Ali Sayyar
Ali Sayyar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1926 |
| Died | October 2019 (aged 92–93) |
| Nationality | Bahraini |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Years active | 1950–2019 |
| Known for | Founder of Al Qafilah, and Sada Al Osbou |
Ali Sayyar (1926–October 2019) was a veteran Bahraini journalist who founded and edited a newspaper, Al Qafilah, and a magazine, Sada Al Osbou.[1] He was one of the founding fathers of the Bahraini press.[2]
Early life and education[edit]
Sayyar was born in 1926 in Bahrain.[3] His father was Abdullah Sayar.[3] Ali Sayyar graduated from technical schools in Manama and in Cairo.[3]
Career[edit]
Before involving in journalism Sayyar worked in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.[3] He started his career in journalism in 1950 contributing to the first issue of Sawt al-Bahrain which was a monthly political magazine.[1] In his early writings in Sawt al-Bahrain he supported the members of the Free Officers in Egypt.[4] Next he founded and served as the editor-in-chief of Al Qafilah (Arabic: The Caravan), its successor Al Watan (Arabic: The Homeland) and Sada Al Osbou magazine (1969–1999).[1] Sayyar opposed the politics of Gamal Abdul Nasser in his articles in Al Watan.[4] In 1956 he joined the High Executive Committee (Arabic: al-Hay'a al-Tanfidhiyya al-Uliya) which was a cross-sectarian nationalist political movement in Bahrain.[3][5] The same year he began to work at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor in Kuwait.[3] After working there for one year he involved in business and held various positions in Bahraini companies until 1969.[3] In 1973 he became a member of the Constituent Council in Bahrain.[3] The council was established by Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the ruler of Bahrain, to review the proposals about the constitution.[6]
Later he worked for Akhbar Al Khaleej, a Bahraini newspaper, as a columnist.[7] Sayyar was the honorary member of the Bahraini Journalists Association.[8]
Death and legacy[edit]
Sayyar died in October 2019.[1][7] His biography was published by the Ministry of Information.[7] In 2020 a book entitled Ali Sayyar in the Memory of the Nation was published by journalist Kamal Dhib.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Veteran Bahraini journalist Ali Sayyar mourned". GDN Life. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ "GCC Press federation honors Bahraini pioneering journalists". KUNA. Manama. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Who's Who in the Arab World 2007-2008. Beirut: Publitec. 2011. p. 722. ISBN 978-3-11-093004-7.
- ^ a b Hamad Ebrahim Abdulla (2016). Sir Charles Belgrave and the Rise and Fall of Bahrain's National Union Committee (PhD thesis). University of East Anglia.
- ^ 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): 473–504. doi:10.1017/S0020859014000455.
- ^ United States Arms Policies in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea Areas: Past, Present, and Future: Report of a Staff Survey Mission to Ethiopia, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1977. p. 98.
- ^ a b c "Journalist Mourned". News of Bahrain. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ "BJA honors renowned journalist Sayyar". Bahraini Journalists Association. 19 December 2012. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ "Tribute to be paid to towering media figure". Bahrain News Agency. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2021.