สมาคมฟรีเมสันส์ (Freemasons)องค์กรที่มีตัวตนจริงในประวัติศาสตร์

ฟรีเมสันส์ Freemasons





ฟรีเมสันส์ Freemasons

ต้นกำเนิดของ สมาคมลับฟรีเมสันส์ (Freemasons) ยังเป็นที่ถกเถียงกันอยู่ แต่อย่างน้อยผู้เชี่ยวชาญก็สามารถสืบ
สาวประวัติไปได้ไกลถึงศตวรรษที่ 17 ซึ่งถือว่าเป็นสมาคมลับที่มีอายุเก่าแก่ที่สุดในโลก[SIZE=-1]


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[SIZE=-1] รูปล้อมนุษญ์กิ้งก่ากับสัญญลักษณ์ฟรีเมสัน[/SIZE]






[SIZE=-1]สมาคมฟรีเมสันส์เกิด จากการรวมตัวของช่างหิน (Mason) ซึ่งทำงานก่อสร้างโบสถ์ วิหาร จากภารกิจรับใช้ศาสนานี่
เองทำให้ช่างหินเหล่านี้ได้รับการยกเว้นการจ่ายภาษี ให้รัฐ ดังนั้น คำว่าฟรีเมสันส์จึงหมายถึงช่างหินที่ไม่ต้องชำระภาษี
สมาชิกสมาคมฟรีเมสันส์ นิยมเรียกชื่อเล่นของสมาคมว่า “เดอะคราฟต์” (The Craft)

[/SIZE]สมาคมฟรีเมสันส์ ถูกแยกออกเป็นสมาคมย่อยๆอีกหลายสมาคม เช่น ไพรโอรี ออฟ ไซออน (Priory of Sion) ซึ่ง
หากยังจำกันได้ชื่อสมาคมลับนี้ ปรากฏในนิยายดังเรื่อง The Da Vinci Code ของแดน บราวน์ เมื่อหลายปีก่อน[SIZE=-1]

[/SIZE]สมาชิกฟรีเมสันส์ไม่ยอมรับว่าพวกเขาเป็นสมาคมลับ หากแต่มี เรื่องลับมาก มายที่รู้กันเพียงในกลุ่มสมาชิกเท่านั้น
บุคคลสำคัญของโลกที่เชื่อว่าเป็นสมาชิกสมาคมเช่น โมสาร์ท แฟรงกลิน, รูสเวลล์ แฮร์รี่ ทรูแมน, จอร์จ วอชิงตัน,
มาร์ก ทเวน, เบนจมิน แฟรงกลิน, จอห์น เวน และรวมไปถึง ผู้พันแซนเดอร์ ผู้ก่อตั้งร้านไก่ทอดฟาสต์ฟู้ดรายใหญ่
ของโลก






















แกะรอย การเรียงระดับชั้นของเหล่าฟรีเมสันส์

ลำดับชั้นของ ฟรีเมสันส์
ระดับขั้นที่ 1 - 3 ลำดับขั้นของฟรีเมสันนั้น แบ่งได้เป็น 2 สาย คือ สายสก๊อตติช ไรท์ กับ สายยอร์ก ไรท์

หรือเรียก ง่ายๆว่าสายอเมริกา กับ สายยุโรป


โดยระดับขั้น ของ

• สาย สก๊อตติช ไรท์ แบ่งเป็น 33 ขั้น หมายถึง อายุของพระเยซู
  
• สาย ยอร์ก ไรท์ แบ่งเป็น 13 ขั้น หมายถึง วันศุกร์ที่ 13 ที่พวก อัศวินไนท์เทมปลาร์ โดนเผาทั้งเป็นในข้อหานอกรีต

