Alienating Friends: The Nazi Internment of Egyptian Civilians during the Second World War

Abstract In October 1939, in retaliation for the internment of Germans in Egypt, Nazi Germany interned a number of prominent Egyptians. When, under British pressure, the Egyptian government still refused to release the interned Germans, the German government detained more Egyptians. The internment of the Egyptians was highly controversial even amongst the Nazi leadership. While proponents, motivated by racism and personal grudges, wanted the internment to be upheld, critics argued that it undermined German propaganda in the Arab world and marked a failure to exploit Egypt’s desire for full independence from Britain. The article analyses the complex dynamics of stakeholders inside the German Foreign Office and the Nazi leadership. It highlights the experience of Dr Aziz Cotta, the prewar chair of the German-Egyptian Chamber of Commerce, and Dr Mohamed Helmy, the Berlin physician who later rescued Jews and became the first Arab to be named ‘Righteous among the Nations’. It also traces the steps that led to the eventual release of the prominent Egyptians. The article addresses issues of reciprocity, diplomacy and the selection of civilians to be interned, and it reflects on the internment of ‘friendly aliens’ in the context of other internment policies early in the Second World War.