Obit

Heikal, 92

VETERAN EGYPTIAN journalist Mohammed Hassanein Heikal died Wednesday, February 17. He was 92.

Heikal was the editor of Cairo’s Al-Ahram daily from 1957 to 1974. He was a close confidant of the nationalist Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser in the early times of his career. He also served as the Information minister and  foreign minister of Nasser’s successor, Anwar al-Sadat, but resigned before over differences with Sadat.

Heikal was jailed in by Sadat in 1981, along with hundreds of other government critics, but was released later that year after Sadat’s assassination. However, Sadat’s successor, Hosni Mubarak, “kept him at arm’s length” throughout his 29 years in office. Despite this, Heikal, continued to be one of the most significant commentators on Egyptian affairs and the Arab world (“Leading Egyptian journalist Mohamed Heikal dies aged 92,” BBC.com, February 17, 2016).

Heikal also published about 40 books, and despite failing health, had frequently appeared on television in the past few years to share his political views in lengthy interviews.

Friends and colleagues mourned Heikal’s passing. Career diplomat Mustafa el-Fiqi described Heikal as “the nation’s authentic memory.” Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi also paid homage to the late journalist, saying that Heikal “established a distinctive journalistic school that combined political analysis with a magnificent writing style.” (“Mohamed Heikal, Prolific Egyptian Political Writer and Insider, Dies at 92,” NYTimes.com, February 17, 2016)

He is survived by his wife and three sons.