The fat and corrupt king of Egypt (Farouk)
Nour Al-Haqiqa of snippits-and-slappits blog commented on a post I published long time ago. She asked a few question, but I did not have the time to answer as at the time I was busy blogging the current events and writing short stories for my second blog.
Nour, here are the answers to your questions as well as my personal comments on the three "clowns", or I should say the "three Pharaohs" who ruled Egypt since the revolution which took place in 1952; a year I cannot forget because it is the year in which I was born.
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January 25, 1952: British troops attacked the Egyptian police barracks in Ismailia. Fifty Egyptian police officers were killed and one hundred wounded. Egypt erupted in fury. The riots that followed, the Cairo Fires, are seen as the beginning of the end of the monarchy. The next day, January 26, 1952 ("Black Saturday"), what many Egyptians call the second revolution broke out (the first being the Egyptian Revolution of 1919). Riots broke out in Cairo; the rioters attacking foreign interests and businesses. The Egyptian "mob" burned Cairo targeting British interests, airline offices, hotels, cinemas, bars and department stores (such as Shepheard's Hotel, BOAC offices, and the British Turf Club) in particular. Foreign observers who witnessed the burning of Cairo said it looked less like an unruly mob and more like a well-planned and disciplined action.
King Farouk dismissed Mustafa el-Nahhas's government, and in the months that followed, three different politicians were instructed to form governments, each proving short-lived: Ali Maher (27 January – 1 March), Ahmed Naguib El-Hilali (2 March – 29 June, and 22–23 July) and Hussein Sirri (2–20 July). These "salvation ministries," as they were called, failed to halt the country's downward spiral. Corruption remained ubiquitous despite attempts by successive prime ministers to put their political houses in order.
Stirrings of discontent were felt in the army, and in January 1952 opposition officers supported by the Free Officers gained control of the governing board of the Officers Club. On 16 July, the King annulled these elections, appointing his own supporters instead in an attempt to regain control of the army.
King Farouk of Egypt
A coup d'état was planned for 5 August, but when General Muhammad Naguib, one of the Free Officers, informed the group on 19 July that the army high command had a list of their names, the coup leaders acted on the night of 22 July.
On Wednesday morning, 23 July 1952, a military coup occurred in Egypt, carried out by The "Free Officers" and led by General Muhammad Naguib, but the real power behind the military coup was Gamal Abdel Nasser.
7:30 a.m.: they heard a broadcast station issue the first communiqué of the revolution in the name of Gen. Naguib to the Egyptian people that stated the justification for the revolution or the Blessed Movement. The voice everyone heard reading the message belonged to Free Officer and future president of Egypt, Anwar El Sadat: "Egypt has passed through a critical period in her recent history characterized by bribery, mischief, and the absence of governmental stability. All of these were factors that had a large influence on the army. Those who accepted bribes and were thus influenced caused our defeat in the Palestine War [1948]. As for the period following the war, the mischief-making elements have been assisting one another, and traitors have been commanding the army. They appointed a commander who is either ignorant or corrupt. Egypt has reached the point, therefore, of having no army to defend it. Accordingly, we have undertaken to clean ourselves up and have appointed to command us men from within the army whom we trust in their ability, their character, and their patriotism. It is certain that all Egypt will meet this news with enthusiasm and will welcome it. As for those whose arrest we saw fit from among men formerly associated with the army, we will not deal harshly with them, but will release them at the appropriate time. I assure the Egyptian people that the entire army today has become capable of operating in the national interest and under the rule of the constitution apart from any interests of its own. I take this opportunity to request that the people never permit any traitors to take refuge in deeds of destruction or violence because these are not in the interest of Egypt. Should anyone behave in such ways, he will be dealt with forcefully in a manner such as has not been seen before and his deeds will meet immediately the reward for treason. The army will take charge with the assistance of the police. I assure our foreign brothers that their interests, their personal safety [lit. "their souls"], and their property are safe, and that the army considers itself responsible for them. May God grant us success (lit. "God is the guardian of success)."
