Gamal Salem
Encyclopedia
Gamal Salem was an Egyptian Air Force
officer and political figure in the mid-20th century. He was part of the Free Officers Movement
which carried out a coup d'état against King Farouk I and turned Egypt into a Republic.
joined the underground Free Officers Movement
of Gamal Abdel Nasser
. The group's purpose was to overthrow the monarchy of Farouk I and end British
influence in Egypt
. When the Free Officers succeeded in their coup d'état, placing Muhammad Naguib
as president and prime minister, Salem gained the post of Communications Minister. Although Nasser and most of the Free Officers supported that Farouk I be ceremoniously exiled from Egypt (to Italy, the King's chosen destination), Salem favored the King be summarily executed, stating "A head like Farouk's only interests me when it has fallen," and continually insisted this be carried out. As a result, he was forbidden by Nasser from attending the King's departure ceremony. Nonetheless, Salem was considered a Nasser loyalist and strongly opposed Naguib holding power, many times humiliating the latter and using the Egyptian media against him.
Salem headed the 1952 land reform movement, which limited landownership to only 300 feddan
s, with compensations for those who got expropriated. In February 1954, Salem headed a military court which arrested and tried Armored Corps officers loyal to Naguib. In late October 1954, following an assassination attempt on Nasser by a member of the Muslim Brotherhood
, Salem was chosen to serve as the chief judge of the military court which sentenced eight Brotherhood leaders to death. However, two sentences were later commuted. Salem later served as Nasser's deputy prime minister after Nasser became president. Salem's health started deteriorating and his political career faded in 1959 due to his frequent foreign travel for treatment.
Egyptian Air Force
The Egyptian Air Force, or EAF , is the aviation branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces. The EAF is headed by an Air Marshal . Currently, the commander of the Egyptian Air Force is Air Marshal Reda Mahmoud Hafez Mohamed...
officer and political figure in the mid-20th century. He was part of the Free Officers Movement
Free Officers Movement
In Egypt, the clandestine revolutionary Free Officers Movement was composed of young junior army officers committed to unseating the Egyptian monarchy and its British advisors...
which carried out a coup d'état against King Farouk I and turned Egypt into a Republic.
Career
In late 1951, Gamal Salem and Anwar SadatAnwar Sadat
Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat was the third President of Egypt, serving from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981...
joined the underground Free Officers Movement
Free Officers Movement
In Egypt, the clandestine revolutionary Free Officers Movement was composed of young junior army officers committed to unseating the Egyptian monarchy and its British advisors...
of Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
. The group's purpose was to overthrow the monarchy of Farouk I and end British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
influence in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. When the Free Officers succeeded in their coup d'état, placing Muhammad Naguib
Muhammad Naguib
Muhammad Naguib was the first President of Egypt, serving from the declaration of the Republic on June 18, 1953 to November 14, 1954. Along with Gamal Abdel Nasser, he was the primary leader of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, which ended the rule of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty in Egypt and Sudan...
as president and prime minister, Salem gained the post of Communications Minister. Although Nasser and most of the Free Officers supported that Farouk I be ceremoniously exiled from Egypt (to Italy, the King's chosen destination), Salem favored the King be summarily executed, stating "A head like Farouk's only interests me when it has fallen," and continually insisted this be carried out. As a result, he was forbidden by Nasser from attending the King's departure ceremony. Nonetheless, Salem was considered a Nasser loyalist and strongly opposed Naguib holding power, many times humiliating the latter and using the Egyptian media against him.
Salem headed the 1952 land reform movement, which limited landownership to only 300 feddan
Feddan
A feddan is a unit of area. It is used in Egypt, Sudan, and Syria. The feddan is not an SI unit and in Arabic, the word means 'a yoke of oxen': implying the area of ground that could be tilled by them in a certain time. In Egypt the feddan is the only non-metric unit which remained in use...
s, with compensations for those who got expropriated. In February 1954, Salem headed a military court which arrested and tried Armored Corps officers loyal to Naguib. In late October 1954, following an assassination attempt on Nasser by a member of the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
, Salem was chosen to serve as the chief judge of the military court which sentenced eight Brotherhood leaders to death. However, two sentences were later commuted. Salem later served as Nasser's deputy prime minister after Nasser became president. Salem's health started deteriorating and his political career faded in 1959 due to his frequent foreign travel for treatment.