Born in Alexandria at the end of the 19th century, Halim was educated in Germany and fought with the German Air Force during the First World War, becoming a fighter pilot with the rank of first lieutenant and awarded the Iron Cross.

[3] Halim joined the Wafd Party and fought with his cousin King Fuad I, while also opposing prime minister Isma'il Sidqi's constitutional reforms in 1930.

[1] King Fuad crossed his name from the list of royal family members after he published a pamphlet stating that the dismissal of democratically elected leaders could cause civil war in Egypt.

[1] Following Sidqi's replacement by Abdel Fattah Yahya Ibrahim Pasha Halim redoubled his efforts to organize Egyptian workers, leading to his imprisonment in 1934, which he protested with a hunger strike.

As class conflict intensified in Egypt and the popularity of the Communist Party increased, Halim saw his own influence and that of the nationalist trade unions decline.