4. LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY

4. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity ~ 155 ~ at that period by the Muslims, and ‘Amr Ibn al-’As had been appointed as its governor. One day a young Egyptian, a Copt, came before the Caliph with the complaint that the son of the Muslim governor had given him a whipping, all the while saying, “Take that! I am the son of a nobleman!” The only reason for this shameless conduct on his part was that the young Copt’s horse had beaten his own horse in a face. Now, the boy, knowing of the egalitarianism brought about by the Islamic revolution, had come to the Caliph to seek justice. The Caliph immediately sent a special emissary to Egypt to bring Amr ibn al-’As and his son without delay to Medina, the capital. When they arrived, they were both brought before the Caliph. Then the latter sent for the young Copt and asked him if this was the man who had beaten him. When the Copt replied in the affirmative, the Caliph handed him a whip and asked him to flog this ‘son of a nobleman.’ The Copt did so, and went on flogging him till he felt that justice had been done. Then the Caliph asked him also to flog ‘Amr ibn al-’As, the father of the young wrongdoer, as it had been his high status—as ‘Umar explained—which had