Amir Abdur Rehman Cheema

Amir Abdur Rehman Cheema (Dec 4, 1977 – May 3, 2006)^[1] (Urdu: عامر عبد الرحمن چیمہ) was a 28-year-old Pakistani textile engineering student who entered the offices of the German daily newspaper Die Welt on March 20, 2006 with a large knife and attempted to murder Roger Köppel. Cheema was later arrested by building security guards.^[2][3][4] He admitted his intent was to kill Roger Köppel, an editor at the paper, for reprinting the Jyllands-Posten cartoons of Muhammad. On May 3, while awaiting trial and in German police custody, he was found dead in his cell.^[5]

Pakistanis questioned the German's official version of the story.^[6] While rumors spread after his death that he was tortured in the German prison, the German authorities produced a suicide note for Pakistan's foreign office.^[7] In the course of the investigation, the German judicial system concluded his death was a suicide.^[8]

Funeral

Initially Germany refused to hand over Amir's body but upon growing public sympathy in Pakistan, it was repatriated to the town of Saroke near the city of Wazirabad, in Punjab on Saturday 13 May 2006 CE with respect to Islamic date 14 Rabi Us Thani 1427 Hijri. A flood of people from all shades of life were present when the dead body of the Pakistani student arrived at his ancestral town. There was a great deal of dispute over the funeral prayers as everyone aspired to clinch the honors. Ultimately, Aamir's father was chosen. About 100,000-200,000 people attended his funeral despite the blistering heat soaring over 50 degree Celsius.^{[9][10][11][12]}

See also

• Amir Cheema's Parents' Interview on Pakistani TV
• Amir Cheema Shaheed-Detailed Account, Newspaper Columns and Funeral
• List of Pakistanis
• Saroke

References