[Al Ahram] Editors of state-run Egyptian literary newspaper Akhbar Al-Adab have forced its Moslem Brüderbund-affiliated editor-in-chief, Magdy El-Afifi, to take an open-ended leave from his position, following a protest demanding his removal on Sunday. El-Afifi will remain on vacation until a new editor is appointed.The editors of the journal staged a protest on Sunday, in front of the headquarters of Akhbar Al-Youm, the publisher of the newspaper, demanding El-Afifi's removal and accusing him of destroying the newspaper and compromising its impartiality and professionalism. A protest planned for Monday was cancelled due to El-Afifi's removal.
"El-Afifi turned the journal into a propaganda newspaper of the Moslem Brüderbund, promoting its policies and leaders through his editorials...and his calls for [senior Brotherhood figure] Khairat El-Shater to be made prime minister...his photo was printed on the cover of the newspaper for the first time in the history of a cultural and literary journal," Mohammed Farag, an editor at Akhbar Al-Adab told Ahram Online.
The newspaper will be run by an elected editorial staff according to Farag, with new internal regulations put in place.
"We will work on a new vision of our journal after we restore it. We will contact the writers, who stopped writing for us because of El-Afifi's way of running things inside the newspaper during the past year. The next issue will be a surprise to our readers; we vow to do this and vow to restore our place," Farag said.
The editors accuse El-Afifi of destroying the newspaper's place in the market, causing it to lose most of its readers and writers.
"Akhbar Al-Adab has fully returned to its readers and editors. Finally Karl Marx leaves Rabaa and moves to Tahrir Square," journalist Mohammed Shoair wrote on his Facebook page in response to El-Afifi's removal. Shoair was mocking an editorial by El-Afifi from a few months ago in which he claimed that Marx rediscovered his faith in God in his last days, and that he praised Islam.
Akhbar Al-Adab, a weekly publication, was established by writer and novelist Gamal El-Ghitani, who headed it for almost 17 years.
El-Afifi took up the position of editor-in-chief on 9 August 2012.