Saad Zaghloul

Saad Zaghloul was an important leader in Egypt. He worked to help Egypt become independent from British rule.

Zaghloul was born in July 1857 and died in August 1927. He led a peaceful movement called civil disobedience to fight for Egypt's freedom. Zaghloul was the leader of the Wafd Party. This group wanted Egypt and Sudan to govern themselves.

His efforts were important during the Egyptian Revolution of 1919. This helped Britain recognize Egypt's independence in 1922. Zaghloul also served as the Prime Minister of Egypt for a short time from January 1924 until November 1924. His work remains an important part of Egypt's history.

Education, activism and exile

Saad Zaghloul was born in a village called Ibyanah in the Kafr el-Sheikh Governorate in Egypt's Nile Delta. He studied at Al-Azhar University and a French law school in Cairo.

As a lawyer, Zaghloul became well-known and respected. He also understood the traditions and ways of speaking from the Egyptian countryside.

In 1918, Zaghloul started a group called the Wafd Party to help Egypt become independent. For this, he was later arrested by the authorities.

Rise in the bureaucracy

After leaving prison, Saad Zaghloul became a lawyer and became well-known. He used his own money to help in Egyptian politics when people were opposing British rule. He made important friends among many Egyptian groups. He married the daughter of the Egyptian prime minister, Mustafa Fahmi Pasha, which helped him be accepted by British leaders in Egypt.

Zaghloul had several important jobs. These included being a judge, minister of education from 1906 to 1908, and minister of justice from 1910 to 1912. In 1913, he became vice-president of the Legislative Assembly. In each job, he made changes that were fair to both Egyptians and the British. Even though the British accepted him, he stayed respected by other Egyptians. During and after the Great War, the relationship between Britain and Egypt continued to get worse.

Exile

Saad Zaghloul worked to help Egypt and Sudan become independent. In 1919, he led a group to the Paris Peace Conference to ask the United Kingdom to recognize Egypt's and Sudan's independence. Britain had controlled the country since 1882.

When Britain asked Zaghloul to stop his political activities, he refused. The British exiled him to Malta and later to the Seychelles. In 1922, he was moved to Gibraltar because of health issues and was released in 1923. Despite rules to stop communication, Zaghloul found ways to write letters to people back home.

Political history

When Saad Zaghloul was away from Egypt, it caused unrest in the country, which led to the Egyptian Revolution of 1919. After he returned, Zaghloul led the nationalist movement. His efforts helped the Wafd Party win most seats in elections on January 12, 1924. Soon after, Zaghloul became the head of the first government led by the Wafd Party.

Later, after an important person named Sir Lee Stack was killed on November 19, 1924, Zaghloul decided to step down from his position. Even though he did not lead the government again, he stayed a very important and respected leader until he passed away in 1927.

Family

Saad Zaghloul's wife, Safiya Khānūm, was the daughter of Mustafa Fahmi Pasha, a key leader in the government of Egypt. She was known for her work in politics and helping people have equal rights.

Zaghloul's brother, Ahmad Fathy Zaghlul, was a lawyer who worked in many important jobs. He helped at a special court meeting in 1906 about the Denshawai Incident.

Both Saad Zaghloul and his wife are buried together in a special building called Beit El-Umma in Cairo.

Timeline

Saad Zaghloul was born in 1857 into a middle-class family in Ibaynah, near the Nile River. He studied at Al-Azhar and the Egyptian School of Law. In 1892, he became a judge, and in 1906, he led the Ministry of Education.

During World War I, Zaghloul and others worked to help Egypt become independent from British rule. In 1918, he asked the British to let Egypt join peace talks after the war, but they refused. In 1919, he was sent away from Egypt but later returned. He kept working to help Egypt gain independence. In 1922, Egypt gained some independence. Zaghloul became Prime Minister in 1924 after his group won most of the election seats, but he had to leave office later that year. He passed away in Cairo on August 23, 1927.

Death

Saad Zaghloul passed away in Cairo on August 23, 1927. He was buried in the tombs of Imam Al-Shafi'i. Later, his remains were moved to a special mausoleum built for him in 1936.