King Abdulaziz had always counseled his sons to keep their bridges with Egypt well maintained, says Prince Muhammad Al-Faisal, in his memoirs. The founder of Saudi Arabia also asked late King Farouk to take care of his sons, after he passed away. In his last years, the Saudi leader expected the young Egyptian King would last long enough after him. As it turned out, he stood witness as King Farouk lost his throne in an army coup. The new rulers, the “Free Officers,” led by Gen. Mohammed Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser, came to Taif to greet the king and affirm the bonds between the two countries. He gave his blessing, but affirmed that Saudi Arabia will be faithful to Farouk and support him and his family in exile.
Relations with Egypt have gone through the stages of bittersweet. During King Fouad, father of Farouk, reign, there was a sour incident. The caravan of “Al-Mahmal” that used to carry the holy Kaaba cover from Cairo all the way to Makkah, via Madinah and Jeddah, was to collide with King Abdulaziz Salafi warriors, the “Ikhwan,” in the holy place of Mina, during Haj. It was Saudi Arabia's first managed Haj after their occupation of Hijaz region, in 1925. The holy warriors couldn't accept military music in the holiest place on earth, played by the army band, accompanying the caravan.
The Egyptian officers, on the other hand, wouldn't acknowledge the Saudi authority. They almost fought over this incident, if it wasn't for young Prince (King) Faisal, the second son of King Abdulaziz and his Deputy in Makkah, who rushed on his horse to stand between the two armies and resolve the issue.
The incident affected Saudi-Egyptian relations for years to come, as Saudi Arabia insisted that their land was safe enough to send the Haj caravan without armed protection, and the Egyptians insisted that the century-old tradition must continue.
Finally, famous Egyptian businessman, Talaat Harb, was sent to Makkah to mend relations. He succeeded in rebuilding the bridges King Abdulaziz was so keen on preserving. King Farouk was hosted in Saudi Arabia, and King Abdulaziz, was welcomed in Egypt twice—his only visits abroad.
Decades later, relations soured again as a result of the Egyptian military intervention in Yemen, 1963. The Jeddah Agreement signed by King Faisal and Nasser, in 1965, ended the sour issue, but didn't warm the relations.
After 1967 Arab War with Israel, and King Faisal's historical stand in the Arab Summit in Khartoum, that year, in support of Egypt, Jordan and Syria, the relations took off to great heights. President Sadat, who took over after Nasser's death in 1970, strengthened the relations further to include military alliance. The fruits of this cooperation resulted in the first Arab victory against Israel, October, 1973.
Once again, the relations took a wrong turn after Sadat's historical visit to Israel that resulted in the Camp David Accords, 1979. Two years later, the bridges were repaired again during the reign of President Mubarak (1981-2011).
During all these eras, and through the sweet and sour times, the strong relations between the people on both sides of the Red Sea were never affected. Since the marriage of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to Egyptian Coptic, Maria, and after Egypt became part of the Muslim Caliphate during the era of Caliph Omar, and later during the Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid and the Ottoman rules, the cohesion between the Holy Lands and the most powerful, enlightened and populist Arab country were so strong and vital to weather occasional storms and setbacks.
Today, this alliance is the underpinning of Arab nationalism, and at the heart of the Islamic ummah. King Abdullah's support of Egypt during its most recent turmoil, after the so called “Arab Spring,” and King Salman's steadfast stand with the new leadership of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, is weatherproofed against the attempts of the enemies of Arab alliance and stooges of Iran in the region.
Still, we need to be fully aware of and be prepared for conspiracy and conspirators. The remittance of the ugly past and the merchants of hate and divisions are still trying to seed “fitnah” between us.
Thanks to the wisdom of the leaders of the two countries, who proved once again that they are way above media controversies. The latest visit of Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister, sent a strong message to all that Saudi Arabia and Egypt are the wings of the Arab world, and they will keep flying.
We, in the media, need to do our part, too. Emotionally-loaded criticism against the other government and leaders will only heighten tension and widen gaps. Constructive opinions, even if critical, are what we dearly need.
Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him at Twitter:@kbatarfi
