SIRDAR’S MURDER

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 31 December 1924, Page 5

SIRDAR’S MURDER

SEVERAL SUSPEjCITB RELEASED,

FORMER MINISTERS REMANDED

WARNING TO STUDENTS. BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYEIGHT, Received Dec. '3l, 10.35 a.m. CAIRO, Dec. 30. Ten more men who were arrested in connection with the Sirdar’s murder have been released, two of whom are deputies and leaders of the so-called Students’ Army. The Court of Enquiry,. however, remanded Abdelrahman Fahmy, the organiser of the notorious Vengeance Society, who was imprisoned in 1921, and Nokrashibey, Under-Secretary of the Interior in the Zaghloulist Government. It has prohibited students who are nan-voters from in any way participating in the forthcoming election campaign.

WHAT IS THE SIRDAR?

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

The picturesque title of “Sirdar,” the assassination of whose holder, Sir Lee Stack, has created the present Egyptian crisis, holds all the romance of Arabian Nights and Persian history. Its meaning is literally “Commander”. or “Leader.” Long before the stern Kitchener invested the office with a touch of the terrible, Persian “Sardars” had led their bands of dashing horsemen into battle. The Sirdar is Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in Egypt. The history of the creation of ‘the office, or rather its recreation, is one of the most fascinating in that long series of incidents .where the cruel, barbaric insolence of the East came into contact, with the cold, relentless necessities of the British race and was forced to submit itself to rule and reason.

It was in Ismail’s reign, which ended in 1879, that .the first: Khedive was appointed by the Sultan. In. his predecessor’s reign the concession for the canal was granted, in spite of British opposition, to De Lessens—a triumph of French negotiations. Ismail leaned more to the British, and his government departments were reorganised by English officials. He cared little what happened so long ae wealth could be extracted from the wretched fellahin.

Suddenly came chaos, and with' it England’s opportunity: Ismail went bankrupt, and sold to the British Government 176,000 canal shares. This small transaction paved the way for Egypt’s future prosperity; It first brought about a dual control by Franc© and England for two years. At the end of that time a revolt under Arabi found the French unprepared to take any part in suppressing disorder. Thenceforth England governed alone. In suppressing the trouble she; was forced to occupy Egypt, the present of the British army being the big stick that kept the Egyptians tranquil, while Lord Cromer brought into operation his amazing system of reforms. The first English Sirdar was appointed at this time.

Constantly the Khedives secretly instigated opposition by the native press and stirred up rebellion, while maintaining hypocritical friendship for England. At first the Sudan was left out of account in British operation, owing to disruption, but in 1889 an agreement was signed, and the then Sirdar, Sir Reginald Wingate, who succeeded Kitchener, became Governor-General. The real feeling in Egypt, is conditioned by religious fanaticism, which co-exists with warm /admiration for the good wrought by Britain. The native writer of a letter to Lord Cromer admits this, hut says, “Every Moslem hears only the cry of the Faith. Though the Khalif were hapless as Bayezid, cruel as Murid, or mad as Ibrahim, he is the shadow of God, and everv Moslem must leap to his call.”