Ali Sayyar (1926–October 2019) was a veteran Bahraini journalist who founded and edited a newspaper, ''

Al Qafilah ''Al Qafilah'' (Arabic: ''The Qaravan'') was a weekly newspaper published in Manama, Bahrain, between 1952 and 1956. History and profile ''Al Qafilah'' was founded by progressive Arab nationalists, including Ali Sayyar, one of the members of th ...

'', and a magazine, ''Sada Al Osbou''. He was one of the founding fathers of the Bahraini press.

Early life and education

Sayyar was born in 1926 in Bahrain. His father was Abdullah Sayar. Ali Sayyar graduated from technical schools in Manama and in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

Career

Before involving in journalism Sayyar worked in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. He started his career in journalism in 1950 contributing to the first issue of ''

Sawt al-Bahrain ''Sawt al-Bahrain'' (Arabic: ''The Voice of Bahrain'') was a monthly political magazine published in Manama, Bahrain, between 1950 and 1954. It was the first independent publication by the Bahraini intellectuals. The magazine laid the basis for t ...

'' which was a monthly political magazine. In his early writings in ''Sawt al-Bahrain'' he supported the members of the Free Officers in Egypt. Next he founded and served as the

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 ...

of ''Al Qafilah'' (

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 Caravan''), its successor ''Al Watan'' (Arabic: ''The Homeland'') and ''Sada Al Osbou'' magazine (1969–1999). Sayyar opposed the politics of

Gamal Abdul Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-re ...

in his articles in ''Al Watan''. In 1956 he joined the High Executive Committee (Arabic: al-Hay'a al-Tanfidhiyya al-Uliya) which was a cross-sectarian nationalist political movement in Bahrain. The same year he began to work at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor in Kuwait. After working there for one year he involved in business and held various positions in Bahraini companies until 1969. In 1973 he became a member of the Constituent Council in Bahrain. The council was established by

Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (; 3 June 1931 – 6 March 1999) was the first emir of Bahrain from 1961 until his death in 1999. Born in Jasra, Bahrain, he became emir upon the death of his father, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Early life and reign ...

, the ruler of Bahrain, to review the proposals about the

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

. Later he worked for ''

Akhbar Al Khaleej ''Akhbar Al Khaleej'' (in Arabic أخبار الخليج meaning ''The Gulf News'') is a Bahraini daily publication. It is the sister paper of the English-language daily, ''Gulf Daily News''. History and profile The first issue of ''Akhbar Al Kh ...

'', a Bahraini newspaper, as a columnist. Sayyar was the honorary member of the Bahraini Journalists Association.

Death and legacy

Sayyar died in October 2019. His biography was published by the Ministry of Information. In 2020 a book entitled ''Ali Sayyar in the Memory of the Nation'' was published by journalist Kamal Dhib.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayyar, Ali 20th-century Bahraini politicians 20th-century journalists 20th-century newspaper founders 21st-century journalists 1926 births 2019 deaths Bahraini democracy activists Bahraini journalists