Al-Mu'ayyad (newspaper)

Al-Mu'ayyad (Arabic: The Supporter) was a daily newspaper published in Egypt in the period 1889 to 1900. It was one of the influential dailies of that period in Egypt.^[1]

History and profile

Al-Mu'ayyad was launched by Ali Yusuf in 1889.^[2][3] He also edited the paper.^[1][4] Al-Mu'ayyad was considered to be an anti-imperialist and pan-Islamic publication and received covert funding from Khedive Abbas Hilmi.^[5][6] It frequently published articles praising the Khedive emphasizing his closeness to his subjects.^[7] The paper was one of the Egyptian publications which advocated Jamal al-Din al-Afghani's ijtihad view.^[8]

As of 1897 the paper had nearly six thousands subscribers like Al-Ahram and Al Muqattam.^[9] There was a heated debate between Al-Mu'ayyad and Al Muqattam during the British occupation of Egypt between 1892 and 1914 in that the latter was an ardent supporter of the British and Al-Mu'ayyad a militant supporter of the independence of Egypt.^[9]

One of the most significant contributors of Al-Mu'ayyad was Mustafa Kamil Pasha.^[10] The paper was closed down by the British authorities in 1900.^[10] Following this incident Mustafa Kamil Pasha established his own newspaper, Al Liwa, to publish his views.^[10]

Al-Mu'ayyad returned as a weekly, published until 1914.^[11]

References