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

MUSLIMUNRESTANDGERMANSUPPORT 23

nationin1907,hissuccessorinCairo,SirEldonGorst,attemptedto
bluntthenationalistreactionagainstCromer'scoercivetacticsby
pursuingapolicyofreconciliationwiththekhediveandbyliberaliz-
ingBritishcontrolofEgypt.Gorst,muchtothechagrinoftheGer-
mans,discouragedAbbasHilmi'sfriendshipwiththenationalists,
whowereplaguedbyinternaldivisions,andexploitedtheirdiffer-
encesovertheformofEgyptiangovernmenttheywantedtoreplace
Britishrule."
Theextremenationalistparty,whichthekhedivehadpreviously
supported,wasledafter 1908 byMustafaKamil'ssuccessor,thefiery
pan-IslamistShaykhAbdal-Azizal-Iawish,andMuhammadFarid.
BothjawishandFarid,inspiredbyEuropeanideasofliberty,argued
fortheimmediateforcibleremovalofBritishrulefromEgyptand
reestablishmentofTurkishsovereignty,basedonthespiritual-reli-
gioushegemonyofthesultan.Butanewandmoremoderatena-
tionalistparty,whichincludedAhmadLutfial-Sayyid,hadnosym-
pathyforthekhediveortheOttomans,callinginsteadforthegradual
creationofaliberalEuropean-styleconstitutionandparliamentary
regime."
Theprogramsofeachnationalistgroupthreatenedthekhedive's
positionandfamilyasmuchormorethantheydidtheBritishoccu-
pation.Thecocky, arrogant,andautocraticAbbasHilminotonly
opposedBritishruleandanEgyptianparliamentarygovernmentbut
rejectedeffortsbytheTurkstoreassertthesultan'srightsofowner-
shipover Egypt. Aspartofhisanti-Turkishpolicyhehadsince 1895
supportedtheideaofreplacingtheOttomancaliphatewithan Arab
one,makinghimselfcaliph.Less for nationalistthanforpersonal
anddynasticreasons,AbbasHilmipromotedhisandEgypt'sclaims
toleadershipoftheArabworldandalsoCairo'ssuitabilityto bethe
seatofthenewcaliphate."
Butit isunlikelythatOppenheim'stie tothenationalistsandthe
khedivewerethemainreasontheBritishcalledhim"theKaiser's
spy."Instead,itwasbecauseofhiscontactswithothergroupsand
individuals.Theseincluded,first, a circleofArabs,Syrians,andTurks
whohadbeenenemiesofAbdul-HamidandfledfromTurkeyto
Cairo;andsecond,representativesintheEgyptiancapitaloftheLibyan
religiousorder,theSanussis.?