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ซึ่งใน สายสก๊อตติช ไรท์ จะเห็นได้ว่าระดับขั้นที่ 18 นั้น ฟรีเมสัน ได้รวมกับ สมาคมโรซิ ครูเซียน ซึ่งสัญลักษณ์ของขั้นนี้
คือ กางเขนกับกุหลาบ ที่เป็นสัญลักษณ์ของสมาคมโรซิครูเซียน ที่ถือกำเนิดขึ้นโดย คริสเตียน โรซิครูสทซ์ ชาวเยอรมัน
เหมือนกับ สมาคมอิลลูมินาติ ก็ถือ กำเนิดโดยชาวเยอรมันเช่นกัน ส่วนระดับขั้นที่ 33 กับ 13 นั้นเป็นระดับขั้นสูงสุดของเมสันส์
หรือที่เรียกกันว่า " สมาชิก ระดับสูง " ซึ่งสมาชิกระดับสูงนี้ จะได้รับการเปิดเผยความลับทั้งหมดเกี่ยวกับเมสันส์

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When a man becomes a Mason, he receives his first (Entered Apprentice), second (Fellowcraft), and third (Master)
degrees in what is called the "Blue Lodge." It is well known within the Fraternity that the Master Mason is the highest
honor bestowed on a Mason. There are appendant bodies of Freemasonry that the Master Mason can pursue -
The York Rite, the Scottish Rite, and/or Shrine. The York Rite consists of Chapter and Council and Commandery.
The Scottish Rite consists of the 4th to the 32nd Degrees.

อ้างอิง : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Rite







The Freemasons

This is the granddaddy of all not-so-secret secret societies. Freemasonry, or “The Craft” as its members call it,
most likely has its roots in 17th-century stoneworkers’ guilds. Mason lore, however, extends its origins back to
biblical times, linking the society to the building of the Temple of Solomon. Freemasonry is split into numerous
subgroups and orders, all of which consider God the Grand Geometrician, or Grand Architect of the Universe.
At their hearts, these groups are all means of exploring ethical and philosophical issues, and their rituals and symbols
are famous (or infamous). Take, for instance, the square-and-compass logo often seen on the backs of Cadillacs.
Or the use of secret handshakes, passwords, and greeting postures/gestures called “due guards,” all collectively
known as the Modes of Recognition. The list of famous Masons is massive, a virtual Who’s Who of modern history,
explaining the many conspiracy theories regarding the Masons’ influence and intentions. Mozart, FDR, Harry S. Truman,
George Washington, Mark Twain, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, John Wayne, W. C. Fields, and Douglas MacArthur
were all Masons. But perhaps the Masons’ greatest strides have been made in fast food: KFC’s Colonel Sanders and
Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas knew how to secret-shake with the best of ’em.











http://sites.google.com/site/newrungsira/slak-wi-tamci/xngkhkrlab/frimesansfreemasons

 

<center> The Secret Handshake, Secret Word, Secret High Sign, and the Secret Nature of Freemasonry </center>



<center> Hoodwinking, Heresy, and Satanic Mockery </center>



<center> The Devil's Party Illuminated </center>



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The United Grand Lodge of England Official Coat of Arms
The 'Mother' Grand Lodge of World Freemasonry
Hooved Angels?</center>



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'A Unique Form of Morality, Veiled in Allegory, and Illustrated by Symbols...' ​

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'The Upper Room...' </center>

"...to lull Christians into acceptance of Freemasonry's religious allusions as legitimate. They are not legitimate references, but deceptive pretences designed to seduce the naive.

The latent meaning is that the order is the secret church of Jesus Christ. This is a lie, but the naive are allowed to conclude this if they so wish..." ​

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Agnes Dei
Worshipped, Sanctified, Sacred
'The Lamb of God Who Takes Away the Sins of the World' </center>



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Masonic Lambskin Apron
Mocked, Blasphemed, Satanic
'Slaughtered, Skinned, and Crafted into a Covering for the Male Genitalia'</center>



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'The Two Sides of Masonry...' </center>

"...That very eye appears on our American dollar as a part of the Great Seal. The Great Seal was included on the one-dollar note in 1935 on suggestion of Vice President Henry A. Wallace. Both Wallace and President Roosevelt were Free Masons. Later, Wallace remembered,

Roosevelt, as he looked at the colored reproduction of the Seal, was first struck with the representation of the all-seeing eye—a Masonic representation of the Great Architect of the Universe. Next, he was impressed with the idea that the foundation for the new order of the ages had been laid in 1776 but that it would be completed only under the eye of the Great Architect. Roosevelt, like myself, was a 32nd Degree Mason. He suggested that the Seal be put on the dollar bill. ​

Wallace was not only a Mason, but also particularly interested in Eastern Religions, and he regularly consulted an Indian Guru. His connections with the Russian-Indian artist and yogi Nicholas Roerich even threatened the presidential campaign in 1940..." ​

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"...Freemasonic Initiation is deceptive and is especially and specifically intended to be Anti Christian.

