Al Muqattam
| Founder(s) | Fares Nimr Khalil Thabet Anton Najib Matar |
|---|---|
| Editor-in-chief | Fares Nimr |
| Founded | 1888 |
| Language | Arabic |
| Ceased publication | 11 November 1952 (last issue) 26 May 1954 (ban) |
| Headquarters | Cairo |
| Country | Egypt |
Al Muqattam (Arabic: المقطم) was an Arabic newspaper which was published in Cairo, Egypt, between 1888 and 1952. It was one of the leading papers until its closure by the Egyptian government in 1954. The title of the paper was a reference to a range of hills outside Cairo.[1]
History and profile
Al Muqattam was first published on 18 April 1888.[2] It produced only three issues until 14 February 1889 when it became a daily newspaper.[2] The founders were three Christians: Fares Nimr, Khalil Thabet and Anton Najib Matar.[1][2] The paper was affiliated with the Al Muqtafa Foundation.[2] The publishers were Syrian-origin Christians, Faris Nimr, Yaqub Sarruf and Shahin Makaryus.[3] Fares Nimr also served as the editor-in-chief of the paper from its start to his death in 1951.[2] The paper initially produced news based on the translations of the telegraph messages sent by the major news agencies such as Reuters and Havas.[4]
During the British occupation of Egypt, namely between 1892 and 1914, Al Muqattam held a pro-British political stance.[5] Therefore, the paper was subject to frequent criticisms and allegations that it was financed by the British authorities.[3] Due to these there were tensions between Al Muqattam and another Cairo-based newspaper Al Muayyad which supported the independence of Egypt. In addition the publishers of Al Muqattam were frequently mocked by the political satire magazine Al Siyassa Al Musawwara.[3]
Al Muqattam had three thousand subscribers in 1893.[4] It was nearly six thousands like those of Al-Ahram and Al Mu'ayyad in 1897.[4] Following the end of the British rule in Egypt in 1914 Al Muqattam became known for its high-quality journalism and reformist stance.[1] Towards the end of its lifetime the paper had mostly an independent editorial approach.[6] The last issue of Al Muqattam was published on 11 November 1952.[2] The paper was banned by the Minister of National Guidance led by Salah Salem on 26 May 1954.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Richard Hattemer (January 2000). "Ataturk and the reforms in Turkey as reflected in the Egyptian press". Journal of Islamic Studies. 11 (1): 22, 30. doi:10.1093/jis/11.1.21.
- ^ a b c d e f g "133 عامًا على صدور جريدة المقطم.. صوت الاحتلال الإنجليزي في مصر". Ahram Online (in Arabic). 18 April 2021. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
{{cite news}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 18 April 2021 suggested (help) - ^ a b c Marilyn Booth (2013). "What's in a Name? Branding Punch in Cairo, 1908". In Hans Harder; Barbara Mittler (eds.). Asian Punches. Transcultural Research – Heidelberg Studies on Asia and Europe in a Global Context. Berlin; Heidelberg: Springer. pp. 271–275. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-28607-0_12. ISBN 978-3-642-28606-3.
- ^ a b c Stephen Sheehi (2005). "Arabic Literary-Scientific Journals: Precedence for Globalization and the Creation of Modernity". Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 25 (2): 442-443, 445. doi:10.1215/1089201X-25-2-439.
- ^ Robert L. Tignor (Autumn 2020). "Book review". The Middle East Journal. 74 (3): 466.
- ^ Helen A. Kitchen (April 1950). ""Al-Ahram": The "Times" of the Arab World". Middle East Journal. 4 (2): 168. JSTOR 4322163.