Years of confrontation (7)

Founding of al-Bawaba site and newspaper as a media platform

We stopped in the previous episode at the meeting between noted Saudi writer, Abdel Rahman al-Rashed, the new head of al-Arabiya channel then, and Abdelrahim Ali, during which both agreed that Ali would work as an advisor on the terrorism affairs and political Islam movements for the channel.

This turned Ali into one of the most outstanding commentators on al-Arabiya, a channel al-Qaeda leaders, such as Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, are very keen to watch. 

This also turned the channel into an arrow in the organization’s chest.

Ali then took another important step in his confrontation with these movements and organizations, namely the establishment of al Bawaba news site and newspaper as a media platform.

Ali became the target of obscurantist groups after several debates with the parties of extremist thought in forums, behind screens, in conferences, and on the pages of newspapers.

This was why these groups issued an edict for killing him. This came after he boldly declared rejection of the rule of the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood and called on Egyptians to rise up against this group to save their country from divisions and loss. 

Then it became necessary to have a media platform and a press institution that presents a media product Arab reader on a daily basis. 

There was also an urgent need for the same product to come out in all foreign languages, including English, French, German and Turkish so that the speakers of these languages can read the same product. 

The new platform aimed to enlighten people and besiege backwardness and terrorism through its multiple sites, superior media content and progressive message. 

Al-Bawaba is the institution that is brilliantly led by Abdelrahim Ali. It has succeeded in including hundreds of professional cadres from various disciplines and become a second home for Ali. 

It witnessed one battle after another, distinguishing itself from other media institutions as an integrated and civilized project.

Ali lived near al-Bawaba, in Agouza neighborhood. This is the place that witnessed the old memories in the game of hit and run. 

Al-Bawaba, which established itself at 57 Mosadaq Street, has become one of the main landmarks of Dokki and Agouza districts.

Al-Bawaba too witnessed an assassination that caused its total destruction. 

The police report received by the Dokki Prosecution headed by Counselor Sherif Tawfik, at the time, revealed that while the security personnel were at their service at the headquarters of property No. 57 on Mosaddeq Street in Dokki, they were surprised by a car stopping in front of the property. Thirty people, dressed in civilian clothes and claiming to be policemen, descended from the car, and immediately threatened the security personnel with firearms, while some of them climbed to the headquarters of the Arab Center, and smashed offices, computer screens, and surveillance cameras, and also seized 8 computers and 8 Laptops, two plasma screens, 4 receivers, and a set of papers, and then fled the scene.

In the coming episodes, we will discuss an important phase in Ali's history, namely 'Black Box', the most famous TV program in the past years.