What is meant by this?

It will be shown beyond reasonable doubt that the initiations have been deliberately constructed to include direct and subtle references to the devil. Not one or two coincidental overlaps but so many obvious similarities, according to biblical text, that when viewed or presented together the notion of random coincidence does not apply.

Why? What purpose would such a deceptive system of initiation serve?

Why not? The reasons for the construction of such a system of initiation are also biblical. It is simply wicked, to lay snares for innocents without cause..." ​

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'Worshipful Master'</center>



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More Detail

Masonic Secrets: The Secret Handshake, Secret Word, Secret High Sign, and the Secret Nature of Freemasonry

 

What is Freemasonry?
Click here for a terrific eight minute video from the Grand Lodge of Virginia.

Where did Freemasonry Begin?

No one knows just how old Freemasonry is because the actual origins have been lost in time. Most scholars believe Masonry arose from the guilds of stonemasons who built the majestic castles and cathedrals of the middle ages. In 1717, Masonry created a formal organization when four Lodges in London joined in forming England's first Grand Lodge. By 1731, when Benjamin Franklin joined the Fraternity, there were already several Lodges in the Colonies, and in Canada the first Lodge was established in 1738. Today, Masonic Lodges are found in almost every community throughout North America, and some larger cities there are usually several Lodges. A Mason can travel to almost any country in the world and find a Masonic Lodge where he will be welcomed as a Brother.

Secrets in Freemasonry?
People sometimes refer to Freemasonry as being a "Secret Society." In one sense the statement is true.
Any social group or private business is "secret" in the sense that its business meetings may be open only to its members. In Freemasonry, the process of joining is also a private matter, and its members are pledged not to discuss with non-members certain parts of the ceremonies associated with the organization.
Freemasonry does have certain handshakes and passwords, customs incorporated into later fraternities, which are kept private. They are means of recognizing each other--necessary in an organization which spans the entire world and which encompasses many languages.


The tradition of using handshakes and passwords was very common in the Middle Ages, when the ability to identify oneself as belonging to a building or trade guild often made the difference in getting a job or in obtaining help for yourself and family. Today, Freemasons make the same pledge to every member that he will be offered assistance if he, or his family, ever requests it.


Freemasonry can’t be called a "secret society" in a literal sense. A truly secret society forbids its members to disclose that they belong to the organization, or that it even exists. Much of the Masonic ritual is in books called "Monitors" that are widely available, even in public libraries. Most Freemasons wear rings and lapel pins which clearly identify them as members of the fraternity. Masonic lodges are listed in public phone books, Masonic buildings are clearly marked, and in many areas of the country Masonic lodges place signs on the roads leading into town, along with civic organizations, showing the time and place of meetings.

In terms of what it does, what it teaches, who belongs, where it meets, there are no secrets in Freemasonry! It is a private fraternal association of men who contribute much toward the public good, while enjoying the benefits of the brotherhood of a fraternity.


http://concordlodge.org/Freemasonry.php

 

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"Then in 1910 Crowley was contacted by Theodore Reuss, the head of an organization based in Germany called the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.). This group of high-ranking Freemasons claimed to have discovered the supreme secret of practical magick, which was taught in its highest degrees. Apparently Crowley agreed, becoming..." ​

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Order of the Red Cross of Constantine

The Order of the Red Cross of Constantine is a concordant body of York Rite masonry. Membership in this body is by invitation only. The order was established in England in 1865.

