Lissan-ul-Maghreb

Lissan-ul-Maghreb was founded in 1907 by two Lebanese brothers, Faraj-Allah Namor (فرج االله بن ســليم نمّور), a literary man born in Sidon in 1865, and his brother Artur Namor, a gifted journalist.[1] They had traveled to Europe, Morocco, South America, Tripoli, Tunis, Paris, and London before arriving in Tangier January 1906 in search of work, hoping to establish an Arabic publication.[1] The German consulate in Tangier was eager to found an arabophone publication to support German interests in Morocco, and from it the Namor brothers received the necessary support.[1] They sourced all necessary furnishings from the Catholic Press in Beirut (المطبعة الكاثوليكية للآباء اليســوعيين في بيروت).[1] The first issue of Lissan-ul-Maghreb was published February 8, 1907.[1] It was an arabophone weekly newspaper consisting of four pages, with Faraj-Allah as the political director and Artus as the editor-in-chief.[1]

With French encouragement, supporters of Abdelaziz founded as-Sabaah (الصباح) in Tangier in 1904.[4][5] At the time of the Hafidiya (1907-1908), the fratricidal struggle between Abdelaziz and Abdelhafid for the Moroccan throne, the French arabophone newspaper Es-Saada supported Abdelaziz.[6][7][8][9] Lissan-ul-Maghreb printed open letters to Abdelaziz and then Abd al-Hafid.[10]

In the Lissan-ul-Maghreb issue of February 14, 1908, the newspaper confirmed the sale of the newspaper to the Makhzen of Sultan Abdelhafid and that the editors would be working for him.[1] In the months following the signature of the sale, things proceeded well, but after about a year, the Makhzen did not uphold its financial responsibilities and the Namor brothers began to publish defamatory content on the Makhzen, criticizing the state on all fronts.[1]

In 1908, Abd al-Hafid ordered the creation of the newspaper al-Fajar (الفجر), first appearing June 27, 1908, which would promote his views.[11]