What Would Mehanna Think?
The death of MagdyMehanna, one of thenation’s leadingcolumnists,leaves our public discourseimpoverished
By Manal el-Jesri
Egypt Today - March 2008
The idea of waking up one day and finding veteran columnist Magdy Mehanna gone from this world never crossed my mind. Being a devout Muslim who believes in death and the afterlife has nothing to do with it. Through “Fil Mamnou” (In the Forbidden Zone), his daily column, Mehanna transcended mere human trivialities. It’s not that he climbed onto a podium from which he gave sermons. In fact, he did the exact opposite, transcending the barriers people throw up between themselves because he was synonymous with truth —because he always took the strongest stances against corruption and ugliness.
Most mornings, I still flip Al-Masry Al-Youm, the independent daily that was home to Mehanna’s column, to look at the back page first, looking for his daily commentary. It is a habit that many will find difficult to get over, because everybody read “Fil Mamnou” —government and opposition, rich and poor, Nasserist and businessman.
Through his column, Mehanna helped set the debate of the day. If he discussed a topic, then it must be important, his readers reasoned. His columns drove young journalists to delve deeper, his op-eds often giving them fresh angles and new ways of looking at stories that many had taken for granted. Reading Mehanna was like listening to your conscience, that nagging little voice that you like to ignore sometimes, but which keeps you awake at night.
From the corridors of power to the man on the street, readers looked forward to learning what Magdy Mehanna thought about the hot-button issues of our day.
Many would have liked to silence this nagging conscience. He began with the left-leaning Al-Ahali newspaper, then moved to the state-owned Rose El-Youssef, from which he took a leave of absence to become editor-in-chief of the opposition daily Al-Wafd. Although he was ultimately fired by Noaman Gomaa, the now-disgraced Wafd leader, it was at Al-Wafd that Mehanna penned his first Fil Mamnou. So successful was the column that he chose to carry it with him to Al-Masry Al-Youm, where it became nothing short of a phenomenon.
This column was the subject of his last major interview with Egypt Today in April 2007. I asked him whether his strong views ever caused him any trouble with those in power.
“I cannot say I have had problems, such as threats, for example,” he said. “No, this has never happened to me. Some people tell me such and such person or official is upset or something. But no threats. Maybe because my writings are clear of slander and libel. Maybe also because everybody, including the government, knows that I have no vested interest in what I write. This in itself lends a writer protection. I write against the government sometimes, but at others I write against the opposition. The important thing is to speak what is on people’s minds, to stand up for them.”
This is why people Mehanna had never set eyes on in his life attended his funeral. The sense of loss amongst the mourners —family, friends and readers alike —was palpable. Everybody felt they had just lost a brother, a friend, an ally.
Mehanna had prepared us all for his loss, but when you love someone, you are never ready.
Two years ago, Mehanna underwent a liver transplant, and his column disappeared for a few weeks as he recovered. People were shattered, and letters and phone calls asking after his health rained upon the daily newspaper. It was with a sense of relief that we saw his column return.
“I did not foresee people’s reactions [to my absence],” he recalled. “I knew there was a strong bond between me and the people, whether they are colleagues or readers, but I did not anticipate even one of over 1000 of their reactions. Years ago, I used to write a daily column for Al-Wafd newspaper, and when I was fired, I felt people’s reactions, empathy and concern. But the past crisis was different. Even government officials were concerned and asked after me.”
Although Mehanna was a very close friend of my husband’s, the scribe never talked much about his private life; Although he was a guest at our wedding and spent considerable time with my husband, he never visited us at home. He didn’t speak about his health, although once or twice he thanked the officials who had asked after him through his column. Another time, he wrote about a trip to consult doctors in France. Mostly, he thanked the readers whose prayers kept him going.
The last time I heard his voice was over the phone a few months ago. I was working on a story about tensions between the press and the government over press laws and prison sentences for libel. Mehanna was a staunch supporter of freedom of expression and was rooting for the abolishment of all laws that could send a writer to prison for expressing his or her opinion.
He was as welcoming as usual, but said he was currently in hospital undergoing chemotherapy. He asked me to call him a few days later so we could meet. The fact that he mentioned his illness was such a deviation from the norm that my heart broke. I did not call back. I was afraid to put a strain on him, thinking he felt obliged to talk to me because of our family relationship.
