362 Resisting Publics
Nationalism and assassination
The murder of Prime Minister Boutros Ghali Pasha in Cairo on
20 February 1910 shocked a country that had not seen a political assas-
sination in generations, despite the living memory of an armed revolu-
tion.^7 Egyptians had only recently begun discussing political issues pub-
licly after two decades of relative silence following the exile of many of
the popular leaders following the British occupation of the country in
- The first political parties had just been formed in 1907 and public
opinion was still divided over what attitude to take towards the occupy-
ing power that claimed to have brought economic and social prosperity
to the masses through efficient and uncorrupt governance. Many of the
middle and upper classes recalled that Britain had claimed the occupation
would be temporary when they marched into the country a generation
ago, and the Dinshaway incident of 1906 had legitimized many nationalist
complaints about the British.^8 Furthermore, the relatively young khedive
[viceroy] was anxious to expand his power and autonomy over what was
legally his own kingdom. In his ambitions, however, he was engaged in a
love-hate relationship with the nationalist movement, which also wished
to see British control over the country terminated but which called for a
constitution and a form of representative government that would result in
a limited monarchy.
n the midst of this, Boutros Ghali, an elder statesman who had sur-I
vived the vagaries of Egyptian politics for decades, was chosen as a com-
promise candidate to serve as prime minister and mediate between the
Khedive and the British Consul. Ghali had alienated many young nation-
alists by accepting the portfolio of Prime Minister under the extreme
limitations imposed upon Parliament. Further, as one of three judges, he
voted for the harsh punishments meted out during the Dinshaway trials.
When he argued for the unpopular extension of the Suez Canal conces-
sion, the Nationalist (Watani) Party’s papers were extremely critical of not
just the concession but the Prime Minister himself. The fact that he was
a Copt [Egyptian Christian] also played a part in popular resentment,
as many Muslims felt that the British authorities favored Christians in
government appointments. When Ghali was shot by a Muslim Watanist,
many interpreted the motive as religious hatred as well as nationalist fer-
vor, despite the complete lack of evidence of religious bigotry.