Heikal, Muhammad Hassanein

Muhammad Hassanein Heikal, (born September 23, 1923, Cairo, Egypt—died February 17, 2016, Cairo), leading Egyptian journalist who gained fame as the editor in chief (1957–74) of Al-Ahram, the semiofficial Egyptian newspaper. During his tenure Al-Ahram was called The New York Times of the Arab world, partly because of Heikal’s weekly analytical pieces.

Heikal was educated at the American University in Cairo. In 1943 he became a reporter for the Egyptian Gazette, and the following year he joined the staff of the weekly Ros Al Yussef. He later served as editor of the illustrated weekly Akher Saa (1953–56) and of the daily Al-Akhbar (1956–57).

Heikal was a longtime friend of Gamal Abdel Nasser, and, when Nasser came to power as president of Egypt, he installed Heikal as editor of Al-Ahram. Heikal at once began improving the paper’s production quality, accuracy, and objectivity; subdued the high emotional and sensational tone that had characterized it; hired and trained university graduates as investigative reporters; and set up a Center for Political & Strategic Studies. Under his tenure Al-Ahram became a newspaper of record for the Arab world. Heikal also served as chairman of the Al-Ahram Establishment Board (1959–74), was a member of the Central Committee of the Arab Social Union (1968–74), and spent a few months in 1970 as a minister of national guidance.

After Nasser’s death in 1970, Heikal remained editor of Al-Ahram until 1974, when the paper’s criticisms of Pres. Anwar Sadat led to his removal. He subsequently became a freelance journalist. From 2007 Heikal hosted a series of lectures on world events entitled Ma’a Heikal (“With Heikal”), which was broadcast on the Arabic-language television network Al Jazeera.

Heikal was the author of several books, including Nasser: The Cairo Documents (1972), The Road to Ramadan (1975), Sphinx and Commissar (1978), Autumn of Fury: The Assassination of Sadat (1983), Secret Channels: The Inside Story of Arab-Israeli Peace Negotiations (1996), and Mubarak and His Age (2012).