Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed
Encyclopedia
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
(ˈæħmæd ˈlotˤfi (ʔe)sˈsæjjed; 15 January 1872-1963) was an Egyptian
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
intellectual, anti-colonial activist, the first director of Cairo University
Cairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
. He was an influential person in the Egyptian Nationalist movement and used his position in the media to strive and gain an independent Egypt from British rule. He was also one of the architects of modern Egyptian nationalism
Egyptian nationalism
Egyptian nationalism is an ideology that rose to prominence in Egypt before the British occupation to Egypt.- History :It is first used to refer to the native officers’ movement, led by Col. Ahmad ‘Urâbî, against Egyptian government policies that favored officers of Turkish, Circassian , or other...
as well as the architect of Egyptian secularism
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
and liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
. He was fondly known as the Professor of the Generation. He was one of the fiercest opponents of pan-Arabism
Pan-Arabism
Pan-Arabism is an ideology espousing the unification--or, sometimes, close cooperation and solidarity against perceived enemies of the Arabs--of the countries of the Arab world, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea. It is closely connected to Arab nationalism, which asserts that the Arabs...
, insisting that Egyptians are Egyptians and not Arabs. He is considered one of the most influential scholars and intellectuals in the history of Egypt.
Early Life
Lutfi was born in the rural village of Berqin, near Al Senbellawein in the Dakahlia GovernorateDakahlia Governorate
Dakahlia Governorate is an Egyptian governorate lying north east of Cairo. Its area is about 3,500 km² and it has a population of about 5 million. The capital is Mansoura.-Overview:...
on 15 January 1872. He was educated in the traditional kuttāb, a government school in Manṣūra, the Khedivial Secondary School in Cairo and the School of Law in Cairo. While at law school, Al-Sayyid made contacts with influential people such as Muhammad Abduh
Muhammad Abduh
Muhammad Abduh was an Egyptian jurist, religious scholar and liberal reformer, regarded as the founder of Islamic Modernism...
and Hassuna al-Nawawi. Abduh played a pivotal role in Lutfi's experience with his reformist movement as well as his ideology concerning politics.
Writings and Scholarly Work
After graduating from the law school, Lutfi entered the legal department of government services and worked there until 1905, then under the British administration of Lord Cromer. After his work there, Lutfi became editor-in-chief of a newspaper called al-Jarida in 1907. The paper was prominent for writing enlightened and liberal materials and attracted the attention of many liberal activists. The writings Lutfi composed for the al-Djarida during his time as editor-in-chief are considered his most important and influential works. He described in his newsletter liberal beliefs about the freedom of Egypt and how people must stand up take action. It was because of these liberal views Lutfi created such a name for himself within the media and government of Egypt.Dinshaway Incident
The Dinshaway incident was a violent clash that occurred in June 1906 between Egyptian peasants in the village of Dinshaway and British soldiers who were pigeon hunting in the area. The British had occupied Egypt in 1882 and used British soldiers to help put down the Urabi Rebellion, an Egyptian constitutionalist movement. On June 13, 1906 five British officers were hunting for pigeons in the village of Dinshaway, an area that needs approval from a headsman in order to hunt. The hunt was approved but the headsman was not present on the hunt with the officers. While on the hunt, a village floor caught fire causing angry peasants to surround the officers, when the officers’ rifles were shot injuring four of the villagers. This resulted in the attack and robbing of the officers involved with the hunt. After the incident, fifty-two villagers were arrested for crimes of violence against British officers. The trial for the villagers was administered by none other than Ahmed Lutfi-al Sayyid. With his position as editor-in-chief of the al-Djarida, Lutfi was able to spread word quickly of the incident and the treatment and violence directed towards the villagers. He participated as attorney in the trial after finding out that his daughter was directly involved, which prompted Lutfi to take action. A statement by Lutfi describing the brutality of the incident read, “They fell upon Dinshwai, and spared neither man nor his brother. Slowly they hanged the one and flogged the other.” It was the Dinshwai incident which triggered the creation of the first Egyptian political party created by Lutfi.Hizbal-Umma
In 1907, after the Dinshaway Incident, Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed founded EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
's first political party, el-Umma (the Nation), which came as a reaction to the 1906 Dinshaway Incident and the rise of Egyptian nationalist sentiment. Lutfi's earlier work with the al-Jarida helped his cause from the numerous writings he published in the paper along with his gaining support upon the Dinshwai incident. His involvement during this time is considered to be one of the most pivotal roles in the evacuation of British forces in the twentieth century. It was also in 1907 that Lutfi published the al-Jarida a collection of his own nationalist ideas and opinions on political issues, whose statement of purpose read: "Al-Jarida is a purely Egyptian party which aims to defend Egyptian interests of all kinds." Lutfi introduced to the Arab public the ideas of British philosopher and economist John Stuart Mill during this time and Mill’s definition of liberalism.
Intellectual Contribution
Ahmed Lutfi al-Sayyid was an outright liberalist and believed in equality and rights for all people. Lutfi's contribution to Egypt in terms of intellectual ideas and movements redefined history in Egypt. He was considered one of the first Egyptian officials to introduce Mill’s works and reading to the general Arab public so they could educate themselves on liberalist concepts. He believed that people should have a say in what goes on in their government and country, and that all people had certain civil rights that could not be taken away. He was a staunch emphasizer of anti-colonialism and the negative effects it has on countries, which is what led to him being such an active member of the anti-British involvement in Egypt. He also took a strong stance against the Pan-Arabism view that was held during that time which emphasized a unification of all Arab countries and people into on entity. He believed that Egyptians were different from Arabs and had their own separate beliefs and cultural aspects.Later Years
In 1915, Lutfi was appointed as director of the National Library of Egypt. While working for the library, Lutfi did a substantial amount of work including translations from Aristotle through the French versions. He was a member of the Egyptian delegation to the Paris Peace ConferenceParis Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
held in Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
in 1919, where he pleaded for the independence of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
from Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
.Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed was also the first director of the Egyptian University
Cairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
, inaugurated on Monday 11 May 1925. He was a close friend of Taha Hussein, and resigned his post as university director as a protest against the Egyptian government's decision to transfer Hussein from his university position in 1932. He resigned again in 1937 when the Egyptian police broke into the court of the Egyptian University
Cairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
. During his presidency of the Egyptian University
Cairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
, the first promotion of females graduated with a university degree.
In addition, Ahmed Lutfi el-Sayed held various positions such as the minister of education, the minister of interior, the director of the Arabic language assembly
Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo
The Academy of the Arabic Language is an academy in Cairo founded in 1934 in order to develop and regulate the Arabic language in The Republic of Egypt.- External links :*...
, a member of the senate, and the director of House of Books. He died in 1963.