Salama Moussa was a notable Egyptian journalist and reformist in the 1920s. Born in Zagazig, Moussa was known for his wide interest in science and culture, as well as his firm belief in the human intellect as a guarantor of progress and prosperity. In 1908, he traveled to Europe where he studied literature, philosophy, social and natural sciences. He continued studying these subjects throughout his life.

Moussa belonged to a group of intellectuals who vehemently demanded the simplification of Arabic and its grammar and the recognition of Egyptian Arabic as the Modern Egyptian language, which inflamed the criticism of his conservative opponents. Standard Arabic had remained unchanged for generations, and the majority of the Egyptian people were illiterate, prompting Moussa and other thinkers to advocate writing in vernacular Arabic. The simplification and modernization of language in Egypt remained under discussion to this day.

Salama Moussa died on August 4, 1958.