Grand Lodge of British Columbia & Yukon
Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon​

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An Official Masonic Portrait of Norman Vincent Peale
'Cutting' of two secret Masonic signal signs visible
Arms or Legs are crossed forming crossed bones
Head & Crossed Arms = 'Skull & Crossbones...'
Blue Tie/Handkerchief/Etc. for 'Blue Lodge' </center>



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The Blue Republican
Tie, Hankerchief, and Socks
'Taking Masonic Non-Involvement in Politics to the Next Level...' </center>



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The other Scottish Parliament </center>



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"The Scottish Rite makes application of the doctrines of Freemasonry to every realm of human activity. The individual Mason is taught to put into practice the lessons learned in the Blue Lodge in his personal life and thought..." ​

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John Wilkes Booth</center>



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Ataturk Photographed with the Young Turks Conspiracy Theory</center>



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Photograph of U.S. President George W. Bush prior to his Masonic initiation &
U.S. Secretary of Defense Freemason Donald Rumsfeld 'cutting' a sign.
Differences between Masonic and American pledge of allegiance:
Hand centered in middle of chest, not diagonal to shoulder
Wrist turned down in unnatural position forming an 'angle'
Bottom of hand thus 'Level' to the 'Perpendicular'
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'Getting a Grip' with gloves...</center>



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'Getting a Grip' without gloves...

Masonic secret signal handshake not a natural handshake
Look and feel is more similar to the way a man
would shake the hand of a woman, child, or
someone else who had small hands </center>



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'Shake hands with the Devil...' </center>



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'The Special Relationship'
Behind door Number 10: 'Click here to view', rotate and compare to typical lodge layout diagrams
including proportions and door locations at room ends. But Freemasonry doesn't involve itself in politics right?​

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6, 6, and 6
The Masonic Trinity
Green, Blue, and Red
G, Square, and Compass
Triangle, Square, and Circle
The Devil, Cain, and Mystery Babylon
Great Architect, Hiram Abiff, and The Widow </center>

Beehive: Symbolic of the lodge itself as only the bees in the hive are aware of the activities inside. Where under the guidance of the queen bee, the worker bees cheerfully and industriously perform their duties.​

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The Three Steps of the Masters Carpet</center>



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The Grand Orient of Suddenly Departed Glorious Soviet Peoples
The Three Steps of the Masters Rectangle...</center>



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Ring Knocking</center>



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Ring Knocking of a Higher Degree</center>



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Some Dublin Brethren inside the Grand Lodge of Eire</center>



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A Lodge Room in South Africa</center>

 

ปัจจุบัน ฟรีเมสันได้กลายไปเป็นองค์กรการกุศลในอเมริกาและยุโรป ส่วนใหญ่

และไม่ทราบว่าวัตถุประสงค์ขององค์ ในอดีตและปัจจุบัน ต้องหาข้อมูลต่อไป

 

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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5zzLtbDdRnM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></object>

 

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ขอบคุณข้อมูลจากเว็บต่างประเทศที่ไม่ได้ให้เครดิต เพราะมันเยอะเกิน

Thanks for all website in english

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FREEMASONRY IN EGYPT

Is it still around? Samir Raafat
Insight Magazine, 1 March 1999

[SIZE=-1]A Cairo loge meets in the 1940s under portrait of King Farouk
below: freemason certificate (courtesy Omar Hamed Zaki)[/SIZE]



