Gilbert and Sullivan, meet Hajj Abd Al-Nabi, the official executioner of Egypt.

He comes to us courtesy of our friends at MEMRI-the Middle East Media Research Institute.

Hajj Abd Al-Nabi: "I am the executioner of the Arab Republic of Egypt.  I hold the rank of chief warrant officer in the police and the prison authority.  I am Egypt's executioner, responsible for carrying out the death penalty....

"I love people, and people love me, but when I am doing my job, I am carrying out the law of Allah.  When it comes to carrying out my job, I am tough. The murderer  has done an abominable thing, and I cannot  be soft with him.  If I were soft towards this criminal, I wouldn't be able to execute him, but when I'm at home, with my kids, I am as calm as can be....

"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.

"In all honesty, I love my work.  I just love it! I never say 'no' when they need me at work.  This is my work and my livelihood....

"When I was young-about 13 or 14 years old-the dry Ismailiya Canal in Shubra Al-Kheima still had water in it.  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."

Interviewer: "That was a long time ago...."

Hajj Abd Al-Nabi: "Yes, when I was 13 or 14 years old.  Strangulation was my hobby.  When I applied for the job and did well on the tests-proving that I could take the psychological pressure and so on-they said: 'Congratulations. Now, grow a moustache.

"The truth is that my heart is dead, because executing comes from the heart, not the moustache.  Only if you have a heart of stone can you be content in this line of work.

"My parents were hard on me.  They would say: 'This will get you to hell!' I would say to them: 'The cat bit me, the cat bit some kid, the dog bit a boy in the leg, and the leg got infected.' I became the enemy of all things harmful to Mankind."

Interviewer: "So you were violent as a boy...."

Hajj Abd Al-Nabi: "I was a little Satan...."

Interviewer: "Did you strangle many kids you were playing with?"

Hajj Abd Al-Nabi: "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."

Interviewer: "So you had a disposition toward this job from a young age...."

Hajj Abd Al-Nabi: "It's a gift."

Interviewer: "Strangling is a gift?"

Hajj Abd Al-Nabi: "A great gift.  I love my job very much, and I can't give it up. Even when I retire, I will report for duty in emergencies.  I will leave this job only when I am dead...."