King Farouk sought the intervention of the United States, but to no avail. By the 25th, the army had occupied Alexandria, where the king was in residence at the Montaza Palace. Now plainly terrified, Farouk abandoned Montaza, and moved to Ras Al-Teen Palace on the waterfront. Naguib ordered the captain of Farouk's yacht, "al-Mahrusa," not to sail without orders from the army. Debate broke between the Free Officers concerning the fate of the deposed king. While some (including Gen. Naguib and Nasser) viewed the best solution as to send him to exile, others argued the urge to trial him and even execute him for the "crimes he committed to the Egyptian people". Finally, the order for Farouk to abdicate in favor of his son, Crown Prince Ahmed Fouad, and a Regency Council is appointed and depart into exile finally came on Saturday, July 26, 1952 and at 6 o'clock that evening, the king set sail for Italy with a protection from the Egyptian army. On July 28, 1952, Muhammad Naguib became the first President of Egypt, which marked the beginning of modern Egyptian governance.
What caused the revolution to take place?
- The Egyptian monarchy was seen as both corrupt and pro-British, with its lavish lifestyle that seemed provocative to the members of the free officers movement who lived in poverty. Its policies completed the image of the Egyptian government being a puppet-figure in the hands of the British government.
- Pomoting the feeling of corruption on the part of several Egyptian institutions such as the police, the palace and even the political parties by the free officers.
- The loss of 1948 war with Israel led to the free officers' blame of the King and their promotion of that feeling among the Egyptian people.
In the warning that General Mohammad Neguib conveyed to King Farouk on 26 July upon the king's abdication, he provided a summary of the reasons for the revolution: "In view of what the country has suffered in the recent past,
- The complete vacuity prevailing in all corners as a result of your bad behavior.
- your toying with the constitution.
- Your disdain for the wants of the people, no one rests assured of life, livelihood, and honor.
- Egypt's reputation among the peoples of the world has been debased as a result of your excesses in these areas to the extent that traitors and bribe-takers find protection beneath your shadow in addition to security, excessive wealth, and many extravagances at the expense of the hungry and impoverished people.
- You manifested this during and after the Palestine War in the corrupt arms scandals and your open interference in the courts to try to falsify the facts of the case, thus shaking faith in justice.
Therefore, the army, representing the power of the people, has empowered me to demand that Your Majesty abdicate the throne to His Highness Crown Prince Ahmed Fuad, provided that this is accomplished at the fixed time of 12 o'clock noon today (Saturday, 26 July 1952, the 4th of Zul Qa'ada, 1371), and that you depart the country before 6 o'clock in the evening of the same day. The army places upon Your Majesty the burden of everything that may result from your failure to abdicate according to the wishes of the people."
Situation after the revolution
The Revolution Command Council (RCC), made up of the previous 9-member command committee of the Free Officers in addition to five more members, including Mohamed Naguib, was formed. Ali Maher was asked to form a civilian government. Popular expectations for immediate reforms led to the workers' riots in Kafr Dawar on August 12, 1952, which resulted in two death sentences. Ali Maher resigned on 7 September following differences with the officers, principally over proposed land reform. Mohamed Naguib became prime minister. On 9 September, the Agrarian Reform Law was passed, signaling a major land redistribution programme among peasant farmers and placing a ceiling of 200 feddans on land ownership. On 9 December, the 1923 Constitution of Egypt is abrogated "in the name of the people.
16 January 1953: the officers of the RCC dissolved and banned all political parties, declaring a three-year transitional period during which the RCC will rule. A provisional Constitutional Charter, giving legitimacy to the RCC, was proclaimed on 10 February, and the Liberation Rally—the first of 3 political organizations linked to the July regime—was launched soon afterwards with the aim of mobilizing popular support. The Rally was headed by Gamal Abdel-Nasser and included other Free Officers as secretaries-general.
18 June: the RCC declared Egypt a republic, abolishing the monarchy (the infant son of Farouk had been reigning as King Fuad II) and appointing General Muhammad Naguib, aged 52, as first president and prime minister. Gamal Abdel-Nasser, 35, was appointed deputy premier and minister of the interior. A Revolutionary Tribunal consisting of RCC members Abdel Latif Boghdadi, Anwar el-Sadat and Hassan Ibrahim, was set up to try politicians of the ancien régime.
Nassir's first step towards Pharaoh-hood
January 1954: the Muslim Brotherhood was outlawed, remaining an illegal political organization ever since. The move came in the wake of clashes between members of the Brotherhood and Liberation Rally student demonstrators on 12 January 1954. March witnessed clashes within the RCC, symbolized in the attempt, ultimately successful, to oust Naguib.
The move faced opposition from within the army, and some members of the RCC, especially Khaled Mohieddin, favored a return to constitutional government. Gamal Abdel-Nasser took power, first as chairman of the RCC and prime minister, with Naguib's constitutional position remaining vague until 14 November, when he was dismissed from office and placed under house arrest.