Last month in Jordan a prestigious lineup of Western leaders led by incumbent President Clinton and three former US presidents paid their last respects to King Hussein. While all kinds of deductions as to why they had all turned up were disputed live on national TV from Bangkok to Cape Town, one inference was passed by. The wily king was a Prince of Jerusalem, one of the highest titles conferred by Freemasons.
Whether or not Hussein visited Masonic lodges and took part in their rituals is unknown, yet there are persistent claims in certain circles that he was an Honorary Grand Master. Not peculiar for a monarch who spent most of his reign juggling alliances, some more treacherous than others.
As a Freemason, King Hussein would have kept excellent company for besides the Mozarts, Goethes and Garibaldis, most of Europe's royals and several former American presidents including its serving vice-president, are professedly on the Masonic roster.
But wait a minute! Hussein Ibn Talal far from being a Westerner was a descendant of the Prophet. How then could a Moslem notable of his standing become an alleged member of a secret society with origins in the heartland of a 17th century Judeo-Christian Europe?
Adapting the Big Bang theory to Freemasonry, we discover how the French Revolution and subsequent Napoleonic Wars accounted for the dissemination of society both within and outside its known borders. Which is why by the late 19th century Masonic lodges were scattered across the Ottoman Empire. From Constantinople where Young Turks, were beguiled by the secretive brotherhood, to Greater Syria and Egypt where emerging nationalists aped their European assailant in their inherent opposition to autocratic authority.
In Egypt, Freemasonry imploded into two feuding camps: Anglo-Saxon and French, ostensibly reflecting the dual imperialistic control--military and cultural-- which had entrenched itself along the Nile Valley.
A favorite Masonic hall south of the Levant was Kawkab al-Shark--Star of the East. Somehow, its propinquity to after-life symbolism conjured up echoes of the cult of Isis and Osiris giving it a distinct character and flavor.
Lodges evidencing Ancient Egyptian names included Sphinx, New-Memphis, Pyramids, Cheops and Le Nil. Founded by Jules Cesar Zivy the latter loge was dependent on the Grand Orient of France.
The distinction of first modern Freemason in Egypt goes to General Kleber, the luckless man left behind by Napoleon to govern the "Oriental Empire.
From the time of unlucky Kleber up until April 1964, Freemasonry continued uninterruptedly in Egypt. What had started as a secret movement eventually came out in the open as evidenced by notices in newspapers, the social pages and other forms of printed media.
Historians may assent however that Freemasonry in Egypt came out of the closet during the Orabi Revolt of 1882. That Ahmed Orabi Pasha was himself a member of the Order although never proven, we know that several of his supporters were.
In his book How We Defended Orabi A.M. Broadley declares that Egypt's most liberal cleric, Sheik Mohammed Abdou, was himself an avowed Mason. "Sheikh Abdu was no dangerous fanatic or religious enthusiast, for he belonged to the broadest school of Moslem thought, held a political creed akin to pure republicanism, and was a zealous Master of a Masonic Lodge."
Later in the same paragraph Broadbent states that many of the Deputies in the Egyptian Chamber had hastened to join the craft.
Broadbent gives us an insight on Freemasonry in Egypt during the 1880s when he differentiates between the principles and practice of Freemasonry in England and on the continent in Europe. While the British system embraced nothing more exciting than charity and good-fellow-ship, "foreign Masonry is almost avowedly an appropriate and convenient arena for political discussion, and both political and religious agitation."
Thus, according to Broadbent, "in Egypt the tenets of continental Masonry, with its Republican watchwords of Fraternité, Liberté, Egalité had evidently overshadowed the strong British elements which once prevailed in our numerous lodges."
Although none of the leaders of Egypt's National party belonged to the brotherhood, a large number of their subordinates were among its most active and zealous members, according to Broaddent.
Part of a budding middle-class, Egyptian nationalists had joined the Society in an attempt to penetrate an impregnable ruling class guarded jealously by Mohammed Ali's descendants and their Circassian entourage.
Consequently, when the Khedive's men arrested the sir-tujar (provost of the traders guild) of Sharkia charging him with conspiring against the state and supporting Ahmed Orabi Pasha's "insurgency" with money and the like, it was a Freemason barrister from London who took up his defense.
Nevertheless, the British-led kangaroo court in Cairo declared Orabi and his Freemason supporters guilty as charged--they had dared ask for the substitution of khedivial absolutism with a more representative government.

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[SIZE=-1]Judge Ragheb Idriss Bey ex-governor of Kalioubieh, Grand Master and Sovereign Grand Commander of Egypt
below: Grand Loge of Egypt election results November 1924[/SIZE]
</center> While Orabi was exiled to the British crown colony of Ceylon, the sir-tujar and other Orabi sympathizers were sentenced to imprisonment and fines ranging from LE 1,000 to LE 5,000.
The situation turned on the British several decades later with the arrival of Mohammed Farid and Saad Zagloul. Self-declared Freemasons they respectively headed the National and Wafd parties which called for popular uprisings against Egypt's Anglo-Saxon occupiers.
With time, inter and intra-Freemasonry rivalries increased in proportion to the numbers of halls and lodges that surfaced all over Egypt. Scottish, French, Italian and English halls operated side by side with the National Grand Lodge of Egypt. There was even talk of a Masonic cemetery in Old Cairo to be shared with freethinkers and intellectuals.
Worse still as evidenced by the local press in 1925, when some women in Alexandria clamored for membership in the ‘brotherhood’.
Besides the British Craft and Marks Masons, the most important Halls within Masonic circles in Cairo were the Grecia and Bulwer lodges overlooking Midan Ismail (today, Midan Tahrir).
The Egyptian Gazette dated 9 January 1903, states that "the new Masonic Hall [used by both lodges] comprises a commodious and handsome lodge-room capable of seating 100 brethren; a large assembly room; committee secretaries' and robbing rooms; as well as a refreshment room opening on to a spacious terrace whence a magnificent view is obtained on the new building of the Museum of Antiquities, Kasr-al-Nil barracks, the Nile and the open country beyond with the pyramids in the far distance." Both these lodges reported to the Grand Lodge of England.

