Makram Mohammed Ahmed; An Egyptian Journalist Who Defended Arab Dictators Sincerely

The departure of Egyptian journalist Makram Mohamed Ahmed on April 15, 2021, was not fleeting news, but rather represented a journalist who spent most of his 85 years in the dictator's companionship.

Makram's pen has long contributed sincerely to the defense of autocratic regimes, specifically during the era of the late President Hosni Mubarak, who ruled the country for three decades, and Makram left behind a huge and unforgettable legacy among his union members from positions that lasted more than 60 years, siding with regimes that have long arrested journalists and led them into prison.

Long Journey

Born on June 25, 1935, in The City of Monouf in The Menoufia governorate of the Egyptian Delta, Makram Mohammed Ahmed received his primary education in Manouf, then moved to Cairo, to obtain a bachelor of arts, department of philosophy, Cairo University, in 1957.

In Cairo, Makram's journalistic career began when he worked as an editor for Al-Akhbar, then director of Al-Ahram's office in Damascus, Syria, and then as a military correspondent to cover the Yemen war until 1967. 

In 1980, Makram became chairman of the Board of Directors of Dar Al-Hilal Foundation and editor-in-chief of Al-Mosawar Magazine.

During the 1980s, which represented the first third of Hosni Mubarak's rule, one of the most important events of that period occurred, when on October 5, 1985, Egyptian conscript Suleiman Khater killed seven Israelis who tried to cross the Egyptian border, without responding to warning calls, killing them all. 

Suleiman was turned into a military trial, and the Egyptian public outraged in solidarity with the conscript, here Makram Mohammed Ahmed played his role, with an interview for the Al-Mosawar Magazine with Suleiman Khater, and deliberately asked questions angering him in front of the magazine, and the psychiatrist who was accompanying him, and then came out the report Makram before (killing) Suleiman Khater days to say that "Suleiman is a mentally ill patient and approaching madness, for which we fear for his life."

This was a prelude to his subsequent suicide due to instructions from the security services. On January 7, 1986, the radio and newspapers reported that Suleiman had mysteriously committed suicide, but the more credible narrative is that the regime killed him to please Israel.

Makram was the first to enter Sinai with a UN permit two months before the evacuation of Israeli forces.

Three years later, Makram, who was close to power, was elected president of the press syndicate from 1989 to 1991, from 1991 to 1993, and in 2007 he received 70 percent of the votes against his late rival Rajai Al-Mirghani in the union elections, which were characterized by wide polarization, which Makram ended in his favor.

The man known for his proximity to Mubarak and his regime was not only a journalist, but also a member of the Shura Council for more than four consecutive sessions, a council in which the president's people of confidence and privilege were appointed at the time.

Makram succeeded a series of books and works, most notably "The Revolution in the South of the Island", "Conversations with Israelis", "Dialogue with the President" and "Dialogue or Confrontation. Reviews of Islamic groups, as well as "Egypt's nuclear capability - challenges and causes of failure”.

‘Sheikh’ of Journalists 

Makram Mohammed Ahmed was known as the "Sheikh of Journalists", and the main reason for calling him that is his role in conveying intellectual reviews of “The Islamic Group” leaders from inside Tora prison (south of Cairo) after it declared an end to the violence in the late 1990s.

Makram then had extensive conversations with Jihad leader Abboud al-Zammar, who was serving a life sentence for his involvement in the assassination of the late President Anwar Sadat, and interviewed other leaders inside and outside prisons.

After that stage, Makram reached the height of his power, became one of the closest journalists of Mubarak, and wrote his speeches for more than 15 years, even before the national party's policy committee was formed led by Gamal Mubarak, son of the president and businessman Ahmed Ezz, who both overthrew Makram outside the scene, and took over the organization of the president's speeches.

Makram was one of the most prominent people promoting the idea of "Mubarak's refusal to pass the rule to his son Jamal," while the National Party's policy secretariat at the time was planning a succession scenario in full swing.

