Evening star., 1923-05-13
Widow of Former Khedive of Egypt
Is Permitted to Return From Exile

canal. But the English authorities at
cairo We're always aware that the
hhediviah remained iil-disrosed to-
wards them. and there is no doubt
that the persistent hostility which
her Son Abbas displayed throughout
his reign to Great Britain and which
led to his deposition in 1914. was
largely due to the maternal influence.
!: x 4 !,
1t has been pleaded in her behalf
that she had disapproved of her sons
conduct both prior and during the
great war, that she had quarreled
with him-ffrst of all. on account of
lis disSraceful elevation of the
notorious hungarian Countess Toe
, rock. to the rank of his second wife
after she had lived with him openly
at Cairo for a couple of years as his
mistress (she has since left him). and
also that she had violently opposed
his action in siding with Germany
against the powers Of the entente.
and in so publicly associating him
self with the infamous Levantine
adeenturer, Bolo Pasha, in espionage
work in behalf of Germany, accepting
large sums from Berlin for the pur-
pose.
But there are many proofs which
couid be produced of the fact that
She IS still on the most cordial, and
even affectionate, terms with ey
khedlve Abbas, who makes his home
at Lausanne. in Switzerland, which is
about the only country willing to
allow him to enjoy refuge within its
borders.
The khediviah Animal in her
younger days was a very handsome
woman of rather portly type and of
classic features and possessed of
much stately dignity. But now. in
her old age, she is terribly obese and
her health is wrecked and her spirit
broken by her infirmities.
When her eldest son succeeded IA
his fathers throne she determined to
dominate him as she had dominated
his father, and with the object of
averting any wifely influence. she
chose from her own slaves a particu-
larly beautiful Circassian odalisone.
almost wholly uneducated to serve
as his concubine. Her name was
Ikbal. She succeeded in winning tha
aHectlon of khedive Abbas IN an
aitogether exceptional degree. and
when she presented him with a very
pretty little baby girl. now TWENTY
eight years of age, he contracted a
legal marriage with her a. week later
raising her thereby to the rank of
khediviah. 1t was not until two wears
later that the exkhedive realized
that TINS eldest daughter, a child of
altogether remarkable beauty. and Idol
ized py her parents, was both deaf and
dumo, but in the meanwhile other chill
dren mad come along, and their birth
served to still further unite the ma :
rents, until the influence of Khedivia h
Ikbal over her husband became su-
perfor to that of his mother.
X X x y
The latter deeply resented this and
it was in order to punish her former
slave, Ikbal, for her insolence in
usurping such a position that the old
khediviah tolerated, even if she did
not actually promote, his temporary
infatuation for the Hungarian Count
ess Toeroek, who became a convert
to Islam in order to qualify herself
for the dignity of wifehood. So. that
on the whole. the influence exercised
by the old khediviah mother, Animal
Hanem, upon the affairs of the Me-
hemet Ali dynasty. and upon those
or Egypt. throughout the last forty
years. cannot be said to have bepn nj
a fortunate character. fact which
maybe Will be brought home to her
now that she, has returned home to
Egypt doomed by reason of her r,n.
ditlon of health to AM early death.