Word: farouk
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...start of World War II, fat, frisky young King Farouk I of Egypt suffered from nightmares in which he was chased by an angry lion. Haggard from loss of sleep, Farouk sought counsel of crabbed, pro-Axis Sheik Mustafa El-Maraghi, rector of the ancient Moslem University of El-Azhar. "You will not rest until you have shot a lion," said El-Maraghi. Thereupon the king went to the zoo and shot two lions in their cage. The nightmares continued. "Young fool," said El-Maraghi, "I spoke in symbols-the lion that has been chasing you is Britain...
Apocryphal or not, Egyptians say this story explains why Farouk has no love for the British, why last week pro-British Prime Minister Sirry Pasha was ousted and the Government turned over to Farouk's old enemy. Nahas Pasha, and his rabidly nationalistic WAFD Party. Officially the crisis was caused by El-Azhar University student riots (and Farouk's anger at not being informed) when diplomatic relations were broken with Vichy. But the basic causes for the changes in the Government were more deeply rooted...
...next breath, he promised the British strict adherence to the 1936 Anglo-Egyptian Pact (making Egypt and Britain wartime allies) which Nahas Pasha, accompanied by the wealthy, plump young bride he married late in life, signed personally in London. This done, he called an election, remembering that in 1937, Farouk's electioneers had slugged and cheated him out of office...
...Nahas Pasha thus to return was gall to Farouk. But there is a proverb in the Near East which says: "A dog does not bite another dog from the same neighborhood." Farouk has shouted "Egypt for the Egyptians" as loudly as any of Nahas Pasha's fellahin. And while the fellahin have been influenced by Axis propaganda describing pro-British Egyptians as "Pasha Pigface" and "Pasha Fathead," Farouk has heeded Italian advisers and Axis promises of a "new order" of freedom...
...making of peace between Farouk and Nahas was a sure sign that Egyptian nationalism was rising again-timed to embarrass Britain when her hands were busy holding off an Axis invasion. The British Middle East Command, never knowing when to expect an Axis drive through Turkey and down through Syria, was weakened by the withdrawal of Australian troops to Singapore. Reported movements of new Axis troops in the Balkans and German airmen in lower Italy hinted at a big offensive if & when Rommel plows through Cyrenaica...