War by Revolution. Germany and Great Britain in the Middle East in the Era of World War I

92 WARBYREVOLUTION

InEgypt,Maxwell,theBritishcommander,callednearlyfivehun-
dredshaykhstoCairo,whereaccordingto areportoftheEgyptian
interiorministry,"theyprofessedferventexpressionsofloyalty"to
thegovernment.MaxwellforcedthefewshaykhstheBritishmis-
trustedtoswearloyaltyontheKoranandconfinedotherstotheir
residences.v'IntheregionoftheSuezCanalaspecialBritishinspec-
tor,assistedby asecretserviceoffaithfulBedouins,keptwatchover
localArabchiefs.
On 2 November,afternewsthatthekhedive,fromConstantinople,
hadaskedEgyptianstoopposetheBritisharmies,Maxwellproclaimed
martiallaw.Thegovernmentbannedseditiousliterature,closedthe
DeutscheOrientbank,anddeportedtoMaltanearlyfourhundred
moreGermanandAustro-Hungariancitizens,alongwithforty-nine
TurksandsixteenEgyptians.Further,thegovernmentarrestedsev-
eralhundredknownandsuspectedTurkish,khedivial,andnational-
istagitators,andforcedtheleadingprincesofthefamilyoftheab-
sentkhedive-MuhammadAli (AbbasHilmi'sbrother)andAziz
Hassan-toleavethecounrry.v
Toreducetheshockoftheseeventsonpublicopinion,theBritish
inEgyptwaitednearlysix weeks tomakethemoststunningchanges
inresponsetoTurkey'sdeclarationofwar.Thusitwasnotuntil 18
Decemberthat,asnotedabove, theymadeEgyptaprotectorateof
Britainannouncingthenextdaythattheyhaddeposedthekhedive,
AbbasHilmi(forhaving"adheredtotheKing'senemies"),andrais-
inghisuncle,HusaynKamilPasha,a loyalsupporterofBritain,to a
newsulranare,«ThesemovesofficiallyendedTurkishsuzeraintyover
Egypt,bywhichthecaliphhadappointedtheEgyptianruler;hence-
forthaChristianpowergovernedEgyptandnameditsmonarch.
Meanwhile,on 16 November,theIndiantroopsdestinedforthe
defenseofEgyptreachedSuez; two weekslater,AustrialianandNew
Zealandforcesarrived.TwoIndiandivisions,as well asBritishartil-
lerybrigadesandabatteryoftheEgyptianarmy,nowguardedthe
canal.Warshipsinthecanal,however,actingasfloatingbatteries,
providedthemainartillerydefense.ToassisttheBritishagainstdis-
contentamongtheMuslimIndianforces,Cairoarrangedforthepro-
BritishIndianprince,AgaKhan,tovisitEgypt,speaktothetroops,
andproclaimthattheOttomanjihadhadfallenonstonyground.^9 \