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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.^[1]

Heikal articulated the thoughts of President Nasser earlier in his career.^[2] 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.

In 1983, Heikal published many books: Sphinx and Commissar, Cutting the Lion's Tale: Suez Through Egyptian Eyes, The Road to Ramadan and 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.

He wrote many other books, such as: Nasser: The Cairo Documents, The Sphinx and the Commissar: The Rise and Fall of Soviet Influence in the Middle East, 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.

In September 2003, and upon reaching the age of 80, Heikal wrote an article in the monthly magazine Wijhat Nathar (where he has been writing for some time) that the time has come for an "old warrior" to put down his pen and take a side. Heikal stressed that his decision to stop writing does not mean that he will disappear, but rather take a side to observe more thoroughly. In the article he also recounted a lot of the events that gathered in his life and formed his experience including his first mission as a news collector in the battle of Al Alamein in 1942, his friendship with Nasser and his relation with Sadat. In addition, he cleared his financial records stating the salaries he has received in all the jobs and posts he has been assigned to.

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 with 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]}

On July 26th, 2007 Haikal announced on a lecture titled "The Challenges in Building the Aswan Dam" his will to end his lecture series on Aljazeera temporarily. Haikal told his audience that he needed to take a break "for a few months because [he has] provided numerous series... and because it's time to rest a little, ... hoping to come back, godwilling, in a few months if [his] age, health, and energy permit, to talk about the Arab Wars."

Heikel's regular appearances on Al-Jazeera have earned him a new and unprecedented following, especially among the young, bringing him around 50,000 emails and letters a week.

In an audience with Robert Fisk, Heikal openly spoke about the current situation in Egypt and strongly criticized the Egyptian president Mubarak, saying that Mubarak lives in a "world of fantasy" in Sharm al Sheik.^[3] These comments stirred an uproar within the Egyptian community, both with and against Heikal. Heikal did not comment on this criticism except later on Al Jazeera where he said that he stands to what he has said earlier, adding that Mubarak has not entered the political life except very late, which makes him lacking the experience needed.

• various articles, Al-Ahram Weekly

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