Ahmad Hasan al-Zayyat ( ar, أحمد حسن الزيات) was an influential Egyptian political writer and intellectual who established the Egyptian literary magazine ''

Arrissalah ''Arrissalah'' ( ar, الرسالة ''Ar-Risala'': the message, or ''Ar-Risala Magazine'') was an Arabic weekly cultural magazine for literature, science, and art published in Cairo from 1933 to 1953. It has been described as "the most import ...

'', which is described as "the most important intellectual weekly in 1930s Egypt and the Arab world." Born in the village of

Kafr Demira Kafr may refer to: * A Levantine Arabic term for village * Kafir, an Arabic term for an infidel * Kafr, Iran, a village See also * * Kafir (disambiguation) * Al-Kafr Al-Kafr ( ar, الكفر, also spelled ''al-Kefr'') is a village in as-Suwayda ...

Talkha Talkha ( ar, طلخا ) is a city in Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. The city is located on the west bank of the Damietta, a distributary of the Nile in the Delta region. Is about 120 km northeast of Cairo. Talkha is situated opposite the ...

, into what was then a peasant family, al-Zayyat studied at

Al-Azhar University , image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg , image_size = 250 , caption = Al-Azhar University portal , motto = , established = *970/972 first foundat ...

before taking up legal studies in Cairo and Paris. He taught Arabic literature at

American University in Cairo The American University in Cairo (AUC; ar, الجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة, Al-Jāmi‘a al-’Amrīkiyya bi-l-Qāhira) is a private research university in Cairo, Egypt. The university offers American-style learning programs ...

, and for three years in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

, before founding ''Arrissalah'' in 1933. In the 1960s he served as the editor of ''

Majallat Al Azhar ''Majallat Al Azhar'' (Arabic: ‏مجلة الأزهر‏ ‏آذار; ''Journal of Al Azhar'') is an Islamic publication of Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, which has existed since 1931. History and profile The magazine was launched in 19 ...

'', monthly publication of Al Azhar University. He sharply criticized

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

and the ideology's racist views.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zayyat, Ahmad Hasan 20th-century journalists 1885 births 1968 deaths Al-Azhar University alumni Anti-fascism in the Arab world Egyptian magazine founders Egyptian newspaper publishers (people) 20th-century Egyptian writers