''Al Liwa'' (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: ''The Standard'') was an Arabic language newspaper which was published in Cairo, Egypt, in the period 1900–1912. It was the first mass circulation newspaper in the country. The paper was founded by

Mustafa Kamil Pasha Mustafa Kamil Pasha ( ar, مصطفى كامل, ) (August 14, 1874 - February 10, 1908) was an Egyptian lawyer, journalist, and nationalist activist. Early life and education Kamil was born in Cairo in 1874. His father was an engineer who first ...

. From its start in 1900 to the death of its founder in 1908 ''Al Liwa'' adopted a

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

political stance. Between 1907 and 1910 it was the official organ of the

Watani Party The Watani Party ("National Party", ar, ﺍﻟﺤﺰﺐ ﺍﻟﻮﻃﻨﻲ, ''al-Ḥizb al-Waṭanī'') was a nationalist political party in Egypt. Founded as political movement in 1895, the Watani was led by Mustafa Kamil Pasha, a Francophile ...

which was also established by Mustafa Kamil Pasha. The paper adopted a

pan-Islamist Pan-Islamism ( ar, الوحدة الإسلامية) is a political movement advocating the unity of Muslims under one Islamic country or state – often a caliphate – or an international organization with Islamic principles. Pan-Islamism was ...

political stance between 1908 and 1910. ''Al Liwa'' was not affiliated with the Watani Party from 1910 to August 1912 when it was closed down.

History and profile

Mustafa Kamil Pasha launched ''Al Liwa'' in 1900 when '' Al Muayyad'', a newspaper in which he published articles, was shut down by the British. The first issue appeared on 2 January that year. The paper had a biweekly supplement entitled ''Majallat Al Liwa''. ''Al Liwa'' became popular among young men and one of the most read newspapers in the country. It had the largest readership of 14,000 in the period 1900–1908. Kamil's articles published in the paper mostly contained his call to resist British existence in Egypt. In 1906 the paper harshly criticized the appointment of

Saad Zaghloul Saad Zaghloul ( ar, سعد زغلول / ; also ''Sa'd Zaghloul Pasha ibn Ibrahim'') (July 1859 – 23 August 1927) was an Egyptian revolutionary and statesman. He was the leader of Egypt's nationalist Wafd Party. He led a civil disobedience ...

as education minister due to his pro-British tendency. In March 1907 the French and English language editions of ''Al Liwa'' were launched, namely ''L'Etendard Egyptien'' and ''The Standard Egyptian'', respectively. All of these publications were financed by Khedive Abbas Hilmi. In 1908 one of the contributors of the paper was

Salama Moussa Salama Moussa (or Musa; 1887 – 4 August 1958) ( ar, سلامه موسى , ) was an Egyptian journalist, writer and political theorist. Salama Moussa was an avowed secularist, he introduced the writings of Darwin, Nietzsche, and Freud to ...

. Kamil established a political party, al-Hizb al-Watani (mostly known as Watani party; the National Party or Patriotic Party), in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

on 22 October 1907, and ''Al Liwa'' became its official organ. Following the death of Mustafa Kamil on 10 February 1908

Mohammad Farid Mohammad Farid or Muhammad Farîd ( ar, محمد فريد) (January 20, 1868 in Cairo – November 15, 1919 in Berlin) was an influential Egyptian political figure. He was a nationalist leader, writer, and lawyer. Origins Of Turkish origin, Fa ...

took over the leadership of the party and reshaped the ideological approach of the paper. Farid fired Mahmud Izzat who had been the executive director of ''Al Liwa'' and who was close to Ali Fahmi Kamil, brother of the Mustafa Kamil. In addition, Farid appointed a new

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

to the paper, Abdulaziz Jawish, who was a religious conservative figure. In 1909 the French and English editions of ''Al Liwa'' ceased publication. Jawish published articles in the paper, criticising the Khedive and his Coptic Prime Minister

Boutros Ghali , image = Boutros Ghali Pasha.jpg , order = 9th Prime Minister of Egypt , monarch = Abbas II , birth_date = , birth_place = Kiman-al-'Arus, Beni Suef, Ottoman Empire , death_date = , death_place = Cairo, Khedivate of ...

. He supported radical conservative views which led to his arrest and imprisonment in 1909. However, Jawish's writings produced much more significant consequences for both Muslims and

Copts Copts ( cop, ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ; ar, الْقِبْط ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group indigenous to North Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt and Sudan since antiquity. Most ethnic Copts are C ...

in that Prime Minister Boutros Ghali was assassinated by Ibrahim Al Wardani on 21 February 1910. Wardani was close to the Watani party. The British authorities demanded that the paper should change its editorial stance, but Farid denied their request. Instead, he announced that ''Al Liwa'' was not affiliated to the Watani party anymore. Farid and other party members established another paper, ''Al Alam'', which was made the official organ of the Watani party. The last issue of ''Al Liwa'' was published on 31 August 1912.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liwa 1900 establishments in Egypt 1912 disestablishments in Egypt Arabic-language newspapers Arab nationalism in Egypt Defunct newspapers published in Egypt Newspapers published in Cairo Newspapers established in 1900 Publications disestablished in 1912 Pan-Islamism