Newspapers of Muslim countries: from Cairo to Jakarta

The press of the Muslim world ranges from Arabic dailies such as Al-Ahram and Asharq Al-Awsat to English-language titles like Dawn and Arab News, taking in Turkish, Iranian and Indonesian newspapers and channels such as Al Jazeera, mostly available online.

From 19th-century official gazettes to major dailies

Egypt's official journal Al-Waqa'i' al-Misriyya appeared as early as 1828 under Muhammad Ali, and Istanbul launched Takvim-i Vekayi in 1831. Al-Ahram, founded in 1875 by Lebanese journalists in Alexandria before moving to Cairo, remains one of the oldest Arabic dailies.

Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Malay: a linguistic mosaic

The Muslim world reads its press in Arabic, in Persian in Iran, in Turkish, in Urdu in Pakistan, in Bengali in Bangladesh and in Indonesian. English serves as a press language in the Gulf and South Asia, and French in the Maghreb.

Pan-Arab dailies of London and the Gulf

Asharq Al-Awsat, launched in London in 1978 with Saudi funding, presents itself as the leading international Arabic daily. Al-Quds Al-Arabi, also London-based, often takes a more critical line towards certain governments, while Dubai's Al Bayan reflects the Emirati outlook.

Which English-language titles should you choose?

Arab News in Jeddah, Gulf News in Dubai, The Peninsula in Doha and Daily Sabah in Istanbul cover regional news in English. In Pakistan, Dawn, founded in 1941 by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, is the benchmark, while Tehran Times voices Iran's official viewpoint.

Turkey, Iran, Asia: the major non-Arab hubs

In Turkey, Hürriyet and Sabah rank among the leading dailies; in Iran, Kayhan and Hamshahri are published in Tehran; in Indonesia, Kompas and Republika are read in Jakarta. For details, see the Turkish press and the Iranian press online.

Digital outlets and new platforms

Sites such as Middle East Eye in London, The New Arab and Al Jazeera's digital service AJ+ target a young, connected audience. In Egypt, Mada Masr publishes in Arabic and English, and mobile apps now account for most of the readership.

MENA, Anadolu, IRNA: one agency per state

Each state has its own agency: MENA in Egypt, the Saudi Press Agency in Riyadh, Anadolu in Ankara, IRNA in Tehran, the Associated Press of Pakistan, Antara in Jakarta and WAFA for Palestine. Their wires generally convey their governments' official positions.

Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and satellite television

Al Jazeera, created in Doha in 1996, transformed Arab television news; Al Arabiya, launched in Dubai in 2003, follows a line close to Saudi Arabia. TRT World in Turkey and France 24 in Arabic complete the line-up, all streamed live online.

The press of Muslim diasporas

London hosts many exiled or pan-Arab newsrooms, and Europe has Turkish, North African and Pakistani community media. Our guides to the Arab press by country and to the Maghreb press list the titles of each country of origin.

Business, Islamic finance and sport

Al Eqtisadiah in Riyadh, Business Recorder in Karachi and the business pages of Gulf News follow markets, oil and Islamic finance, notably sukuk. On the sports side, Kooora and the Egyptian sports press cover Arab and African football intensively.

Press freedom: sharply contrasting situations

From Morocco to Indonesia, legal frameworks vary widely: some countries enjoy genuine pluralism, others impose tight control through licensing or state ownership. Newsrooms in exile in London or Istanbul often act as a counterweight to official media.

Online access and cross-checking sources

Most Gulf and Egyptian sites are free, and Dawn or Hürriyet remain largely accessible. Comparing a Saudi, Qatari, Turkish and Iranian source on the same conflict, such as Yemen or Gaza, reveals very different framings of events.

Following news from Muslim-majority countries abroad

1. Start with a pan-Arab daily such as Asharq Al-Awsat and a regional English-language title like Arab News or Gulf News.
2. Add an Asian source, for example Dawn in Pakistan or Kompas in Indonesia, to look beyond a purely Middle Eastern lens.
3. Watch Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya live online to compare two competing readings of the same regional story.
4. Check national agencies such as Anadolu or IRNA to learn a government's official position.
5. Use a translation tool for headlines in Arabic, Persian or Turkish, keeping the original in view for proper names.
6. Always check the date and country of origin of a shared video, since footage from old conflicts circulates frequently.

Access and subscriptions for Muslim world media

Practical pointers for reading the Islamic world's press

• Main languages: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Indonesian, English and French
• International channels: Al Jazeera in Doha, Al Arabiya in Dubai, TRT World in Istanbul
• Pan-Arab dailies: Asharq Al-Awsat and Al-Quds Al-Arabi
• Agencies: MENA, SPA, Anadolu, IRNA, APP, Antara
• Time zones: from GMT in Morocco to GMT+7 in western Indonesia
• Calendar: Hijri dates are common in the Arabic press
• Currencies: riyal, dirham, Egyptian pound, Pakistani rupee, Turkish lira

Mistakes to avoid with media from Muslim countries

• Treating an official agency as an independent source, when it often relays its government's line on political matters.
• Confusing the Islamic press, meaning the press of Muslim countries, with the religious press, which deals specifically with theology and practice.
• Sharing a video of a protest or bombing without checking that it does not come from an older conflict or another country.
• Trusting social media accounts that imitate Al Jazeera or Al Arabiya with copied logos and fake quotes.
• Ignoring that some sites are blocked in several Gulf countries or in Iran, which forces readers to turn to alternative sources.

Questions about the press of Muslim-majority countries