I wish I had called. I was waiting for him to get better. He kept writing until the last moment. His thoughts were as clear as ever, his tone strong and steady. So when his column disappeared a few days before he went into a coma, all his readers refused to believe it was over. Mehanna was going to kick cancer in the teeth and come back. While his words will no longer greet us each morning, he will continue to be our conscience.
We will continue to ask the question: What would Magdy Mehanna have said? et
Magdy Mehana: Pushing the envelope
by Amany Aly Shawky
Last month, Al-Masry Al-Youm published Fel Mamnoo ("Forbidden"), a collection of articles written by the late journalist and television presenter Magdy Mehanna. Mehanna, who passed away on 8 February, 2008, was an independent newspaper columnist and the host of a popular television talk show. Fel Mamnoo, which bears the same title as his column and television program, serves as an expression of hope about Egypt's current situation. The book begins with a series of articles about the author, his work as a journalist and his struggle with cancer, the latter of which caused him tremendous physical pain but also worked to soften the rougher edges of his personality.
Read More:
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/magdy-mehana-pushing-envelope
Magdi Mehanna (1956-2008)
Man of integrity
Magdi Mehanna (1956-2008)
by Hala Sakr
Ahram Weekly - Issue No. 884
14 - 20 February 2008
Egyptian journalist Magdi Mehanna, one of the country's most widely read columnists, passed away this week after a long battle with hepatitis C that gave rise to liver cancer. According to his doctor, Mahmoud El-Meteeni, Mehanna's condition deteriorated 1- days before he went into a coma. Mehanna died last Friday an hour before midnight.
Mehanna was one of only a few journalists to be trusted and respected by members of all the country's political factions, regardless of their differing views. His integrity was unquestionable. He sailed against all tides, whether of corruption or of sensationalism, many people seeing in him the embodiment of journalistic professional ethics. Mehanna managed to express the thoughts and feelings that many Egyptians shared, but could not articulate. He had a way of saying the boldest and the bluntest things in a matter-of-fact way, yet he never gave offence.
Mehanna's funeral last Saturday and the gathering to pay condolences to the family on Monday are proof of the esteem and affection in which he was held, and they brought together government and ruling party officials, members of the opposition, journalists, intellectuals, and, above all, his readers, for one final gathering in his honour.
Even in early life Mehanna had his own mind. He managed to keep his independence, as he worked for many differently coloured, even apparently conflicting, publications. After graduating from Cairo University's Faculty of Mass Communication in 1978, Mehanna started his career at the weekly magazine Rose El-Youssef. At the same time, he started to write for Al-Ahali, mouthpiece of the leftist Tagammu Party, in 1982 as a features writer, a time remembered well by his colleague Salah Issa, editor-in-chief of Al-Qahira and features editor of Al-Ahali at the time. Mehanna also wrote for the liberal newspaper Al-Ahrar.
In 1984, Mehanna moved to work for Al-Wafd, newspaper of the Wafd Party, first as a features writer, then as managing editor, and finally, in 2001, as co-editor-in- chief. He was also a contributor to the opinion pages of Al-Ahram Weekly.
"Both of us worked at Al-Wafd under its first editor, the late Mustafa Sherdi, whom Magdi considered to be his mentor. Magdi took after Sherdi in his style of writing, which was full of daring criticism and took no heed of 'red lines'. His only goal was serving the truth," remembers Sayed Abdel-Ati, co-managing editor of Al-Wafd.
It was in Al-Wafd that Mehanna's popular column Fil- Mamnou'e (Forbidden Things) first appeared. "Right from the beginning, Magdi was a promising reporter. In 1986, he won the Press Syndicate's first features award for a piece he wrote about rape," notes Abdel-Ati. Mehanna was always a member of the Wafd Party, he says, becoming a member of its leadership in 2006.
Mehanna moved to the independent Al-Masry Al-Yom in 2004, carrying his column with him, which now appeared daily on the newspaper's back page. Thousands read that column. It was often said that people started reading Al-Masry Al-Yom backwards, starting with Mehanna's column.
