Editing Gamal Abdel Nasser (section)

=== Public image ===
[[File:Nasser giving job.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A man on his knees looking up to a man sitting and holding his hand and wearing sun glasses, has his right hand on his shoulder and is talking to him. In the background there are men in military uniform all looking on the kneeling man.|Nasser speaking to a homeless Egyptian man and offering him a job, after the man was found sleeping below the stage where Nasser was seated, 1959]]

Nasser was known for his accessibility and direct relationship with ordinary Egyptians.<ref name="Podeh67-8">{{Harvnb|Podeh|2004|pp=67–68}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Hamad|2008|pp=100–101}}</ref> His availability to the public, despite assassination attempts against him, was unparalleled among his successors.<ref name="EIGolia">{{cite news |first=Maria |last=Golia |title=Kings never die: A tale of a devoted iconography |url=http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/kings-never-die-tale-devoted-iconography |work=[[Egypt Independent]] |publisher=[[Al-Masry Al-Youm]] |date=23 July 2011 |access-date=30 June 2013}}</ref> A skilled orator,<ref>{{Harvnb|Dawisha|2009|p=149}}</ref> Nasser gave 1,359 speeches between 1953 and 1970, a record for any Egyptian head of state.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hamad|2008|p=99}}</ref> Historian Elie Podeh wrote that a constant theme of Nasser's image was "his ability to represent Egyptian authenticity, in triumph or defeat".<ref name="Podeh67-8" /> The national press also helped to foster his popularity and profile—more so after the nationalization of state media.<ref name="EIGolia" /> Historian Tarek Osman wrote:
<blockquote>The interplay in the Nasser 'phenomenon' between genuine expression of popular feeling and state-sponsored propaganda may sometimes be hard to disentangle. But behind it lies a vital historical fact: that Gamal Abdel Nasser signifies the only truly Egyptian developmental project in the country's history since the fall of the Pharaonic state. There had been other projects ... But this was different—in origin, meaning and impact. For Nasser was a man of the Egyptian soil who had overthrown the Middle East's most established and sophisticated monarchy in a swift and bloodless move—to the acclaim of millions of poor, oppressed Egyptians—and ushered in a programme of 'social justice', 'progress and development', and 'dignity'.<ref name="Osman 42">{{Harvnb|Osman|2011|p=42}}</ref></blockquote>

[[File:Nasser in Mansoura, 1960.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A man wearing a suit and tie with his upper body jutting out, waving his hand to crowds of people, many dressed in traditional clothing and holding posters of the man or three-striped, two-star flags|Nasser waving to crowds in [[Mansoura]], 1960]]

While Nasser was increasingly criticized by Egyptian intellectuals following the Six-Day War and his death in 1970, the general public was persistently sympathetic both during and after Nasser's life.<ref name="Podeh67-8" /> According to political scientist Mahmoud Hamad, writing in 2008, "nostalgia for Nasser is easily sensed in Egypt and all Arab countries today".<ref name="Hamad100">{{Harvnb|Hamad|2008|p=100}}</ref> General malaise in Egyptian society, particularly during the [[History of Egypt under Hosni Mubarak|Mubarak era]], augmented nostalgia for Nasser's presidency, which increasingly became associated with the ideals of national purpose, hope, social cohesion, and vibrant culture.<ref name="Gordon171" />

Until the present day, Nasser serves as an iconic figure throughout the Arab world,<ref name="Cook111" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Hardy |first=Roger |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5204490.stm |title=How Suez made Nasser an Arab icon |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMIX |date=26 July 2006 |access-date=23 November 2009}}</ref> a symbol of Arab unity and dignity,<ref name="Hourani369">{{Harvnb|Hourani|2002|p=369}}</ref><ref name="Seale66">{{Harvnb|Seale|1990|p=66}}</ref><ref name="Dekmeijan">{{Harvnb|Dekmejian|1971|p=304}}</ref> and a towering figure in [[History of the Middle East#Modern Middle East|modern Middle Eastern history]].<ref name="Cook41" /> He is also considered a champion of social justice in Egypt.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ramadan |last=Al Sherbini |title=Anniversary heightens face-off with Muslim Brotherhood |url=http://gulfnews.com/news/region/egypt/anniversary-heightens-face-off-with-muslim-brotherhood-1.1212381 |publisher=Al Nisr Publishing LLC |work=[[Gulf News]] |date=23 July 2012 |access-date=18 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="StephensHT">{{citation |first=Robert |last=Stephens |title=Makers of the Twentieth Century: Nasser |url=http://www.historytoday.com/robert-stephens/makers-twentieth-century-nasser |work=[[History Today]] |publisher=History Today |volume=31 |issue=2 |year=1981 |access-date=18 August 2013}}</ref> [[Time magazine|''Time'']] writes that despite his mistakes and shortcomings, Nasser "imparted a sense of personal worth and national pride that [Egypt and the Arabs] had not known for 400 years. This alone may have been enough to balance his flaws and failures."<ref name="TIME">{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,942325-1,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313132254/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,942325-1,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 March 2010 |title=Nasser's Legacy: Hope and Instability |work=[[Time magazine|Time]] |date=12 October 1970 |access-date=3 May 2010}}</ref>

Historian [[Steven A. Cook]] wrote in July 2013, "Nasser's heyday still represents, for many, the last time that Egypt felt united under leaders whose espoused principles met the needs of ordinary Egyptians."<ref>{{cite news |first=Steven |last=Cook |author-link=Steven A. Cook |title=A Faustian Pact: Generals as Democrats |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/26/opinion/a-faustian-pact-generals-as-democrats.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=25 July 2013 |access-date=18 August 2013}}</ref> During the [[Arab Spring]], which resulted in a [[Egyptian Revolution of 2011|revolution]] in Egypt, photographs of Nasser were raised in Cairo and Arab capitals during anti-government demonstrations.<ref name="AlJazeeraAndoni">{{cite news |last=Andoni |first=Lamis |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201121115231647934.html |title=The resurrection of pan-Arabism |work=[[Al-Jazeera English]] |publisher=[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al-Jazeera]] |date=11 February 2011 |access-date=15 February 2011}}</ref><ref name="AhramTonsi">{{cite news |last=El-Tonsi |first=Ahmed |url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/1031/21/The-legacy-of-Nasserism.aspx |title=The legacy of Nasserism |work=[[Al-Ahram Weekly]] |date=16 January 2013 |access-date=1 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630194535/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/1031/21/The-legacy-of-Nasserism.aspx |archive-date=30 June 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> According to journalist Lamis Andoni, Nasser had become a "symbol of Arab dignity" during the mass demonstrations.<ref name="AlJazeeraAndoni" />