The Colonial Metamorphosis of Egyptian Capital Punishment, 1884–1903

Abstract

This article analyses how colonial rule remade Egyptian capital punishment. Around the turn of the twentieth century, British officials deliberately overturned the strong protections for defendants that Islamic law once offered, paving the way for a steady and sustained increase in execution rates. More executions meant more opportunities for ordinary people to practise the distinctive forms of ‘popular legalism’ that flourished on execution days. In keeping with established custom, the families of perpetrator and victim played leading roles on gallows days, defending kin and negotiating punishment. Women often took charge of these occasions, demonstrating and enhancing their social power while simultaneously directing the affective responses of the assembled crowds. Such public displays of gendered authority were anathema to Egyptian elites and colonial officials alike, turning both decisively against public punishment. The abolition of public executions thus erased a prominent manifestation of the social embeddedness of Islamic law.