Ahmed Saeed... the broadcaster of Al-Naksa and the pioneer of the School of Heart of Truths in Egypt
“The relationship between the armed forces and the radio is a commanding relationship, as if we were soldiers in battle, where statements are issued that are dictated to the media person and he is obligated to broadcast them, and to implement any instructions that may be contrary to any reality,” this is how the Egyptian journalist Ahmed Saeed formulated the reality of the Egyptian media over many years, between Yesterday and today.
With the anniversary of the setback of June 5, 1967, in which Egypt suffered the heaviest military defeat in its history, with which it lost the land of Sinai, Egyptians will not forget the voice of Ahmed Saeed, as he broadcast the news of victory over the enemy on the radio, while the Egyptian forces were suffering heavy losses on the ground. The masses woke up to a horrific truth, and Saeed’s name was associated in the Egyptian collective mind with “the announcer of the setback.”
Saeed became the pioneer of the school of overturning facts and promoting falsehoods, under the pretext of preserving the ruling regime and the Egyptian state from disintegration. This school is still continuing in the corridors of the media, since the Nasserist era, until today.
"Voice of the Arabs"
Ahmed Saeed was born on August 29, 1925. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Cairo University in 1946, then he was appointed as a main broadcaster on Cairo Radio, then director of “Sawt Al-Arab” Radio when it was founded in 1953, and until 1967. He also worked as a newspaper editor in a number of Cairo magazines.
During his work, he became famous for innovating the methods of radio work on Sawt Al-Arab Radio, and for introducing sarcastic political expressions into his famous programs “This is Your Enemy” and “Lies Reveal Truths.”
The National Assembly (Parliament) chose him in 1965 as a member of the delegation representing the Council in Britain’s celebrations marking the 700th anniversary of the beginning of democratic life in the British Isles.
The British House of Commons objected to the presence of Saeed among the members of the delegation, under the pretext of calling for the killing of British soldiers in Aden. Nasser rejected the British request, and a crisis almost occurred, had it not been for the intervention of Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
Ahmed Saeed wrote the work “Al-Shaba’anin” for the theater in 1966, and presented the radio series “In Our House is a Man,” which was taken from a movie with the same name. He also drafted the final version of the book “Arab Nationalism,” and wrote a program for one of the Arab radio stations about the migration of the “Prophet of Islam,” in which he explained A collection of political ideas related to the Nasserist regime.
Nasiriyah trumpet
Ahmed Saeed adhered to the ideas of Abdel Nasser and nationalism, and believed in him as a leader for all Arabs. He pointed out that everyone who follows the nationalist and liberal path of President Abdel Nasser is still desired and wanted by an Arab from the ocean to the Gulf.
When Sawt Al-Arab Radio was established, the poet Saleh Jawdat was unable to lead it and fulfill the purpose for which it was established: to be a tool for Nasserist politics and a platform for Arab liberation movements, supported by Egypt.
What was required was a radio personality who would spread patriotic and nationalistic enthusiasm in the hearts of listeners, and Jawdat did not fulfill the purpose due to his quiet nature, and the choice fell on Ahmed Saeed, who was able to achieve the goal of establishing Voice of the Arabs Radio in arousing enthusiasm, inciting and mobilizing the Arab masses.
Saeed's star quickly rose until his fame reached the heights. Anyone who bought a radio would first ask, "Does Ahmed Saeed broadcast or not?", and in some cases they called the radio "Ahmed Saeed Fund" when requesting to buy it.
Said was a model for the Nasserist media, which became very influential, as the broadcast of “Voice of the Arabs” radio rose from only half an hour to 24 hours a day. This was not strange, after the radio played a role in supporting the Moroccan revolution and then igniting the Algerian revolution, even drafting its statement. the first.
Because of Said's great admiration for Abdel Nasser, he wrote a book about Nasserism, in which he described Gamal Abdel Nasser as "the instigator of Arab nationalism," likening him to Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, who is described as the instigator of the Islamic revival movement.
