Al Arab

Al Arab (in Arabic العرب meaning The Arabs) was the first Arabic daily following the independence of Qatar. It was printed between 1972 and 1995 and was relaunched on 18 November 2007 as an e-newspaper which is based in Doha, Qatar.[1][2]

Not to be confused with Alarab News Channel or Al-Arab.

Al Arab
TypeDaily
Formate-newspaper
Editor-in-chiefAhmed Al Romaihi
Associate editorMohammed Haji
Founded6 March 1972 (1972-03-06)
LanguageArabic
HeadquartersDoha
WebsiteAl Arab

History and profile

Al Arab was established in 1972.[3] The paper was first published on 6 March 1972 as a weekly tabloid and became Qatar's first post-independence Arabic publication.[4][5] The paper is also the first political paper of the country.[6]

The founder and the first editor-in-chief of the daily was Qatari intellectual Abdullah Hussein Nemma,[7] known as "Dean" of the Qatari press.[4] The publisher was Dar Al Orouba.[7] Al Arab was converted into a broadsheet daily on 22 February 1974.[4] It was closed down in 1995.[8] The license of the paper was sold by Nemma's family to then Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani in the 1990s.[8]

It was relaunched on 18 November 2007 as online newspaper.[9] Abdulaziz Al-Mahmoud who also contributed to the foundation of the daily was named as editor-in-chief and served in the post until November 2009.[10] Ahmed Al Romaihi is the editor-in-chief of the paper[11][12] and his deputy is Mohammed Haji.[13]

Political stance and content

Al Arab both in its first and second periods has had an independent political stance.[4][14] However, BBC describes it as a pro-government paper.[15]

In 2009, Al Arab contributor Samar Al Mogren, a Saudi Arabian novelist and feminist, received death threats due to her article in which she criticized Saudi cleric Mohammed Al Arifi for vilifying Shiites and calling Iraqi Ayatollah Sistani "an Infidel".[16] In August 2013, Faisal Al Marzoqi published an article in the daily, accusing the officials of the Qatar Museums Authority of power misuse.[11] The criticism also indirectly targeted Shaikha Al Mayassa Al Thani, chairperson of the authority and caused reaction by the Qatari officials.[11]

Activities

The daily was one of the media sponsors for the Schools Olympic Program (SOP) in March 2013.[13]

See also

References
  1. "Al Arab Newspaper". Wikimapia. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  2. "Qatari newspapers". World Press. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  3. The Middle East and North Africa 2004. Taylor & Francis Group; Psychology Press. 2003. p. 954. ISBN 978-1-85743-184-1.
  4. Mohamed M. Arafa (1994). "Qatar". In Yahya R. Kamalipour; Hamid Mowlana (eds.). Mass Media in the Middle East: A Comprehensive Handbook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. – via Questia (subscription required)
  5. William A. Rugh (2004). Arab Mass Media: Newspapers, Radio, and Television in Arab Politics. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-275-98212-6.
  6. "Qatar Press, Media, TV, Radio, Newspapers". Press Reference. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  7. "About Us". Arabian Establishment for Commerce. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  8. "Al Jazeera Website Director to Quit; Start New Newspaper". Wikileaks. Doha. 2 March 2006. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  9. "Biography of Abdulaziz Ibrahim Al Mahmoud". Wharton University. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  10. "Abdulaziz Al Mahmoud". Forbes Associates. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012.
  11. "QMA threatens legal action over controversial newspaper column". Doha News. August 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  12. "UAE journalists in Qatar pressured to quit". Al Jazeera. 9 March 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  13. "Al Arab Newspaper named as media sponsor for SOP". Qatar Olympic Committee. 12 March 2013. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  14. "Qatari newspapers". Araboo. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  15. "Qatar profile". BBC. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  16. "Al Arab newspaper condemns death threats". Qatar Living. 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
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