Muhammad Husayn Haykal

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Muhammad Husayn Haykal (Arabic: محمد حسين هيكل) (August 20, 1888 – 1956) was an Egyptian writer, journalist, politician and a former Minister of Education in Egypt.

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[edit] Life

Heikal was born in Mansoura, Ad Daqahliyah in 1888. He obtained a B.A. in Law in 1909 and a JD from the Sorbonne University in 1912. After returning to Egypt, he worked as a lawyer for 10 years, then as a journalist. He was elected as editor-in-chief of Al Siyasa newspaper, the organ of "The constitutional Tory party" for which he was also an advisor. In 1937, he was appointed as Minister of State for the Interior Ministry in the Muhammad Mahmoud Pasha's second government. Then he was appointed as a Minister of Education where he introduced several reforms, including decentralization, by establishing educational zones and making programs and curricula nationally oriented. He was greatly influenced and inspired by the comprehensive reforms of Mohammad Abduh, Ahmad Lutfy El Sayed and Qasim Amin. Haikal is the father of Fayza Haikal who teaches Egyptian language courses at the American University in Cairo.

He died in 1956.

[edit] Works

His works include:

  • Zeinab, 1914; the first modern Egyptian novel.
  • Biographies of Egyptian and Western Personalities, 1929.
  • The Life of Muhammad, 1933; a biography of Muhammad.
  • In the House of Revelation, 1939.
  • Al Farouq Omar,1944/45.
  • Memories on Egyptian politics, 1951-53.
  • Thus Was I Created,1955.
  • Faith, Knowledge and Philosophy, published in 1964.
  • The Islamic Empire and sacred places, published in 1964 .
  • Egyptian short stories, published in 1967.
  • Othman Ibn Affan, published in 1968.

[edit] References

  • Heykal from Egypt state information service.

[edit] External links