Al Muqattam

''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.

History and profile

''Al Muqattam'' was first published on 18 April 1888. The founders were three Christians: Faris Nimr, Khalil Thabet and Anton Najib Matar. The establishment of the paper was supported by Lord Cromer, colonial administrator of the British in Egypt. It produced only three issues until 14 February 1889 when it became a daily newspaper. The paper was affiliated with the Al Muqtafa Foundation. The publishers were Syrian-origin Christians, Faris Nimr, Yaqub Sarruf and Shahin Makaryus. The latter also published a masonic journal entitled ''Al Lataif'' in Cairo between 1885 and 1896. Fares Nimr also served as the editor-in-chief of ''Al Muqattam'' from its start to his death in 1951 and also edited its political content. In the early years Yaqub Sarruf edited the science content of the paper.

''Al Muqattam'' had three thousand subscribers in 1893. It was nearly six thousands like those of ''Al-Ahram'' and '' Al Mu'ayyad'' in 1897. The last issue of the paper was published on 11 November 1952. It was banned by the Minister of National Guidance led by Salah Salem on 26 May 1954.

Content and political stance

The paper initially produced news based on the translations of the telegraph messages sent by the major news agencies such as Reuters and Havas. In fact ''Al Muqattam'' was the first Egyptian paper which obtained these messages from the leading news agencies, and its London correspondent was one of the editorial members of the British daily newspaper ''Daily Mail''. Muhammad Al Muwaylihi's work entitled ''Ma Hunalik'' was first published in the paper and serialized between 28 June 1895 and 8 February 1896. During the British occupation of Egypt, namely between 1892 and 1914, ''Al Muqattam'' held a pro-British political stance. Therefore, the paper was subject to frequent criticisms and allegations that it was financed by the British authorities. Due to these there were tensions between ''Al Muqattam'' and another Cairo-based newspaper ''Al Muayyad'' which supported the independence of Egypt. A group led by ''Al Muayyad'' contributor Mustafa Kamil attacked the offices of ''Al Muqattam'' as a result of these conflicts. In addition, the publishers of ''Al Muqattam'' were frequently mocked by the political satire magazine '' Al Siyassa Al Musawwara''. ''Al Muqattam'' and ''Al Ahram'' which had a pro-Ottoman stance also became opponents from 1889.

''Al Muqattam'' supported another event which also caused criticisms: migration of Jews to Palestine. In 1911 Nissim Malul, a Zionist activist, began to work as the correspondent of ''Al Muqattam'' in Haifa. The paper had a regular column on Palestine of which the editor was anonymous, and the articles were signed as “senior Zionist”. Salim Tamari, a Palestinian sociologist and writer, argues that the editor of the column was possibly Shimon Moyal, a Jaffa-born writer and Zionist. Following the end of the British rule in Egypt in 1914 ''Al Muqattam'' became known for its high-quality journalism and reformist stance. It was the first Arabic newspaper which published the text of the Balfour Declaration on 10 November 1917 which had been signed on 2 November.

In the early 1920s ''Al Muqattam'' frequently attacked Saudi ruler Ibn Saud. These attacks had very significant effects on him and led to the establishment of a paper, '' Umm Al Qura'', in Mecca in 1924 to counterweigh the negative propaganda of ''Al Muqattam''. Towards the end of its lifetime ''Al Muqattam'' had mostly an independent editorial approach.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muqattam
1888 establishments in Egypt
1954 disestablishments in Egypt
Arabic-language newspapers
Banned newspapers
Censorship in Egypt
Daily newspapers published in Egypt
Defunct newspapers published in Egypt
Publications established in 1888
Newspapers published in Cairo
Publications disestablished in 1954