Al Muqattam
Al Muqattam (Arabic: المقطم) was an Arabic newspaper which was published in Cairo, Egypt, between 1888 and 1952. It was one of the leading papers until its closure by the Egyptian government in 1954. The title of the paper was a reference to a range of hills outside Cairo. History and profile. "Al Muqattam" was first published on 18 April 1888. It produced only three issues until 14 February 1889 when it became a daily newspaper. The founders were three Christians: Fares Nimr, Khalil Thabet and Anton Najib Matar. The paper was affiliated with the Al Muqtafa Foundation . The publishers were Syrian-origin Christians, Faris Nimr, Yaqub Sarruf and Shahin Makaryus. Fares Nimr also served as the editor-in-chief of the paper from its start to his death in 1951. "Al Muqattam" had three thousand subscribers in 1893. It was nearly six thousands like those of "Al-Ahram" and "Al Mu'ayyad" in 1897. The last issue of the paper was published on 11 November 1952. It was banned by the Minister of National Guidance led by Salah Salem on 26 May 1954. Content and political stance. The paper initially produced news based on the translations of the  telegraph messages sent by the major news agencies such as Reuters and Havas. Muhammad Al Muwaylihi's work entitled "Ma Hunalik" was first published in the paper and serialized between 28 June 1895 and 8 February 1896. During the British occupation of Egypt, namely between 1892 and 1914, "Al Muqattam" held a pro-British political stance. Therefore, the paper was subject to frequent criticisms and allegations that it was financed by the British authorities. Due to these there were tensions between "Al Muqattam" and another Cairo-based newspaper "Al Muayyad" which supported the independence of Egypt. A group led by  Al Muayyad contributor Mustafa Kamil attacked the offices of "Al Muqattam" as a result of these conflicts. In addition the publishers of "Al Muqattam" were frequently mocked by the political satire magazine "Al Siyassa Al Musawwara". "Al Muqattam" began to support another event which also caused criticisms: migration of Jews to Palestine. In 1911 Nissim Malul, a Zionist activist, began to work as the correspondent of "Al Muqattam" in Haifa. The paper had a regular column on Palestine of which the editor was anonymous, and the articles were signed as “senior Zionist”. Salim Tamari, a Palestinian sociologist and writer, argues  that the editor of the column was possibly Shimon Moyal, a Jaffa-born writer and Zionist. Following the end of the British rule in Egypt in 1914 "Al Muqattam" became known for its high-quality journalism and reformist stance. In the early 1920s the paper frequently attacked Saudi ruler Ibn Saud. These attacks had very significant effects on him and led to the establishment of a paper, "Umm Al Qura", in Mecca in 1924 to counterweigh the negative propaganda of "Al Muqattam". Towards the end of its lifetime "Al Muqattam" had mostly an independent editorial approach.