I think he sees something he wants to kill

This post contains descriptions of animal cruelty. Reader discretion is advised.

Many forensic psychologists contend that there is a genetic basis for sociopathic and/or psychopathic behavior. I’d wager a large portion of Muslims have that gene, but one in particular: Egyptian executioner Hajj Abd al-Nabi. Like his Saudi counterpart who claims he kills for Allah, al-Nabi claims he is “carrying out the law of Allah” by killing people. Yep, Islam is a religion of peace, folks. Aside from giving Allah pleasure from killing, al-Nabi himself derives great satisfaction from taking lives. Cue the intro of Criminal Minds.

Many people who grow up to become killers are abused in their childhood, and considering Islam’s stance on child abuse, this is likely the case with al-Nabi. An abuse victim is statistically more likely than someone who wasn’t abused to grow up to become an abuser. Many who grow up to be killers begin by taking their impulses out on animals. That’s exactly what al-Nabi did. “When I was young – about 13 or 14 years old – the dry Ismailiya Canal in Shubra Al-Kheima still had water in it,” he explained. “My hobby was to catch a cat, to place a rope around its neck, to strangle it, and throw it into the water. I would get hold of any animal – even dogs. I would strangle these animals and throw them into the water – even dogs.” Dogs are considered nejis – ritually unclean – in Islam, which could have possibly inspired al-Nabi’s violence against them. As for the cats, I have a theory as to why he started killing them.

When a person with murderous urges takes a life, their hormonal release is similar to that of an orgasm. Though their first kill or two is messy and awkward, like a virgin’s first time, they quickly grow into their new role. Their desire to kill often replaces the need for normal sexual release; many killers take lives because otherwise they feel impotent. The release they get from murder gives them the “orgasm” of sorts that they crave. The teenage al-Nabi likely realized very early that “choking the chicken” wasn’t really doing it for him, even with the assistance of autoerotic asphyxiation. Instead of “every time you masturbate, God kills a kitten,” al-Nabi decided “every time you would masturbate, kill a kitten instead,” since it got him to all the right places. When asked if he choked other humans during his teenage years, he replied: “Whenever I would place my hands around a kid’s neck, I would go soft when I remembered that it was a child, not an animal.” Uhh, “go soft”? Nice choice of words. He even recognizes that killing is evil, but does not care as the urge has grown too strong. He describes his teenage self as a “little Satan,” but stated he never wanted to retire: “I will leave this job only when I am dead.”

“Strangulation was my hobby,” al-Nabi continued. “When I applied for the job [as executioner] and did well on the tests – proving that I could take the psychological pressure and so on – they said: ‘Congratulations. Now, grow a mustache.'” To someone with a history of killing cats, the tests were likely easy. Many killers who “graduate” from animal victims begin by targeting people with high-risk lifestyles, such as drug addicts, prostitutes, and transients. It is quite possible al-Nabi made it through the tests because he had found a hunting ground other than the one the Egyptian government was about to sanction for him.

“The truth is that my heart is dead, because executing comes from the heart, not the mustache.” This shows that, though he recognizes others’ ability to feel and grieve, he does not experience the same emotions or with the same intensity. Along with his pattern of controlled killing without evidence of overkill, robbery, or sexual violence/rape against his victims, this lack of empathy suggests sociopathy rather than psychopathy. “Only if you have a heart of stone can you be content in this line of work.” Muslims with hearts of stone happen to find many totally peaceful uses for them. Yep, totally peaceful.

“I have placed [the noose] around some 800 heads – tough people, big people, young people… All the despicable crimes – killing, adultery, premeditated murder, and so on… I carry out all the death sentences.” The fact that he put adultery in the same sentence and on the same level as premeditated murder shows how absolutely warped this amoral person’s mind is. It also says a lot about Islam that its followers have no qualms about killing people for having sex. He probably doesn’t give two shits about morality or upholding Egyptian law; he just wants to kill people and has found a socially-accepted way of doing so. al-Nabi claims his urge to strangle is “a gift… a great gift.” I think it’ll be a gift to the Egyptian people when they abolish the death penalty and leave this monster without a job.