A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Friday, February 15, 2013

Muhammad Naguib and His Dog, in the Former President's Last Days

Naguib as President
We've talked before about Egypt's first President, Muhammad Naguib; after Gamal Abdel Nasser supplanted him in 1954 he became a nonperson, under house arrest for years; though he was allowed to re-emerge under Anwar Sadat, though he remained in obscurity while Sadat was President. After Mubarak came to power in 1981, he emerged more publicly, publishing a memoir in 1984, the year he died. Today he is honored as the least authoritarian of Egypt's first four Presidents, and a Metro subway station was named for him, though a local one,while Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak got major hub stations. (Mubarak station is now called Martyrs' station.) Above is a photo I hadn't seen of Naguib in old age, with his dog.

I knew there was something I liked about Naguib. He's a dog guy.


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