15/07/2004
Safia Zaghloul’s title „The Mother of Egyptians“ refers to the return of leader Saad Zaghloul and his comrades from exile in Malta. She became the “Mother of Egyptians” when she removed her yashmak at the request of her husband to salute the crowds who left their houses to greet Saad. ( Available in Arabic )
The whole Egyptian people flocked to the Alexandria Port to greet Saad Zaghloul. Despite the danger posed by the high tide the small boats sailed to the open sea to become closer to the leader’s ship. Overwhelmed by sentiments, Zaghloul stood on board waving to the Egyptians before asking his wife to remove her yashmak and from this moment Safia Zaghloul became the “Mother of Egyptians”. King Fouad challenged the military ruler by naming Saad Zaghloul as prime minister. Saad broke with convention when he proposed two Coptic ministers in his cabinet instead of a single Coptic minister in each ministry. At Saad’s insistence, the king approved the cabinet lineup after showing early objection.