abdul-Nasser. As for Mr. Abdul-Karim, he was detained in the Military Prison for a number of months. He was detained for a second time in 1965 following the discovery of an organization by Sayyid Qutb. He spent his detention at Liman Turah (which is known as the ‘al-Mazra’ah).

After his release following his first detention, Mr. Abdul-Karim started his law-practice office. And ever since he has been loyal to his beliefs and convictions and that is why he never accepted any case connected to drugs, or any other ethically doubtful case.

For more than twenty years, Mr. Khalil Abdul-Karim has been a practicing lawyer for the past fifty years. His office has been located in a popular quarter of the Egyptian capital Cairo. The location of his office is intended to be within the disadvantaged people, in order to raise their awareness about law and their rights, and to serve them.

Mr. Abdul-Karim is prominent in the defense of cases related to freedom of speech and thought. He was the head of the defense team (Primary and Appeal Courts) in the case of Professor Nasr Hamid Abu-Zaid who was sued for ridda (apostasy from Islam) and for separation from his wife.

He continued his social work and was the deputy president of the biggest branch of ‘the legal society for co-operation of people who abide by the Qur’an and the Sunna’. A society which was concerned with social work, and had various branch was the biggest in Egypt and not only in Cairo.

When al-tajam’ party was formed, he joined it as an ordinary member until he was promoted as a leading member. He was fist promoted as a member to ‘the general assembly’ and then to the central committee a position which he still holds. He joined al-tajam’  party because its value were close to his convictions it is a party which calls for social justice democracy freedom and holds a progressive view towards religion

For years he wrote weekly Islamic articles to the party’s newspaper {Al Ahali}. In addition, he for years wrote a monthly article to the party’s { El yassar }, under the heading ” Islam not Priesthood”. And in a survey conducted by the party the participants voted him the favorite [ and most read ] writer