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al-Ahram 4 July 1938; freemason benefit in Old Cairo </center> At the time there were about 54 Egyptian lodges operating in Um al-Dunya. Later, between 1940 and 1957 we find 18 Masonic halls listed in Cairo, 33 in Alexandria, 10 in Port Said, 2 in Mansourah, 2 in Ismailia and one each in Fayoum, Mehala al-Kobra and Minieh (numbers fluctuated slightly during the interim yeas). Throughout that period, the largest and most important Masonic Hall was located at No. 1 Toussoun Street in Alexandria.
Ignoring its working class origins, modern Freemasonry sought to attract the privileged elite. And since faith did not really matter, Anglicans, Catholics, Jews and Moslems from the power elite rubbed shoulders in Lodges and Halls across the Middle East. After all, one of the Society's basic ideas was the rejection of dogma.
But the society's secretive character rendered it an easy target for defamation and accusation. History abounds with situations where Church and State took turns at vilifying the elitist brotherhood often rendering it more surreptitious than it already was.
If Freemasonry had burst its banks during the French Revolution when an entire nation revolted against church and state, it met with a devastating crisis during WW2 when Europe's traditional societies all but crumbled with thousands of Freemasons ending their lives in German concentration camps.
Other wars and revolutions, from Italy to Latin America alternately pushed Freemasonry into the forefront of national and international events.
As attacks against Freemasonry multiplied in 19th century Europe, one race was repeatedly singled for a favorite target.
Living as a minority almost everywhere Jews perceived the Society as a way to achieve equality--and with time they became the torchbearers of Freemasonry. And since much of the Masonic symbols, rituals and erudition were linked to Jewish mystic, the accusations cropped up whenever an economic crisis loomed or when the purported Judeo-Christian alliance fell out of favor
The Vatican, which saw any brotherhood other than its own (eg. the Knights of Columbus) as a major threat, was at the vanguard of anti-Freemason movements fanning the flames of the 'conspiracy' controversy whenever possible. But since Christendom had little influence in a predominantly Moslem Ottoman Empire, the expansion of Freemasonry among its cosmopolitan elite went on unhindered.
But as we can see from the local press the Holy See and al-Azhar al-Sharif need not worry. After all Grand Lodges were peopled with humans who typically fought among themselves both privately and publicly. For instance in October 1923 as a result of in-house elections, members of one of the more important Egyptian Lodges started accusing one another in the press. It seems like any elections manipulation and trafficking of ballots had taken place. So much for secrecy and cloaks and daggers!
"In a characteristically tolerant Egypt, Freemasonry grew more out of fashion than conviction. It was more public than secret" comments Karim Wissa, an Egyptian diplomat who submitted a paper on local Freemasonry at Oxford. Like many of his brood and generation, Wissa can attest to at least one great-grandfather having been a District Grand Master.
"There were two kinds of Freemasons in Egypt in those days" says Wissa, "those like my landowning ancestors who adhered to the traditionalist English Freemasonry, and others who because of their fervent nationalism, joined the liberal French lodges headed in Egypt by Azhar luminaries Gamal al-Din al-Afghani and his disciple Mohammed Abdou. Interestingly, both men tended to address their companions as 'ikhawan al saffa wa khullan al wafa'(sincere brethren and faithful companions)." [Note: this form of greeting emanated from a distinct school of thought linked to Islamic enlightenment going back to the Abbassid dynasty].
From Khedive Ismail to King Fouad, Egypt's monarchs accepted an honorary Grand Mastership. Yet none of Egypt's monarchs were physically initiated into the National Grand Orient of Egypt and their attendance was restricted to official portraits hanging on the walls of Masonic lodges and halls. Other District Grand Masters included British High Commissioners (ambassadors) as well as several Sirdars--British commanders of the Egyptian army.
