Al Ahrar (Arabic: الأحرار, lit. 'the Free' or 'the Liberal') was a weekly newspaper published in Cairo, Egypt, from 1977 to 2013. The paper was the official media outlet of the Liberal Party.[1][2]
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Liberal Party |
| Publisher | Liberal Party |
| Founded | November 1977 |
| Political alignment | Liberal |
| Language | Arabic |
| Ceased publication | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Cairo |
| Country | Egypt |
History and profile
editAl Ahrar was established during the Sadat era in 1977 and was based in Cairo.[3][4] The first issue appeared in November that year.[5]
It was one of the highest circulation papers in the country owned by a political party.[6] The weekly had a liberal political leaning and was one of the major opposition publications in Egypt.[7][8] In November 1982 Al Ahrar attacked the advertisements of the Islamic investment companies.[9] It supported Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's liberal and capitalist economy policies and also, fast harmony with the Western countries.[10] On the other hand, Al Ahrar was one of the major critics of Baháʼí Egyptians.[11]
As of 1996 the editor-in-chief of the paper was Mustapha Bakri who had a Nasserist political stance.[12] Due to his support for Gamal Abdel Nasser the chairman of the Liberal Party Mustafa Kamel Murad who was a member of the Free Officers movement fired Bakri.[12] Bakri attempted to continue his editorship, but was forced to resign from the post through the intervention of Egyptian security forces.[12] Al Ahrar sold 5,000 copies in 2005.[3] In 2013, the paper ceased publication.[13]
Incidents
editIn September 1997 when the pro-Islamic biweekly Al Shaab was banned by the government Al Ahrar run a page for it in its third page.[14] In December 2012, Al Ahrar along with others went on strike for one day to protest the draft constitution presented by the Egyptian government.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Roberto Aliboni; et al., eds. (2013). Egypt's Economic Potential. London; New York: Routledge. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-135-08688-6.
- ^ Anthony McDermott (2012). Egypt from Nasser to Mubarak (RLE Egypt): A Flawed Revolution. London; New York: Routledge. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-415-81116-3.
- ^ a b William A. Rugh (2004). Arab Mass Media: Newspapers, Radio, and Television in Arab Politics. Westport, CT; London: Praeger. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-275-98212-6.
- ^ Mamoun Fandy (2007). (Un)civil War of Words: Media and Politics in the Arab World. Westport, CT: Praeger. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-275-99393-1.
- ^ Donald M. Reid (1979). "The Return of the Egyptian Wafd, 1978". International Journal of African Historical Studies. 12 (3): 407. doi:10.2307/218411. JSTOR 218411.
- ^ Hany Ghoraba (9 October 2012). "Egyptian press and online media quagmire". House of Dialog. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
- ^ Neha Sahgal (2008). Divided We Stand, But United We Oppose? Opposition Alliances in Egypt and Pakistan (PhD thesis). University of Maryland, College Park. p. 97. hdl:1903/8871.
- ^ Andrew Hammond (2007). Popular Culture in the Arab World: Arts, Politics, and the Media. Cairo; New York: American University in Cairo Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-977-416-054-7.
- ^ Saad Eddin Ibrahim (1988). "Egypt's Islamic Activism in the 1980s". Third World Quarterly. 10 (2): 644. doi:10.1080/01436598808420075.
- ^ Hanan Hammad (2009). "Khomeini and the Iranian Revolution in the Egyptian Press: From Fascination to Condemnation". Radical History Review (105): 43. doi:10.1215/01636545-2009-003.
- ^ "Egyptian Press and the Industry of Bigotry" (PDF). Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
- ^ a b c Joshua Stacher (2004). "Parties over: The demise of Egypt's opposition parties". British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 31 (2): 224. doi:10.1080/135301904042000268222. S2CID 145021477.
- ^ "Media Situation in Egypt: Tenth report for the period January and February 2014" (Report). Al Sawt Al Hurr. 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
- ^ "Rival Helps Suspended Egyptian Newspaper Publish". The Spokesman Review. Associated Press. 13 September 1997. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
- ^ "Egypt's online media shows solidarity with newspaper strike". Ahram Online. 4 December 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2013.