Which journalist introduced Mother's Day in Egypt?

Egyptian journalist Mustafa Amin introduced Mother’s Day in Egypt.

Amin promoted the idea after hearing about a widowed Egyptian mother who devoted her life to raising her son, only for him to marry and neglect her. The story helped inspire Amin to advocate for a national day honouring mothers and their sacrifices.

The proposal was not immediately accepted. Amin had already discussed the concept in his 1943 book Smiling America, but the idea initially attracted little attention and was reportedly ridiculed by President Gamal Abdel Nasser. It was eventually approved, and Egypt held its first Mother’s Day celebration on 21 March 1956.

Mustafa Amin was a prominent Egyptian columnist and newspaper founder who, with his twin brother Ali Amin, helped shape modern Egyptian journalism. Egypt’s celebration later influenced many other Arab countries, most of which observe Mother’s Day on 21 March, the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It is sometimes incorrectly credited to a politician rather than to Amin’s journalism and campaigning.