26 October: An assassination attempt directed at Nasser during a rally in Alexandria led to the regime acting against the Brotherhood, executing Brotherhood leaders on 9 December. A treaty was signed with Britain on 19 October for the evacuation of British troops from Egypt, to be completed over the following 20 months.
18 June 1956: Nasser raised the Egyptian flag over the Canal Zone, announcing the complete evacuation of British troops.
Egypt had been seeking loans from the World Bank since late 1955 to finance the construction of the Aswan High Dam. A tentative agreement with the World Bank, the US and Britain indicated that US$ 70 million would be provided for the project. However, on 20 July 1956, the US and Britain withdrew their offers of funding, and the World Bank went back on the agreement.
July 26: Nasser gave a historic speech announcing the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company, whose revenues would be used to finance the construction of the High Dam, which was completed in January 1968. The nationalization escalated tension between Egypt and Britain and France, which froze Egyptian assets and put their armies on alert.
August 1: the USSR offered to fund the High Dam project. Relations with Britain and France continued to deteriorate throughout the summer, culminating in the Tripartite Anglo-French-Israeli aggression on Egypt in October. Israeli troops invaded Gaza and Sinai on the 29th, while British and French troops attacked the Canal Zone on the 31st. Military operations were finally halted under USSR, US and UN pressure on 7 November, and British and French troops evacuated on 22 December. All British and French banks and companies, 15,000 establishments in all, were nationalized, a process that was later extended to all foreign establishments and also to Egyptian firms.
The Pharaoh has fallen
1967 War: Under Arab pressure and as a result of rising popular expectations of Arab military might, on 18 May 1967, Nasser asks UN Secretary General Thant to withdraw the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) stationed on Egypt's side of the border with Israel in Sinai. Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping in retaliation for Israel's diversion of the River Jordan. King Hussein of Jordan visited Cairo on 30 May, signing a Jordanian-Egyptian defense pact.
June 5: Israeli army forces dealt a crushing blow to Egypt. Seventeen Egyptian airfields were attacked, and most of the Egyptian air force destroyed on the ground leading to the Israeli occupation of the Sinai Peninsula.
Jordan entered the war on Egypt's side, but was forced to accept a UN Security Council ceasefire on 7 June after Israel occupied the Jordanian-controlled territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the Egyptian- controlled Gaza Strip. Egypt also accepted the ceasefire. Israeli troops attacked the strategic military installations in the Syrian Golan Heights, occupying the town of Quneitra. Syria accepted the ceasefire on 10 June.
Egypt's defeat in the 1967 War compelled Nasser to resign on 9 June, naming Vice-President Zakaria Mohieddin as his successor. However, he relented following massive popular demonstrations of support. Seven high-ranking officers were tried in the wake of the defeat, including Minister of War Shams Badran. Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces Field-Marshal Abdel-Hakim Amer was arrested and is reported to have committed suicide while in custody in August.
For biography of any of the Presidents, please click the relevant link. Here, I am only shedding light of my personal experience and personal opinion of them.
I was born in Egypt
In 1949, Naguib secretly joined the "free officers" movement. The "free officers", lead by colonel Nasser, were young officers in the military. He was promoted to the rank of major-general, and told by Nasser to head the movement.
President Muhammad Naguib
(center) sits beside
Gamal Abdel-Nasser
in this 1953 photograph
Naguib began to clash with members of the of the "free officer" movement over how the Revolution's goals should be implemented. He wanted to phase out the political influence of the military and return the country to civilian rule, believing that the role of the military was not to rule the country, but rather to protect those in power. The army, he thought, could interfere to change a corrupt regime, but then it should withdraw.
The above was an excellent plan. I could have worked and saved Egypt
As Naguib wrote later in his book, Egypt's Fate: "at the age of 36, Abdel-Nasser felt that we could ignore Egyptian public opinion until we had reached our goals, but with the caution of a 53-year-old, I believed that we needed grassroots support for our policies, even if it meant postponing some of our goals. I differed with the younger officers on the means by which to reach our goals, never on the principles."
What a wise man Naguib is!
When I was a kid yet attending elementary school, and like all other kids, I loved this president from so much that I wrote a letter to the "presidency office" expressing my love to my president and requesting a photograph of my hero to be sent to me. Why not, Nasser in my mind then was "a giant who could jump from one bank of the Nile to the other bank in one step". The above photo is exactly the same photo that was sent to me.
