In 1970 he entered Cairo University where he studied journalism and received a diploma in English-Arabic translation. After his graduation, he started work as a journalist, initially with the "Al Balaagh" newspaper in Libya, then with "Al Madina" in Saudi Arabia. In 1978, he moved to London, where he has lived since then, and assumed a job with "Asharq Al Awsat", a Saudi-owned international daily. In 1980, he set up the London office of "Al Madina" and in 1984 returned to "Asharq Al Awsat".