Saleem Takla
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Saleem Takla ( ar, سليم تقلا, also spelled Selim Taqla; 1849 – August 8, 1892) was a Lebanese-Ottoman journalist who founded of ''
Al-Ahram ''Al-Ahram'' ( ar, الأهرام; ''The Pyramids''), founded on 5 August 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after '' al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya'' (''The Egyptian Events'', founded 1828). It is majori ...
'' newspaper with his brother Beshara Takla.


Early life and education

Saleem Takla was born in
Kfarshima Kfarshima ( ar, كفرشيما), also spelled Kfarchima, is a town in the Baabda District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, southeast of Beirut and is part of Greater Beirut. The town is populated by Lebanese Christians: mainly Melkite Greek Ca ...
,
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
in 1849“السيرة الذاتية للأستاذ / سليم تقلا,” Al-Ahram, http://www.alahram.org.eg/ahram_board_sleem.htm. to Khalil and Nada Takla.حمزة عليان, “آل تقلا و«الأهرام»,” Al-Qabas, January 23, 2010. http://www.alqabas.com.kw/node/600144. The Takla family was
Melkite Greek Catholic el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία , image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = , abbreviatio ...
. When he was 12, he was sent to school in
Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, first to a grade school organized by
Cornelius Van Alen Van Dyck Cornelius Van Alen Van Dyck, M.D. (August 13, 1818 – November 13, 1895) was an American missionary physician, teacher and translator of the Protestant Bible into Arabic.Butrus al-Bustani Butrus al-Bustani ( ar, بطرس البستاني, ; 1819–1883) was a writer and scholar from present day Lebanon. He was a major figure in the Nahda, which began in Egypt in the late 19th century and spread to the Middle East. He is consi ...
. During that time, the 1860 Druze–Maronite conflict dramatically impacted the region. After completing his studies, Takla taught at the Patriarchal College in Beirut founded by
Gregory II Youssef Patriarch Gregory II Youssef, also known as Gregory II Hanna Youssef-Sayour (October 17, 1823 – July 13, 1897), was Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1864 to 1897. Gregory expanded and modernized the church and its institu ...
.


Moving to Alexandria and Founding ''Al-Ahram''

In 1874 Takla moved to
Alexandria, Egypt 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 ...
. During this period, Alexandria was “both a bridgehead of European colonialism and a crucible of Egyptian national integration and identity.”Michael J. Reimer, Colonial Bridgehead: Government and Society in Alexandria, 1807–1882. (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1997). More people were becoming literate, thanks in part to the development of new schools in the city, and conflicts and crises throughout the Middle East piqued public interest in world events. Furthermore, Alexandria was becoming a center of the news and publishing businesses, with many European news services, printing presses, and publishers setting up shop in the city. A large population of translators in the city, many of them Syro-Lebanese (like Takla), further aided the newspaper business by allowing Arabic newspapers to better report on international events using sources in other languages. Finally,
Isma'il Pasha Isma'il Pasha ( ar, إسماعيل باشا ; 12 January 1830 – 2 March 1895), was the Khedive of Egypt and conqueror of Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when he was removed at the behest of Great Britain. Sharing the ambitious outlook of his gran ...
, the
Khedive of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ota, خدیویت مصر ') was an autonomous Vassal and tributary states of the Ottoman Empire, tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, established and ruled by the Muhammad Ali Dynasty following the defeat and e ...
from 1863–1879, and his successors patronized several Alexandria newspapers, which certainly aided the development of the industry. As Syro-Lebanese immigrants, the Takla brothers benefited from belonging to a community recognized for “their knowledge of languages,” familiarity “with the practice of Arabic journalism,” and “close connections with Egypt's political and commercial élite.” In the newspaper business, “offering news of events in Syria and in the Syrian community” gave new papers access to a niche market, specifically the Syrian community in Alexandria. Despite all of these advantages, the Takla brothers “moved cautiously.” They “spent seven months attempting to find subscribers, and even printed up a facsimile copy for promotional purposes, before actually going to press.”Juan R. I. Cole, Colonialism and Revolution In the Middle East: Social and Cultural Origins of Egypt's 'Urabi Movement (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1992). Finally, in 1876, the Takla brothers began publishing ''al-Ahram'' (meaning the Pyramids), “for a long time the most prestigious daily in the Arab world”. The next year, in 1877, they began publishing ''Sada al-Ahram'' (meaning Echo of the Pyramids), followed by ''al-Waqt'' (meaning the Time) in 1879 and ''al-Ahwal'' (the Conditions) in 1882.


Political action and censorship

As described above, Alexandria in the 1860s and 1870s offered many benefits to newspapers, including the patronage of Isma'il Pasha. However, that support came with the expectation that newspapers would support the government. This policy was enforced not only through government patronage, but also by law. According to
Juan Cole John Ricardo Irfan "Juan" Cole (born October 23, 1952) is an American academic and commentator on the modern Middle East and South Asia. Dead link; no archive located. He is Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University ...
: “In October 1863 the Egyptian foreign minister made it known that Ottoman censorship laws would henceforth be more strictly applied in Egypt, through a special government department overseeing newspapers. Newspapers were to abstain absolutely from any criticism of governmental actions and avoid any discussion of matters, the mention of which might affect relations with foreign powers. Reporters had to report news from the provinces in a manner that kept to the facts, avoiding any criticism of officials. Editors were responsible for orally reporting the content of articles to the Press Bureau before going to press. Newspapers contravening these articles of the law would receive three warnings, after which they would be closed down and large fines would be imposed.” These declarations aside, the environment of Alexandria moderated the force of censorship laws. The large foreign presence in Alexandria, including Syro-Lebanese like the Takla brothers, helped limit enforcement of the laws, since many foreigners enjoyed some form of protected status in Egypt, a system that began with the
Capitulations of the Ottoman Empire Capitulations of the Ottoman Empire were contracts between the Ottoman Empire and other powers in Europe, particularly France. Turkish capitulations, or Ahidnâmes were generally bilateral acts whereby definite arrangements were entered into ...
. The educational system further provoked resistance to censorship by developing and enlarging the intellectual class. Furthermore, by allowing newspapers more license, Isma'il Pasha hoped “to use the press to fight off the increasing influence of Britain and France over Egyptian internal affairs” and therefore “allowed a livelier Arabic political press to grow up that had some hope of surviving financially.” Eventually, the Takla brothers did run afoul of censorship laws. They first “had their ''Sada al-Ahram'' suspended and fined for finding fault with Isma'il, and on its second serious offense the Publications Department simply ordered it out of existence.” However, the Takla brothers had other newspapers, and this setback did not prevent them from continuing to attempt to exert political influence using their other outlets.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Takla, Saleem 1849 births 1892 deaths Egyptian newspaper editors Egyptian newspaper founders Egyptian newspaper publishers (people) Lebanese newspaper founders Lebanese journalists 19th-century journalists Male journalists 19th-century male writers People from Kfarshima Lebanese Melkite Greek Catholics