Nasser, though a fool as I found out later on, had a charisma. The way he looked, his broad and deep voice, his smile, his gesticulations when he delivered a speech, his emphasis on certain statements, all this just mesmerized the people whenever he delivered a speech. God, I used to be overfilled with pride and love to my country.
Time passed by, and I grew up. Unfolding events in Egypt and the rumors I heard as well as the thing I witnessed; illegal arrests of damn good intellectuals and damn faithful religious people because they opposed the regime; "men-in-black" visits at dawn to some people (people used to say the the "dawn visitors" will come and get you if you do not behave), executions of innocent people arrest on false legal grounds (Sayyed Qutub; a thinker and an intellectual, was executed at dawn).
Sayyid Qutb behind bars in an Egyptian prison.
I have read some of Qutb's works. He is a peaceful intellectual whose views did not please the corrupt regime. He did not deserve to be executed.
Thy corpus of corruption of Nasser's regime revealed itself in 1967 when Egypt was defeated by Israel
Some say
Amer was the victim of conspiracy. I say
he was corrupt and as rotten as a stinky dead rat.
Amer was the victim of conspiracy. I say
he was corrupt and as rotten as a stinky dead rat.
Amer was the commander of the military. Rumers spread around about his sexual affair with Wardah, an Algerian singer; his smoking of "Hashish", etc. After the 1967 defeat which the government called it "setback" (total nonsense. It was a defeat all right, but they would not admit it), Amer was arrested.
One version of the story of Amer's death holds that Amer was approached in his jail cell on September 14 by high-ranking Egyptian officers and was given a choice to remain there and stand trial for treason, which would inevitably have ended with his conviction and execution, or die an honorable death by taking poison. Like Rommel, Amer chose the latter option and received a full military burial. Sadat, who later became President of Egypt, expressed his opinion that if he was in Amer's position, he would have done the same soon after the Six-Day War.
What a rotten history. They were all guilty including Nasser himself.
After Nasser 's death, Sadat became the president. At the beginning, he was nice, and hopes for restoring Sinai were revived, especially when he kept saying "What has been taken by force should be restored by force.". The people, whose pride and dignity were injured, liked that. I had nothing against Sadat at that time until the universities' students demonstrated just a short time before the 1973 war with Israel
I did not know of the demonstration on that day, so I went out with my student-hotel roommate to by some smokes. There we were face to face with the demonstrators being brutally beaten by the "Internal Security Forces" who were known to the nation as the "government's dogs". I managed to avoid being beaten and arrested, but my roommate did not. After the arrest of thousands of students, Sadat delivered a speech in which he warned the students that if he caught any one demonstrating again, he would "mince him". I was shocked, but as it is known about the Egyptian nation: they crack jokes even in the darkest moments; a valve they devised over thousands of years to let steam go, a joke spread a round: "You know what Sadat purchased lately? He purchased a huge mincer to solve his problems".
A week later, my roommate was released. He never lifted his eyes from the floor whenever I talked to him. A feeling of shame overwhelmed him. I never asked him of what happened to him at the prison, though I guessed it. Months later, my roommate confessed to me. During the investigation, he was tortured and a broom stick was inserted into his anus.
On October 1973, the Egyptian army crossed the Suez canal , captured thousands of Israeli soldiers, and Sinai was partially restored. I watched the war day by day on the national TV as I did with 1967 war (the defeat, or the six-day war). Finally, the Egyptian dignity was restored, and the image of the unbeatable Israeli army was blemished.
When Sadat declared that he wanted to end this war peacefully and that he was willing to go to Tell Aviv for negotiations, I supported his initiative. Camp David negotiations in the USA
Sadat and criminal Menachem begin
Afterward, Sadat opted to seek help from the West (thus, replacing a devil by another devil). He also started establishing economic relations with the West by what he called at the time "open-door policy", which, in fact, hurt the Egyptian economy more than it helped it; post-war fat cats class emerged, corruption deepened and favoritism reached its peak.
Sadat started assuming and emphasizing his "paternal" authority to the nation, and gradually became a tyrant. Cunning as a fox, smart as and eagle, wise as an owl, Sadat might have been. But when he started to listen to the West's appraisal of him: man of the hour, man of peace, winner of Nobel prize for peace, handsome, the man who dresses elegantly, etc", he then swallowed the bait and let himself bloat and swell.
