Owner(s) | Liberal Constitutional Party |
---|---|
Founder(s) |
|
Editor-in-chief | Mohammed Hussein Heikal |
Founded | October 1922 |
Language | Arabic |
Ceased publication | 1951 |
Headquarters | Cairo |
Country | Egypt |
Al Siyasa ( Arabic: 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.
Al Siyasa was launched in 1922 shortly after the establishment of the Liberal Constitutional Party. [1] The first issue appeared in October that year. [2] The founders were Mohammed Hussein Heikal and Mahmoud Abdul Raziq. [3] The former also edited Al Siyasa. [4] [5] Major contributors included Taha Hussein, Salama Moussa, Ali Mahmoud Taha, Ibrahim Nagi, Ibrahim Al Mazini and Mustafa Abdul Raziq. [3]
Following its start Al Siyasa supported religious freedom and secular thought. [1] During the 1920s the paper was particularly influential and the primary supporter of the reforms introduced in Turkey following the establishment of the new republican system. [1] At the same time it advocated Egyptian nationalism through the articles of Mohammed Hussein Heikal, which supported close economic and cultural relationships between Egypt and the countries of the Arab East. [6]
Al Siyasa was one of the four publications read by Egyptian women partly due to the fact that it featured a weekly women's page entitled Sahifat al Sayyida. [7] The page was started on 17 November 1922. [7] The other Cairo-based newspapers which also featured similar pages were Le Réveil, La Patrie and L'Information. [7]
However, the political stance of Al Siyasa explicitly changed, and it became a fierce critic of the foreign influence in Egypt. [8] In addition, the paper began to appeal to the beliefs of Muslims in the 1930s and claimed that the missionaries in the country were criminals. [4] It also attacked the Copts in the country. [9]
The major rival of Al Siyasa was Al Balagh, and the rivalry between them continued until 1951. [2] Both papers launched a weekly edition in 1926. [2] That of Al Siyasa was entitled Al Siyasa Al Usbuʿiyya which was started in March that year and existed until 1930. [2] [10] Al Siyasa ceased publication in 1951. [3] [11]
Papers relating to the foreign relations of the United States, 1928, Volume II, Document 743