The New Student's Reference Work/Arabi Pasha

Ara'bi Pasha' (ä-rä' bē pä-shä'), the leader of the Egyptian rebellion of 1882, was born in Egypt about 1835. His father was a farm laborer. He had no schooling when a boy, but afterward learned to read and write Arabic. He was for 12 years a private soldier in the Egyptian army, then rose to be colonel, minister of war and pasha. Previous to his day a great deal of money had been borrowed, and the Khédive had promised all Egypt to the bondholders. The people, however, refused to pay the taxes. Hence, England and France interfered, and the Khédive was obliged to fill all positions of trust with foreigners. Arabi now proclaimed to the troops that he was inspired by the prophet to undertake a holy mission, the motto of which was, "Egypt for the Egyptians," and he thus became the leader of a great rebellion. A massacre by his forces at Alexandria soon followed. The English came to the help of the Khédive, and their fleet bombarded and dismantled the forts at Alexandria. The war lasted but a few months, Arabi's army being entirely defeated at Tel-el-Kebir, September 13, 1882, by the English under General (now Viscount) Wolseley. Arabi soon after surrendered, and was condemned to death. His sentence, however, was commuted to exile for life, and he was sent to Ceylon. In 1901 his banishment ceased and he was made a pensioner of the British Crown.