Said Hajji (in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: سعيد حجي) (

Salé Salé (, ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town. Along with some smaller nearby towns, Rabat and Salé form together a single m ...

, 29 February 1912 – 2 March 1942) was a Moroccan journalist and thinker. He was known as the founder of the "Moroccan Nationalist Press". and was one of the first Moroccan journalists during the

French Protectorate in Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco, also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco that lasted from 1912 to 1956. The protectorate was officially established 30 March 1912, when List of rulers of Morocco, Sultan ...

His life

Said Hajji was born on 29 February 1912, in the old town of Salé, in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, one month before the signing of the Treaty of Fes, marking the start of the French Protectorate in Morocco. Said started to be interested in politics since a very young age, where he engaged with his brothers and friends in different initiatives, both in politics and journalism. Said was an active member of the

Istiqlal Party The Istiqlal Party (; ; ) is a political party in Morocco. It is a conservative and monarchist party and a member of the Centrist Democrat International and International Democracy Union. Istiqlal headed a coalition government under Abbas El Fa ...

, asking for the independence of Morocco. In 1937, he founded the Arabic-language newspaper ''Al-Maghrib'' ( ''Morocco''), criticizing French colonialism. His newspaper was censored several times by the colonial authorities. Said Hajji died young at the age of 30, due to a

chronic condition A chronic condition (also known as chronic disease or chronic illness) is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term ''chronic'' is often applied when the ...

.His Majesty the Press – Telquel (2009) – In French.
/ref> His legacy is still present in Morocco, especially in his hometown Salé, where a neighborhood is named after him, as well as a school and a cultural center.

References

External links

Website dedicated to Said Hajji

Letter addressed by Said Hajji and his brother to the Rif Chieftan Abdelkrim Al Khattabi
{{Authority control Moroccan male journalists Moroccan newspaper editors 1912 births 1942 deaths People from Salé 20th-century journalists 20th-century Moroccan writers