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110 Shoubrah Street in Cairo where the Eltahers
lived
on the fourth floor |
Mrs. Eltaher's expulsion from Egypt was preceded by several months of ongoing intense surveillance around the Eltahers' apartment building by undercover policemen, who also followed her at all times wherever she went. Because with time she could recognize her ‘guardian angels’ as she used to call them, without much difficulty, she made it a point to gain their trust and talk to them. Eventually they helped her run errands, and she would return the favour by letting them take time off from their watch duties, to go and visit their families because they were assigned long working hours.
She undertook not to run away and shared with the undercover policemen her daily program. On one occasion, the undercover policeman insisted on
helping her carry a suitcase containing clothes she was going to spirit to Eltaher while in hiding! In another incident, that took place at Tel El-Kebir, not far from the Suez Canal, two undercover policemen, who did not know each other, came to blows because each one of them thought the other to be the fugitive Eltaher and wanted to arrest him!
Surveillance included all members of Eltaher’s relatives, as well as their friends and acquaintances anywhere in Egypt! Eltaher did not give himself up, and he and his wife maintained occasional contact despite all the arbitrary measures imposed on them. Some details of these movie-like adventures as well as others where she played an important part, are told in Eltaher’s book “Zalam El-Segn” (Prison Darkness) in which he discusses his escape from prison and his wife’s role.
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Mrs. Eltaher wearing Egyptian traditional cover-ups of the 1940s
to evade the police
while attempting to meet her fugitive husband
in the city of Tanta |
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