Egypt: Ahmed El-Zend, Justice Minister Fired Over Prophet Remark, Dies at 80
Justice: Egypt
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Key Facts
—Death announced. Egypt’s Administrative Prosecution Authority mourned former justice minister Ahmed El-Zend on 26 September 2026, announcing his death in an official statement carried by Youm7.
—Age. He was reported to be 80; Ahram Online described him as 70 when he was dismissed in March 2016, which is consistent with that age.
—Office. El-Zend served as justice minister from May 2015 to March 2016, after years as the outspoken head of Egypt’s powerful Judges Club.
—Downfall. Prime Minister Sherif Ismail sacked him on 13 March 2016 after a televised remark that he would jail any wrongdoer “even if he was a prophet”, widely read as blasphemous.
—Tributes. The Administrative Prosecution praised a “busy judicial and national career”; the Sadat Party called him a “judicial and national figure” whose loss Egypt mourns.
Ahmed El-Zend, the Egyptian justice minister whose ten-month tenure ended in 2016 over a televised remark about the Prophet Muhammad, has died, the Administrative Prosecution Authority announced — closing the career of one of the most combative figures of Egypt’s post-2013 judiciary.
Death Announced by the Administrative Prosecution
The Administrative Prosecution Authority announced El-Zend’s death on Saturday, 26 September 2026, in a statement published by Youm7, Egypt’s largest news site. Huda Ahmed Issa, head of the authority, mourned him “on her own behalf and on behalf of the counsellors and members of the Administrative Prosecution and its administrative apparatus”.
The statement praised a “judicial and national career full of giving”, recalling “prominent stations in the sanctuary of the judiciary” and the “weighty trusts” he carried before taking over the Ministry of Justice “at a delicate stage in the nation’s history”. It offered condolences to his family and to “the family of the Egyptian judiciary”.
The Sadat Party, founded by the family of the late president Anwar Sadat, issued its own tribute, saying Egypt had lost “a judicial and national figure”. Reports circulating on social media said El-Zend died aged 80 after a brief illness; the official statement gave neither his age nor a cause of death.
A Career at the Top of Egypt’s Judiciary
Before entering government, El-Zend was best known as the head of the Judges Club, the powerful association to which most Egyptian judges belong. From that platform he became one of the most recognisable, and most combative, defenders of judicial authority in the turbulent years that followed the 2013 removal of President Mohamed Morsi.
In May 2015 he was appointed minister of justice, succeeding Mahfouz Saber, who had resigned after declaring that the sons of rubbish collectors should not become judges — a remark widely condemned as classist. El-Zend, himself no stranger to controversy, was presented as a steady hand from within the judiciary’s own ranks.
His tenure coincided with the state’s sweeping crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, which El-Zend openly championed. Human rights campaigners were angered in January 2016 when he spoke of the “mass killing” of the group’s supporters; he remained unapologetic, casting himself as a defender of the state against what he called a terrorist organisation.
The 2016 Remark That Ended His Ministry
El-Zend’s downfall came not over his hardline politics but over religion. Asked in a televised interview on the Sada al-Balad channel whether he would jail journalists, he answered that he would imprison any “wrongdoer” found guilty of a crime — “even”, he added, “the Prophet Mohammed”.
He stopped almost immediately, asked God’s forgiveness on air and later apologised in a second interview, calling the comment a “slip of the tongue” meant in a hypothetical sense. It was not enough. The remark went viral, an Arabic hashtag demanding his trial trended in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and Al-Azhar, the highest seat of Sunni Islamic learning, warned that the Prophet must not be insulted, “even unintentionally”.
On 13 March 2016, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail dismissed him, in a decision announced by the state news agency MENA; no official reason was given. The Judges Club stood by him to the end, decrying a “systematic smear campaign”, and its leadership said Egypt’s judges were “sorry that someone who defended Egypt and its people, judiciary and nation” should be punished in this way. Mohamed Hossam Abdel Rahim was named his successor later that month.
A Divisive Legacy
El-Zend’s legacy splits neatly along the fault lines of Egyptian politics. To supporters, he was a fearless judge who defended the independence and prestige of the judiciary against the Muslim Brotherhood and defended the state at its most fragile moment. To critics, he embodied the judiciary’s politicisation — a minister who spoke of mass killing of Islamist supporters while presiding over a justice system that handed down mass death sentences.
His sacking also illustrated the limits of that combativeness. In a country where insulting the recognised monotheistic religions is punishable by up to five years in prison, even a minister of justice could not survive a perceived slight against the Prophet — a reminder that religious sensitivity, not political loyalty, drew the hardest line in Egyptian public life.
After his dismissal, El-Zend largely withdrew from the front line of politics but remained a respected elder within the judiciary, which is why the Administrative Prosecution’s farewell stressed his decades on the bench rather than his turbulent months in cabinet.
What We Could Not Confirm
The official Administrative Prosecution statement confirms the death but not its date, place or circumstances. The cause, a “brief illness”, and the age of 80 circulate via social-media reports; the age is consistent with Ahram Online’s description of him as 70 in March 2016, but neither figure appears in the official statement. Funeral and burial arrangements had not been announced at the time of publication.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Ahmed El-Zend?
Ahmed El-Zend was an Egyptian judge who headed the powerful Judges Club and served as minister of justice from May 2015 to March 2016. He was known for his hardline stance against the Muslim Brotherhood and his forceful defence of judicial authority.
Why was Ahmed El-Zend sacked as justice minister?
Prime Minister Sherif Ismail dismissed him on 13 March 2016 after a televised remark that he would jail any wrongdoer “even if he was a prophet”, which was widely condemned as an insult to the Prophet Muhammad. El-Zend apologised, calling it a slip of the tongue, but the backlash, including a rebuke from Al-Azhar, forced his removal.
How was Ahmed El-Zend’s death announced?
Egypt’s Administrative Prosecution Authority announced his death on 26 September 2026 in an official statement carried by Youm7, praising his long judicial career. Social-media reports said he died aged 80 after a brief illness; the official statement gave no cause of death.
Sources
Youm7 · Ahram Online · France 24 · Al Jazeera · Los Angeles Times
Connected Coverage
Egypt’s judiciary has shaped the country’s politics since 2013, and its figures remain household names.
Sources: Youm7; Ahram Online; France 24; Al Jazeera; Los Angeles Times.
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