''Al Siyasa'' (

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 Politics'') was an Egyptian newspaper which was the official media outlet of the now-defunct Liberal Constitutional Party. The paper was in circulation from 1922 to 1951.

History and profile

''Al Siyasa'' was launched in 1922 shortly after the establishment of the Liberal Constitutional Party. The first issue appeared in October that year. The founders were

Mohammed Hussein Heikal Mohammed Hussein Heikal ( ar, محمد حسين هيكل ; August 20, 1888 – December 8, 1956) was an Egyptian writer, journalist, politician. He held several cabinet posts, including minister of education. Life Haekal was born in Kafr Ghann ...

and Mahmoud Abdul Raziq. The former also edited ''Al Siyasa''. Major contributors included

Taha Hussein Taha Hussein (, ar, طه حسين; November 15, 1889 – October 28, 1973) was one of the most influential 20th-century Egyptian writers and intellectuals, and a figurehead for the Nahda, Egyptian Renaissance and the modernism, modernist movem ...

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 ...

, Ali Mahmoud Taha,

Ibrahim Nagi Ibrahim Nagi ( ar, إبراهیم ناجي) (1898–1953) was an Egyptian polymath; a poet, author, translator, and practicing medical doctor. He was among the contributors of ''Al Siyasa'', newspaper of the Liberal Constitutional Party. Early ...

, Ibrahim Al Mazini and Mustafa Abdul Raziq. Following its start the paper supported the

religious freedom Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

and

secular thought ''Secular Thought'' (1887–1911) was a Canadian periodical, published in Toronto, dedicated to promoting the principles of freethought and secularism. Founded and edited during its first several years by English freethinker Charles Watts, the ed ...

. During the 1920s the paper was particularly influential and the primary supporter of the

reforms Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

introduced in Turkey following the establishment of the new republican system. ''Al Siyasa'' was one of the four publications which was read by the Egyptian women partly due to that fact that it featured a weekly women's page entitled ''Sahifat al Sayyida''. The page was started on 17 November 1922. The other Cairo-based newspapers which also featured similar pages were ''Le Réveil'', ''La Patrie'' and ''L'Information''. However, the political stance of ''Al Siyasa'' explicitly changed, and it became a fierce critic of the foreign influence in Egypt. In addition, the paper began to appeal to the beliefs of Muslims in the 1930s and claimed that the

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

in the country were criminals. It also attacked the

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 the country. The major rival of ''Al Siyasa'' was ''

Al Balagh ''Al Balagh'' (Arabic:البلاغ; ''The Message'') is an Arabic language newspaper that has been in circulation since 1923 with some interruptions. The paper is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt. History and profile ''Al Balagh'' was launched by ...

'', and the rivalry between them continued until 1951. Both papers launched a weekly edition in 1926. That of ''Al Siyasa'' was entitled ''Al Siyasa Al Usbuʿiyya'' which was started in March that year. ''Al Siyasa'' ceased publication in 1951.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siyasa 1922 establishments in Egypt 1951 disestablishments in Egypt Arabic-language newspapers Daily newspapers published in Egypt Defunct newspapers published in Egypt Newspapers established in 1922 Newspapers published in Cairo Publications disestablished in 1951