HIFIZ IBRAHIM AND QAZI NAZRUL ISLAM’S POETRY ON NATIONALITY

Abstract

Two of the most dominating personalities in the twentieth century among their own people and beyond, are Hafiz Ibrahim and QaziNazrul Islam, born in two far-off geographical territories, but subscribing to almost identical ideals to realize the rights to self-rule for their own people. Both of them opted for sovereign nationalism. As persons they have many things in common, still it was impossible for them to be wholly interchangeable. What matters most in the guiding inspiration they drew from their personal experience of what they faced in course of growing up as free citizens of this vast Universe. Firstly we will consider in this chapter the Egyptian nationalism and the poetry of Hafiz Ibrahim.

Egyptian Pro-Ottoman flourished in the period from 1882 to 1940 at least in part because of its perceived utility in regard to another nationalist orientation existing in Egypt. This was the concept of Egyptian nationalism or patriotism’ identification as part of a geographically distinct, historically unique Egyptian nation rooted in the valley of the Nile. Produced both by the separate political and advanced socio-economic development of Egypt during the 19th century and by the powerful example of European doctrines of patriotism, Egypt centered sense of identity and allegiance developed in late 19th century and early in the 20th centuries.