Mohamed Hassanein Heikal

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Mohamed Hassanein Heikal (Arabic:محمد حسنين هيكل) (born 1923) is a leading Egyptian journalist. For many years he was editor-in-chief of the Cairo newspaper Al-Ahram and has been a respected commentator on Middle East affairs for more than 50 years. In 1983, Heikal published a bombshell titled Khareef Al-Ghadab (Autumn of Fury), in which he analyzed the reasons behind Sadat’s assassination and the rise of political Islam.

Heikal articulated the thoughts of President Nasser earlier in his career. The reasons for his fall with president Sadat, who succeeded Nasser, remain under great speculation.^{[citation needed]}

Heikal has been a member of the Central Committee of the Arab Socialist Union. He wrote many books, such as: Nasser: The Cairo Documents, The Road to Ramadan, The Sphinx and the Commissar: The Rise and Fall of Soviet Influence in the Middle East, Cutting the Lion's Tail: Suez Through Egyptian Eyes, The Cairo Documents: The Inside Story of Nasser and His Relationship with World Leaders, Rebels, and Statesmen, Secret Channels: The Inside Story of Arab-Israeli Peace Negotiations, Illusions of Triumph, Iran: The Untold Story, The Return of the Ayatollah, The Iranian Revolution from Mossadeq to Khomeini, and October War.

His current lecture series at Al-jazeera earned him a greater medium to the Arab world, visiting every Thursday evening. Haikal generally discusses information he acquired during his years as a journalist, historian, and a player in the political arena in Egypt's modern history. His lectures gave an overview of fall of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of modern Arab Nationalist governments. He also lectured on the rise of the American Empire and the decline of the previous superpowers. His lectures range from general overviews to intricate details of scenes he witnessed. In addition, he briefly discussed the events leading to the deterioration of Nasser's relationship versus the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood group and the failed assassination attempt. He also heavily criticized President Mubarak's attempt to re-election and suggested that no president should exceed ten years in office.^{[citation needed]}