Well, this guy was rotten from the very start. He is a servant to his masters in the USA Egypt and Gaza
Mubarak is the third of the Pharaohs. He has been on the throne for so long that he surpassed Pharaoh Ramses II. Under the ruling of this president, Egypt Egypt
Like father like son
Gamal is a few years younger than me. When I was young I was an acting front office manager in a 5-star hotel looking over the Red Sea . There, I saw Gamal accompanied by a few girls (high class Egyptian whores). He and his whores and enough supply of liqueur and hashish spent a few days on one of the islands of the Red Sea . What a groomed president to become! Needles to say that Amer's nephew was the aqua manager at the time. As far as I know, he took care of everything.
In-A-Nutshell
Egypt that was - at one time - the wheat silo of the Romans is dying. 25 years ago when I was there, the Egyptian pound equaled US$ 1.35. Now the US dollar equals approx. 5 Egyptian pounds. Inflation has hit the roof. the Nile is badly polluted. There are shortages of bread, rice and meet (white, red, pork and fish). Poverty is spreading, and of course along with it bribery, corruption and moral decay. Salaries are rarely raised. The gap between the rich and poor extremely widened, and the middle class extremely thinned. The declared total budget of the country is almost the same like the budget of one Canadian province, i.e British Columbia. It is a amazing that people are still living.
Tyrants:
Nasser,
Sadat,
Mubarak
Wake up Egypt from your deep slumber before it is too late.
When it is, the Jews will be breathing over your shoulder in the bedroo, in the kitchen, in the livingroom...everywhere.
What a miserable life that will be!
Nasser,
Sadat,
Mubarak
Wake up Egypt from your deep slumber before it is too late.
When it is, the Jews will be breathing over your shoulder in the bedroo, in the kitchen, in the livingroom...everywhere.
What a miserable life that will be!
salam... syukran awi for ur well written article here.u have open my eyes.
ReplyDeletecurrently i'm studying here at Egypt. since i arrived here 2 years ago, i have seen, heard and felt the up and down side of Cairo.
it is true that egyptian middle class are suffering. food prices are skyrocketing, more and more street beggar, unattended sick peoples,etc...
and i as a foreigner can only pray for Egypt People. May Allah bless us. and May Allah shows 'them' the right way, and lead Egypt to a better future far the egyptians sake.
Ms. Maryam - Thank you very much for your comment. Indicator for a healthy or not healthy society has always been the middle class of the society in issue. Rule of thump: the broader the middle class, the healthier the society is. The thinner, the sicker the society is.
ReplyDeleteI am Egyptian-Canadian who lived in Egypt through the time of the three clowns: Nasser, Sadat, Mubarak. I received my education at Al-Azhar University. Egyptians are humorous, generous and very friendly people. They do not deserve what is happening to them right now. And believe me, it is going to be worse as long as this country is being ruled by military individuals like the three pharaohs who ruled it since 1952.
Assalamu-Alaykum-Wa-Rahmatul-Lahi-Wa-Barakatuh
Maryam: Adding to my response to your comment. I would like to mention that the current Egyptian society has become not only poor and suffering tremendously, but also shapeless and formless (a jelly-like society). political, secularist, religious extremism has grossly increased.
ReplyDeleteDuring the time I lived in Egypt, I never heard of terms like "Transvestite" and "lesbian". homosexuality and moral decay met by extreme reaction of religious people has reached the roof. All is because of poverty and political corruption and the wide spreading of the INTERNET and Satellite TV.
Technology, like anything else, is a double-edged weapon (good and bad). Hence Muslims should make sure that both wings (technology and religion) are flapping in harmony with each other, otherwise if one is faster than the other, the corpus of the society will be flying in a vicious circle, never zoom up in the sky, but fall down.
Bless you...Wassalamu-Alaykum.
Ms. Maryam: Adding to my response to your comment. I would like to mention that the current Egyptian society has become not only poor and suffering tremendously, but also shapeless and formless (a jelly-like society). political, secularist, religious extremism has grossly increased. During the time I lived in Egypt, I never heard of words like "Transvestite" and "lesbian". homosexuality has increased and moral decay met by extreme reaction of religious people hit the roof. All is because of poverty, political corruption and the wide spreading of the INTERNET and Satellite TV.
ReplyDeleteIn fact technology, like anything else, is a double-edged weapon (good and bad). Hence Muslims should make sure that both wings (technology and religion) are flapping in harmony with each other, otherwise if one is faster than the other (not in Sync.), the corpus of the society will be flying in vicious circles, never fly up in the sky, but fall down.
Bless you...Wassalamu-Alaykum.