A stalwart of journalism
After a career spanning six decades, Mahmoud Murad* pays tribute to the man who experienced a "meeting of minds" with Gamal Abdel-Nasser
A tribute must be paid to a veteran of Egyptian journalism, a man whose six decades in the profession were as turbulent as they were inspiring. Mohamed Hassanein Heikal was a unique journalist, decent and dignified. He communicated with the powerful yet remained sensitive to the pulse of the downtrodden, and in his writings never failed to express the concerns and aspirations of the common people. He stayed the course of a high-rolling career and kept his composure in times of glory as well as disappointment.
Starting out with The Egyptian Gazette, Heikal was barely 20 when he got his first by-line on 8 February 1942. His thrill to see his name in print was not shared by his father, however, who wanted his son to study commerce and succeed him in the family business. At the time, journalism was an unstable career with a dubious future. The country's few successful journalists were mostly backed by political parties and the ruling elite, and it was not uncommon for journalists to supplement their income through business deals or by trading in commodities such as cotton or even weapons. The odds for a successful career were stacked against the young Heikal, but he was not to be thwarted.
From a junior journalist chasing crime news, Heikal received his first big assignment when World War II broke out, which turned Egypt's Western Desert into a battleground. As a war correspondent, Heikal's outstanding work prompted Gazette Editor-in-Chief Walter Scott to recommend the young reporter to Mohamed El-Tab'ee, owner and editor-in-chief of Akher Sa'a and the country's most celebrated journalist at the time.
In Akher Sa'a, Heikal flourished. He soon began contributing articles to the Rose El-Youssef magazine and often travelled abroad to cover major events, including the Palestine war in 1948. His companion on these assignments was the photographer Mohamed Youssef, who was later appointed Al-Ahram chief photographer. In Palestine Heikal had a brief encounter with Gamal Abdel-Nasser who was a junior officer at the time. It was not Nasser that impressed Heikal at the time, but a brilliant commander, Ahmed Abdel-Aziz, whose superb tactics befuddled the Israelis. Aziz was later assassinated by the Israelis.
Heikal's journalistic career picked up. He became editor-in-chief of Akher Sa'a in June 1952 and began contributing articles to the weekly Akhbar Al-Youm and the daily Al-Akhbar. It was not until 23 July 1952 that Heikal's life took a sharp turn. Five days before the revolution, Heikal had his second encounter with Nasser at the house of Mohamed Naguib. On the morning of 23 July the two men met again, to become virtually inseparable for the next 18 years.
It is often said that Heikal was the only journalist with access to Nasser and that he intentionally kept other journalists from meeting the president. This is simply untrue. It was other journalists who failed to earn Nasser's appreciation, because of their dubious party affiliations, their desire to exploit their relations with the young leader for personal gain, or their failure to appreciate Nasser's unconventional ideas. Some journalists made the error of communicating Nasser's private views to diplomats and intelligence services, and most failed to establish the easy human rapport which was evident between Nasser and Heikal. Heikal approached Nasser as a friend, and not as a journalist eager for sensational stories. Both avid readers, Heikal and Nasser had a rare "meeting of minds" on various political and social matters.
Heikal soon became editor-in-chief of both Akher Sa'a and Al-Akhbar. He became editor-in-chief of Al- Ahram in August 1957, and was appointed editor-in-chief and chairman of the board in 1960. However, President Anwar El-Sadat terminated Heikal's contract with Al-Ahram on 1 February 1974, a day Heikal's friends often recall as "sad Saturday". Sadat appointed his top aide, first Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed Abdel- Qader Hatim as chairman of the Al- Ahram board of directors, and made Ali Amin managing editor. The post of editor-in-chief remained vacant.
I visited Heikal only four days after "sad Saturday", and recall how hard it was for the family to cope with the sudden change. But more trouble was ahead. In September 1981, Heikal, along with 1,000 of the country's public figures, was imprisoned by Sadat. President Hosni Mubarak ordered their release in October of the same year, and received Heikal and the former detainees in the Al-Orouba Palace.
Heikal emerged from the meeting to express appreciation and support of President Mubarak in full view of world media. He then went home to his loyal and loving companion and a life that remains as fruitful and inspiring as ever. On the occasion of his 80th birthday, I tip my hat to both.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 2 - 8 October 2003 (Issue No. 658)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/658/op8.htm