Egyptian nationalists found it painful that British abolitionists were right about Islamic slavery

Evidence

And clearly, his belief in the legality of Islamic slavery was made even more complicated by the nationalist struggle against the British. The very fact that the British abolitionists were right, that the Qur´an did not forbid slavery and the shari`a made provision for it, touched a nerve that had existed deep in the core of Egyptian nationalism since its inception. — Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Colonialism_…, 681

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies the tension between Egyptian nationalism’s anti-colonial stance and the uncomfortable fact that Islamic law did permit slavery.