The First Couple

Many people believe that King Farouk and Queen Farid of Egypt were the first Couple that the Egyptian public fell in love with. Well it is true that they fell in love with that young misfortune couple , in fact they still love them after all those year.

But historically they were not the first couple because they were preceded by Saad and Safia Zaglol ; the leader of the nation and the mother of Egyptians.

Born in 1878 for a rich aristocratic family, Safia Mustafa Fahmi was assumed to have a different future. No ever imagined that the daughter of an aristocratic family would marry an Egyptian with peasant roots even if he was educated in France and his brother was a Pro-British occupation supporter , even if Princesses from the Royal family were mad about him “Nazli Fadel”. Still the girl with smiling eyes surprised everybody and she did it, she married that Egyptian with dark skin.

But this was not her latest surprises because no one ever imagined that the daughter of Mustafa Pasha Fahmi , the well known pro-British occupation Prime minister was going to be the wife of the leader of the nation that stood against the British occupation , in fact she herself stood against the British occupation during Saad’s exile refusing the offer of the British commissioner Edmund Allenby to travel with her husband in exile insisting to stay in Egypt in order to fight the British. Safia did not only love her husband but she believed in his cause , not because it was his cause but it was his country’s cause.

Safia who did not have any Children became “mother of Egyptians” up till now , a title that preceded all other titles like the first lady and the mother of heroes “Jihan Al-Sadat”. The story of that title started with the first statement by her name she released that the house of Saad despite his absence was open and she was the mother of all Egyptians. Yet it became a well accepted that the Egyptians were the one who gave her that title in the same way that they forgot that she was the daughter of Mustafa Fahmi and Saad Zaglol brother was that cruel judge in the Donshawy  trial. 

Safia is considered a revolutionist feminist in Egypt still I believe she was more a revolutionist politician than a feminist.

Safia may not have had children of her own yet there were two particular twin she raised who played a very important role in the history of journalism and politics not only in Egypt but in the Arab world in the 20th century : The Amin brothers “Mustafa and Ali”. Mustafa and Ali Amin were her nephews and she loved them so much. Mustafa Amin’s eldest daughter was named after by the way and currently Safia Amin is very active in charity works.

Safia was the mother of Egyptians indeed and she continued contributing in the political arena in Egypt after her husband's death for decades. It was noticed that her popularity was big that there was a perfume produced by her name “Safia Zaglol’s perfume”  !! Um Kalthoum herself was promoting for that perfume.

I would dare and say that before Queen Farida Safia Zaglol was actually the first lady of the nation and I believe that no other first lady after those ladies whether Safia or Farida had left a remark in the hearts of the Egyptians up till now and here I am speaking about love ,the pure love.

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