Saeed continued to lead Voice of the Arabs for 14 years, beginning with its founding on July 4, 1953. He summarized his policy as “similar to media operations, regardless of how noble or sinful their content is... the sound of a sword being unsheathed in the midst of overwhelming darkness, with no one realizing what is behind it.” Unsheathing the sword.
Day of setback
The Egyptians will not forget Saeed’s voice on this day in 1967, as he proudly recited over the radio statements that talked about shooting down dozens of planes and destroying hundreds of Israeli equipment, while the international radio stations were talking about a resounding defeat for the Egyptian and Syrian forces, and the fall of Sinai into the hands of Israel.
Saeed was saying with all enthusiasm and pride: “Our forces have now been shot down by such-and-such enemy aircraft, and that we are on the outskirts of Tel Aviv and are about to throw Israel into the sea.”
Ahmed Saeed's voice did not fade until Abdel Nasser came out to announce defeat and that he would step down and return to the ranks of the masses. At that time, Saeed was removed from his position as head of the radio, and he alone bore the shame of false statements, when he was called the “broadcaster of the setback.”
Saeed tried to defend his position when he said in one of the interviews: “No newspaper, radio, or television channel, when a statement comes to it from any minister in the state while it is in a state of war, can refrain from publishing it.”
After the resounding defeat, a group of changes occurred in the Egyptian Radio’s orientations and media policies, which Ahmed Saeed did not agree with, who insisted on his traditional method of mobilizing the masses and influencing them, so he was asked to take an open leave, to which he responded with a sharp resignation, which Mohamed Fayek accepted. Minister of Information in September 1967.
It is a wonder of fate that Ahmed Saeed died on the eve of June 5, 2018, 51 years after the anniversary of the setback.
"Baiza and Malas"
One of Saeed's most famous missteps, and the funniest, is what happened in the late 1950s, when Voice of the Arabs radio began using offensive language and offensive expressions against rulers whose opinions did not agree with Abdel Nasser's, as occurred in the clash between Abdel Nasser and Iraqi Prime Minister Abdel Karim. Qassem.
Baghdad at that time was divided into two camps: the camp of the popular and Marxist forces rallied around Qasim, and the camp of the nationalist and Baathist forces strongly loyal to the ideas of Abdel Nasser and the dreams of Arab unity, to the point that the Iraqi ambassador in Cairo (at the time), Faiq al-Samarrai, rebelled against the Baghdad government and requested asylum in Egypt.
Saeed's attacks on the Iraqi regime intensified, and he hurled insults at Abdul Karim Qasim on an almost daily basis, calling on the Iraqis to launch a revolution against him and his camp.
After Qasim and his supporters became fed up with Saeed’s attack on Sawt al-Arab radio, they resorted to a trick by leaking news to Saeed that the Iraqi regime had arrested a man called “Abbas Bayza” and a woman called “Hasna Malas” because they were fighters. The truth was the opposite, which is that “Bayza” worked as a pimp, while “Malas” worked as a prostitute, and they were very famous at that time.
It is a trap that Saeed easily swallowed, and he did not verify the accuracy of the information, so the people of Iraq woke up one morning to Saeed’s shrill voice, screaming on Voice of the Arabs radio, and saying: “If Hasna Malas dies, then we are all Hasna Malas... We are all Abbas Bayza from the ocean to the Gulf.” This incident became a source of ridicule to the Iraqi people, and they lost their confidence in the credibility of the most famous Arab radio at the time.
Leading school!
Although years have passed since the setback and the death of Ahmed Saeed, he remains a symbol of the school of authoritarian media, which supports the regime under any circumstances, even in the event of a resounding defeat like the 1967 setback.
Saeed was absent, but his school continued, and with the military coup in July 2013, Sisi revived Saeed’s school again, but this time through private satellite channels and channels affiliated with the intelligence services, which are managed by a group of officers from behind a curtain.
The media arms of the Sisi regime revived Saeed’s approach in their campaign against the opponents, accusing them of treason, inciting them, and launching an attack on countries that rejected the coup. Just as Ahmed Saeed was doing with the government of Abdel Karim Qassem in Iraq, and the King of Saudi Arabia, King Faisal, the Sisi media is now doing with Arab countries. Such as Qatar and Turkey, which reject his policies
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