However, in today's technological environment Mehanna could not help but be attracted to television, and he started a television interview show, again carrying the name of Fil-Mamnou'e on Dream TV. When he first talked about this project in 2001, some people were sceptical about this new role, wondering whether it would harm him as a journalist and whether he could make it on television. He did, of course, and while thousands read his column, through television he reached the unreached, including all the millions living along the banks of the Nile. A year ago, Mehanna started a new programme, Baad Al-Mudawla (After Deliberations), on the second channel of Egyptian television.
As early as 1987, Mehanna became a member of the Council of the Press Syndicate, serving for three consecutive terms ending in 1999. According to Yehia Qallash, a member of the council, "although his membership was on the council, Magdi was a determined combatant for the profession as a whole and for protecting press freedom. In 1993, he was the first to uncover, on the front page of Al-Wafd, a catastrophic draft press law. Again in 1995, he was one of the first in the successful battle against Law 93, which posed a serious threat to the freedom of the press."
Mehanna's dedicated independence was part and parcel of his work for the syndicate, and he never used his post for personal gain. "Magdi was loyal to his profession, to his fellow journalists, and, above all, to his readers. One of his greatest merits was that he would correct himself if he discovered that a position he had taken was false. He had this kind of courage," Qallash says.
To remember Mehanna's life and contributions, Al-Masry Al-Yom, in cooperation with the Press Syndicate, has announced the inauguration of a professional press award for young journalists carrying Magdi Mehanna's name. His articles will also be compiled in a book to be published by the newspaper.
Veteran journalist Mohamed Hassanein Heikal wrote of Mehanna that he, together with some other members of his generation, gave grounds for hope that Egyptian journalism, after years in the wilderness, would continue its great traditions.
Magdy Mehanna’s Forbidden Zone
Magdy Mehanna’s Forbidden Zone
By Manal el-Jesri
Egypt Today - May 2007
http://egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=7371
When Magdy Mehanna stopped writing his daily column for the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm a few months last summer, readers accustomed to their regular doses of his cutting analyses and commentary wondered what could be so important as to keep their writer away from them.
When they found out he had been undergoing a major health crisis, their questions turned to prayers for his speedy recovery. At 50, Mehanna has been writing his column for 22 years, taking it with him to different newspapers. Which means he was a relatively young 28 when he started writing a daily column. Mehanna believes age is not an issue and is today a thing of the past.
I did not foresee people’s reactions to my absence. I knew there was a strong bond between me and the people, whether they are colleagues or readers, but I did not anticipate even one of over 1,000 of their reactions. Years ago, I used to write a daily column for Al-Wafd newspaper, and when I was fired, I felt people’s reactions, empathy and concern.
But the past crisis was different: Even government officials were concerned and asked after me.
Journalists as young as 20 or 25 are writing highly professional editorials. A column is like a shooting bullet. For the reader, it is like a small cup of coffee in the morning. It must be read this way. The idea has to be concrete and concise. Sentences must be short and fast. The idea must be clear, which keeps the reader following the column every day. If the idea is ambiguous or written in a manner that makes it difficult to understand, a reader would read this column once, but would not go back to it.
I do not think I was influenced by one particular writer that I tried to follow. I was certainly influenced by the style and objectivity of Ahmed Bahaa Eddin, because he handled issues with a very high degree of objectivity and without any bias. I liked the writing style of Mostafa Amin. For him, a column was like a bullet. I was also influenced by the writing of Galal Eddin El-Hamamsy, and I enjoyed reading Mohamed El-Tabei — again, the short and fast sentences, the clear ideas, the way he went directly into the topic. I cannot say that my writing is a cocktail of all these writers’ styles. When I write, I do not really know how I write. I do not know how I am going to write. I begin the first sentence by going straight into the topic, and then I write the second sentence without knowing what the third is going to be. Much like an artist who is just doodling on a canvas, but it turns into a painting in the end.
I follow Salama Ahmed Salama’s writing, and to a lesser degree Makram Mohamed Ahmed. I also read Salah Montasser, Anis Mansour, and all the rest, but not daily. It really depends on my time. On the Arab level, I do not have a writer whose work I follow entirely. I like to read Jihad El-Khazen, of course, but other than that my reading is sporadic.
