Al Qafilah
Type | Weekly |
---|---|
Founder(s) | Ali bin Abdullah Sayyar |
Editor | Ali bin Abdullah Sayyar |
Founded | 1952 |
Language | Arabic |
Ceased publication | 1956 |
Headquarters | Manama, Bahrain |
Al Qafilah (meaning The Qaravan in English) was a weekly newspaper published in Manama, Bahrain, between 1952 and 1956.[1][2]
History and profile[]
Al Qafilah was founded by progressive Arab nationalists, including Ali bin Abdullah Sayyar,[3] one of the members of the High Executive Committee (HEC; al-Hay'a al-Tanfidhiyya al-Uliya in Arabic) which was a cross-sectarian nationalist political movement.[4][5] He was also the editor of the paper and its successor, Al Watan.[6] The secretary of the HEC, Abdul Rahman Al Bakir, was one of the editorial members of Al Qafilah.[7]
The paper was not subject to any censorship until 3 October 1953 when it featured articles on the recent riots in the country.[7] It praised the abolition of the monarchy in Egypt in 1952 and supported the Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh when he was overthrown in the 1953 Iranian coup d'état.[7] The paper's constant target was the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) which was run by foreigners.[7] Together with nationalist magazine Sawt al-Bahrain the company was labelled as Tyrannical BAPCO, a small state, and the colonialist company.[7] The publication of an advertisement of the Egyptian musical Khadd al Jami in June 1953 caused controversy due to its appearance in Ramadan.[1]
Following the riots at the end of 1954 the newspaper published its last issue on 26 November and was closed by the Bahraini authorities in December 1954.[7] The same year the monthly magazine Sawt al-Bahrain was also closed, and the advisor of the king, Charles Belgrave, reported the reason for these closures as their "offensive remarks about neighbouring friendly states."[8]
From 1955 the paper was published under title Al Watan for one year and ceased publication in 1956.[7][9]
Al Qafilah managed to sold four thousand and five thousand copies during its lifetime.[1]
References[]
- ^ a b c Nelida Fuccaro (2013). "Shaping the urban life of oil in Bahrain: Consumerism, leisure, and public communication in Manama and in the oil camps, 1932-1960s". Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 33 (1). doi:10.1215/1089201x-2072721.
- ^ Fahim I. Qubain (1955). "Social Classes and Tensions in Bahrain". Middle East Journal. 9 (3). JSTOR 4322721.
- ^ "Veteran Bahraini journalist Ali Sayyar mourned". GDN Life. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ Who's Who in the Arab World 2007-2008. Walter de Gruyter. 22 December 2011. p. 722. ISBN 978-3-11-093004-7.
- ^ Toby Matthiesen (2014). "Migration, Minorities, and Radical Networks: Labour Movements and Opposition Groups in Saudi Arabia, 1950–1975". International Review of Social History. 59 (3). doi:10.1017/S0020859014000455.
- ^ Rebecca Torr. "Pioneering journalist Sayyar to be honoured". Gulf Daily News. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hamad Ebrahim Abdulla (2016). Sir Charles Belgrave and the Rise and Fall of Bahrain’s National Union Committee (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of East Anglia.
- ^ Marc Owen Jones (2016). Methods of Repression in Bahrain during the 20th and 21st Century: From the Civil List to Social Media (PDF) (PhD thesis). Durham University. p. 234.
- ^ Jehad Abdulla Al Fadhel (March 2009). The Role and Impact of the Press in Bahrain in the Process of Democratisation: Special Reference to the Discourse of Pre and Post Reforms in Bahraini Newspapers (1996-2006) (PhD thesis). University of Bedfordshire.
- 1952 establishments in Bahrain
- 1956 disestablishments in Bahrain
- Arabic-language newspapers
- Arab nationalism in Bahrain
- Censorship in Bahrain
- Defunct newspapers published in Bahrain
- Defunct weekly newspapers
- Mass media in Manama
- Newspapers established in 1952
- Publications disestablished in 1956