The Iron Guard of Egypt was a secret pro-
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
* Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...
society and
royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...
political movement formed in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
in the early 1930s
and used by
King Farouk
Farouk I (; ar, فاروق الأول ''Fārūq al-Awwal''; 11 February 1920 – 18 March 1965) was the tenth ruler of Egypt from the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and the Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1 ...
for personal and political vendettas.
The guard was involved in attacks on Farouk's declared enemies,
operating with a license to kill, and is believed to have taken orders from Farouk personally.
Its other functions included protecting Farouk, serving as a
special operations
Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
force, and gathering military intelligence.
History and members
Thought to have been formed during the 1930s by
Aribert Heim
Aribert Ferdinand Heim (28 June 191410 August 1992), also known as Dr. Death and Butcher of Mauthausen, was an Austrian ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) doctor. During World War II, he served at the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in Mauthausen, killin ...
(this claim is backed by the appearance of the Iron Guard of Palestine and the
Iron Guard of Romania in the same time period),
It was made up mostly of army officers and was connected to the
Free Officers, a secret military group.
[Political Assassination in Egypt, 1910-1954 DM Reid - International Journal of African Historical Studies, 1982 - JSTOR](_blank)
/ref> The Iron Guard ceased operations in 1952.Anwar Sadat
Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat, (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 ...
.Political Leaders of the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa: A Biographical Dictionary, Bernard Reich, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1990 Page 454
/ref> Another leader was Captain Mustafa Kamil Sidqi.[ :ar:الحرس الحديدي] Nahed Rashad,
Actions
The Iron Guard's acts of political violence in Egypt included the assassinations of Amin Othman, a former finance minister, in 1944; of Rafik al-Tarzi in 1945;Hassan al-Banna
Sheikh Hassan Ahmed Abdel Rahman Muhammed al-Banna ( ar, حسن أحمد عبد الرحمن محمد البنا; 14 October 1906 – 12 February 1949), known as Hassan al-Banna ( ar, حسن البنا), was an Egyptian schoolteacher and imam, b ...
in 1949.Mustafa el-Nahhas
Mostafa el-Nahhas Pasha or Mostafa Nahas ( ar, مصطفى النحاس باشا; June 15, 1879 – August 23, 1965) was an Egyptian politician who served as the Prime Minister for five terms.
Early life, education and exile
He was born in ...
.
References
Further reading
*''The Game of Nations: The Amorality of Power Politics'', New York: Simon & Schuster, 1970
External links
End of Iron Guard of Egypt
{{Authority control
Farouk of Egypt
Organizations established in the 1930s
1930s establishments in Egypt
Organizations disestablished in 1952
1952 disestablishments in Egypt