Writing a column is a big responsibility. The idea is to continue speaking for the people, writing for them and not for anyone else. It is a great burden, because I have to find an idea every day. The idea has to be satisfying or at least quite good. You need to follow the news, be open to new opinions, but you also need to have contacts to have access to information. A column is often built upon a certain fact or a figure.
It was only through his contacts inside the governing National Democratic Party that Mehanna was able to answer a question he had asked in some of his columns: Whether Gamal Mubarak was involved in the upcoming constitutional amendments. The constitutional amendments, the transfer of power, the elections, the government’s position regarding the Brotherhood —these are all topics that keep cropping up in Mehanna’s columns.
The media is another recurring topic in Mehanna’s column. He was a major player in the battle against the passing of law No. 93 for the year 1995. In the early 1990s, Mehanna worked to mobilize journalists against laws limiting their freedom and subjecting them to being imprisoned for publishing offenses. The major sit-in at the Press Syndicate, in which Mehanna participated and which lasted several weeks, marked a turning point in modern media history and even found its way into popular culture with films depicting the crisis.
On the surface, he [Gamal Mubarak] is not there and has no role in the discourse going on. But I believe this is intentional, so people do not link him to the amendments and start wondering about his ambitions or what comes up regarding the ascension. The fact that he is involved cannot be denied. He is a key player in the kitchen of the NDP.
I cannot say I have had problems, such as threats, for example, stemming from what I have written. No, this has never happened to me. Some people tell me such and such a person or official is upset or something. But no threats. Maybe because my writings are clear of slander and libel. Maybe also because everybody, including the government, knows that I have no vested interest in what I write. This in itself lends a writer protection. I write against the government sometimes, but other times I write against the opposition. The important thing is to speak what is on people’s minds, to stand up for them.
The people are caught up in the constant struggle to survive and secure their daily bread. Until today, and despite all that is being said about political reform and constitutional reform, people have no trust in the government. I do not think this is going to change much.
At first, the government talked about reform, driven by external agendas. There were American pressures and European pressure on the governments of Egypt and the Arab world to speed up democratic reform. It is obvious now that the US has greatly lifted this pressure because it needs the support of the Arab regimes, largely because of what is going on in Iraq. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are linked to the US policies and are driven behind what the US politics wants from the region. The fear to oppose or collide with the US proves that these regimes have much to fear. They feel that if they do not play this role, their power or hold will be at stake.
The position against Iran, for example, is strange to say the least. It is not in Egypt’s interest, or in that of the Arab states, to seek a head-on collision with Iran. If Iran has an agenda for the region, then this is not something to be held against it. It is to be held against the Arabs that they do not have an agenda for their own region. The US agenda is very clear, and if Iran feels it must employ a strategy or an agenda to counteract it, then it is Iran’s right to do so.
Egypt is trying to play a certain role in Iraq, Palestine or Lebanon, but in the end this role is limited.
The people, on the other hand, are still more concerned with securing the essentials. Democracy remains the demand of the elites. But when an issue like the Brotherhood comes up, people feel sympathy because the Brotherhood has ingrained itself in the very fiber of Egyptian society. The severe strikes against this group are winning it the compassion and empathy of groups that may disagree with the Brotherhood’s thought but are against the use of violence against them or any other group. The government has to realize that the Brotherhood’s is a political problem in need of a political solution.
As a consequence of the way things are handled now, both benefit, yet both are paying a price. They are arrested, yes, but you give them public attention. At the same time, you scare the people seeking change inside the country, and you scare external powers by showing them what the alternative is. The Brotherhood and the government are benefiting from this game, the only loser being democracy and the greater percentage of Egyptian people.
I believe the press is passing through a transitory period. In the far future, I believe the government will have to lift its hold on the press. It cannot continue to fund what are called the “national papers.” They continue to hold on to them, but this will be the case for the next five to 10 years only. The future belongs to the private and independent press.
The main problem with the press lies in the absence of a free flow of information. There is no news and no information because everything takes place behind closed doors, and then decisions are sprung on us suddenly. Take the Constitution, for example. We did not know for the longest time what it would be like because everything was going on in secret. We discuss it and talk about it, but it is all camouflage. The party will do what it wants. et