January Revolution 

In the wake of the January 25, 2011 revolution, Makram, who served as the press syndicate’s president, was expelled from the union's headquarters, and the masses of journalists chanted at the time that "the people want to overthrow the president," "Makram Mohammed Ahmed Is wrong," "Go out" and "We want to overthrow the regime's media."

From then on, Makram has been hostile to the January revolution, and has continued as one of the pens of the counter-revolution that contributed to the collapse of the transition and destroyed the democratic experience in its infancy. 

The late President Mohamed Morsi singled him out by name in his last speech on June 26, 2013, when he wondered: "Was Makram Mohamed Ahmed a rebel?!."

Morsi added: "The press syndicate revolted against him and expelled him and chose someone else, and then after two years the atmosphere is the presence of a good president.. He says I am one of the revolutionaries. Maybe even Safwat Al-Sherif has also been a rebel, why not, I mean, at all! Tomorrow Zakaria Azmi will be one of the revolutionaries! Why not? They all obtained a court acquittal!"

Makram supported the military coup on July 3, 2013, and supported Al-Sisi's move to overthrow the elected regime, and was one of the pens that looked at the coup and helped consolidate it.

The January revolution was a shock to the then press captain, opposition journalist Qutb al-Arabi said on Facebook: "The January Revolution took place while Makram was captain of journalists, and one of the slogans of the revolution was the cleansing of the media, and he was personally one of the faces targeted by the purge, and journalists actually expelled him from the union in a clear revolutionary scene."

He added: "Makram did not forget this situation and warned the rest of his life to avenge himself, he sided early and strongly for the coup of July 3, and in return Al-Sisi’s regime brought him closer and chose him as president of the Supreme Council of Media, which took him as a platform to avenge his former opponents, and do not forget his speech in front of Al-Sisi at a youth conference, echoing his famous sentence that he found no one to criticize his president so strongly except in Egypt."

According to al-Arabi, "this hypocrisy did not help Makram, so the regime overthrew him to appoint Karam Jabr as his replacement, which made him feel oppressed and did not live much after that."

After the Coup

With the formation of the Supreme Council for media regulation, Makram was the first to serve as president from April 11, 2017 to June 2020, setting up a number of regulations to regulate the press and media landscape in accordance with the authority’s policy and Al-Sisi's will.

Makram played his role in issuing bans, prohibitions and disciplines against writers and journalists and engaged in multiple disputes with Information Minister Osama Heikal.

He praised the head of authority on many occasions, including his most famous statement during the Tiran and Sanafir crisis that violated national sovereignty, when he said: "Al-Sisi has proven his ability to understand Egyptians, their nature, their way of thinking, and his ability to address their minds and hearts."

"Tiran and Sanafir are Saudis.. and the Brotherhood is the one who is taking advantage of it to ignite the crisis between Cairo and Riyadh." 

His worst position was when asked to comment on the arrest of journalists who refused to cede Tiran and Sanafir from inside the union's headquarters, declaring that "the journalists' union is not a shelter for those who are wanted justice."

In March 2020, Makram issued his decision to ban news and data circulating about the Corona pandemic and its spread in Egypt, making it his last actual decision and still in power.

About a month earlier, in February 2020, Makram, a long-time media member of the authority, admitted that freedom of opinion in Egypt was incomplete, and there was a suppress of voices, and intimidation was clear against expression, which surprised broadcaster (Ahmed Moussa) and Makram, replied, "There is a suppress of voices and I talk about the need for freedom of the press and expression."

At the time, bloggers said Makram is now speaking after the new ministry of media withdrew his powers to control the media, and others considered Makram one of the contributors to the suppression process during his years as chairman of the Media Regulatory Board.

On June 24, 2020, Makram Mohamed Ahmed was ousted from the presidency of the Supreme Council for media regulation, leaving behind dozens of positions in which he failed his colleagues in the profession and abandoned young journalists for the regime which appointed him