When Farouk ascended the throne, Freemasonry in Egypt was fast becoming "guilty by association," accused of entertaining strong Zionist affiliations. This accusation was subsequently refuted in a study conducted by a team of diplomats attached to the office of Egyptian Foreign Affairs minister Dr. Mahmoud Fawzi.
In the minds of traditionalists, the physical similarities between Masonic halls and B'nai B'rith lodges --a Judeo-Zionist organization fashioned upon the Masonic model- were far too obvious for anyone not to confound the two. And because they were seen as hand in glove it is doubtful the young king ever supported the Society as such.
Once WW2 came to an end, B'nai B'rith lodges in Cairo and Alexandria were summarily closed down
"Hadn't the analogous B'nai B'rith done everything in its power to turn Palestine into an exclusive homeland for the Jewish Diaspora?" exclaimed the growing number of Masonic detractors.
Which is why following the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, it was open season for opponents of Freemasonry to pursue their claims that Masonic halls were subversive and dangerous, bent on undermining Arab nationalism and patriotism. This was almost a replay of the Vatican's anti-Freemasonry whisper campaigns propagated by in the middle of the last century and early this one
Anti-Freemason articles cropped up in the post-1948 Arab World "proving" the connection between Zionism and Freemasonry. In Egypt, arguments leveled against Freemasonry were selectively derived from fin de siècle freemasons George Zaidan and Shaheen Makarius. Both writers had commended contemporary businessmen and entrepreneurs, many of them Jewish, for their active role in reviving Egypt's capitalistic economy. Six decades later their statements were salaciously re-interpreted so that the businessmen and entrepreneurs of the past were portrayed as eager tools of a Judeo-Zionist collusion bent on dominating the regional economy
As the predominant conspiracy hypothesis takes credence in the Near East, the legality of Freemasonry was questioned and subsequently tabled on the Arab League's agenda. Jumping on the bandwagon books and articles on the subject began to surface. In a 660-page volume entitled Freemasonry In The Arab World, Hussein Omar Hamada dedicates much of his book juggling Masonic conspiracy theories
With the post-1952 exodus of Egypt's haute khawagerie, lodges and Masonic temples had already lost many of their more affluent members. Some freemasons, whether out of fear or self-interest simply stopped turning up at the meetings so that even the all-Egyptian Star of the East had a hard time supporting itself!
On 4 April 1964, the Masonic Temple on Alexandria's Toussoun Street was shut down by order of the Ministry of Social Affairs. The reason: "Associations with undeclared agendas were incompatible with rules covering non profit organizations."
Sufficiently disturbing evidence for the State to be concerned about Freemasonry's political goals would turn up the following year in Damascus when master spy Eli Cohen was apprehended. Having eluded Syrian intelligence for many years posing as an Arab, it was discovered that Eli had been a freemason in Egypt where he was born.
Yet despite the 1964 decree declaring the demise of Freemasonry in Egypt, loud cries of "not so" can still be heard. And if one were to concede to Abou Islam Ahmed Abdallah's bookFreemasonry In Our Region,1985), Freemasonry is alive and well in the guise of Rotary Clubs and other like-minded associations. "Having accomplished their earlier mission to establish a Jewish state, Masonic conspirators now intend to undermine Islam using charity work and community outreach as their tools" says Abdallah in his opening chapter. He then consecrates a substantial portion of his elusive writing equating the "new Masonic cancer" with Rotary and Lions organizations and with Jehovah's Witness, Freedom Now, Solar Tradition, New Age and several other "fringe" organizations.
Like it always has been in the past, theories of sinister plots by ambiguous secret societies and associations still make headlines. So much so that books linking the British Royal family to Masonic Grand Masters and 'breaking news' detailing President Francois Miterrand's secret relations with the Brotherhood have become common literature
For sure, as we enter a new millennium, Masonic handshakes and cranky rituals continue to excite certain elements within our society.

 

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