ABSTRACT
In a country where the government and army were dominated by Turkish influence, the Muslim religious leaders felt increasingly threatened by the growing Christian presence, and the landowners resented the artificially high tax rate created by the European administrators, the cry of 'Egypt for the Egyptians' was extremely popular. Two mutinies, led by Arabi, in February and September of 1881, made it clear to the British and French governments that the Khedive had lost his authority and some officials feared that the Suez Canal could no longer be safeguarded. The Joint Note, delivered in January by the French premier, Leon Gambetta, further undercut the Khedive's position. With his inability to block Arabi's reinstatement as Minister of War, and the growing panic among Egypt's 90,000-100,000 European residents, the British and French threatened a naval demonstration to reassert their support for the Khedive. Undaunted, Arabi and his followers strengthened the fortifications along Alexandria's harbour.
