Islamic trends and movements in Algeria

Islamic trends and movements in Algeria  always had a high political and social influence in Algerian society. The activity of these movements during nearly seven decades, had many ups and downs. The new alignment of Islamist groups and their positions in recent years, especially after the Algerian civil wars that took place after the suppression of the Islamic Salvation Front, should be taken into consideration.

The influencing factors in the formation of Islamist political movements  in Algeria and the process of evolution of these movements  are very important. Algeria was occupied by France in 1830. Before, this country was under the rule of the Ottoman government. The French tried to completely Frenchize Algerian society.

They adopted the policy of "colonization and westernization" and declared this country a part of French territory. The Algerian people reacted to this situation and tried to stand against the invaders by clinging to their Islamic identity. As a result of this resistance, it took an Islamic indentity.

At the head of it, we can mention the movement of Amir "Abdul –Qader Algerian  ", which is considered the first armed resistance movement against the presence of the French and continued from 1830 to 1847. Although this movement did not last long; But it paved the way for other movements and eventually turned into an all-encompassing revolution against French colonialism

Contemporary Islamic movements in Algeria formed a new form of revolutionary movements in the Islamic world, which had a major impact on the Islamic revolution in Iran and the formation of armed groups in the Middle East, and in a way created the political scene of Islamic movements in its current form.

Islam is the official religion of Algeria

Islam is the official religion of the Algerian people. About 99% of the people of this country are Muslims.

The majority of the Muslim people of this country are Sunnis and Malikis, who are subject to Malik's views in the branches of religion and behave according to the Ash'ari teachings in the principles of their religion. And in political  affairs, they are completely subject to the orders of the government and the central government of Algeria.

This sect basically move away themselves from the extreme behavior that dominates the opinions of Salafists and Wahhabis and treat other sects of Islam, including Shiites, with tolerance and interaction.

The rest of the Sunnis are Hanafi followers, regarding to the Muslim religious minority, who have the majority population, the Ibāḍiyyah are the largest minority in this country . They are very strict in terms of the implementation of religious rules and they spend more intensity in doing it than other Muslim people. There are also several churches and followers of Roman Catholic religions in this country.

French colonialism and occupation

The Muslim people of Algeria began their open and hidden struggles from the beginning of the occupation of their country by the French colonial government.

In response to the cultural, political and economic dominance of France, Algerian Muslims started several uprisings, most of which were led by religious scholars. [1]

The oldest uprising against colonialism in Algeria was led by "Amir Abdul Qader". Amir Abdul Qader was the son of Amir Mohyeddin, who himself was a descendant of Morabetoon. The literal meaning of "Al-Morbatoon" means the soldiers who keep their horses present at the borders of enemy, and they were called the promoters of faith.

Amir Abdul Qader, the legend of the struggle  against colonialism

Amir Abdul  Qader started his uprising against the French in 1832, and first the "Mascara" tribes pledged allegiance to him and prepared themselves for Jihad against the French.

In 1834, Abdul Qader defeated the French in parts of this country and the French government requested peace.

According to an agreement, except a few ports and a part of the coastal strip, the rest of Algeria was handed over to him (May 28, 1837), but Amir Abdul Qader was not satisfied with taking a few cities and declared war on France again on November 18, 1839.

The French government also sent an army under the command of General Boujou to fight against Amir Abdul Qader.

Despite the fact that Mohammed Sani, the king of Morocco, had promised to help Abdul Qader, because the French shelled Tangier, the king of Morocco refused to help Amir Abdul  Qader in order to preserve his throne. [2]

The result of this was the defeat of Amir Abdul Qader in 1845. Amir Abdul Qader was defeated once again in 1847 and the French arrested him and exiled him to Damascus in Syria.

Amir Abdul Qader finally died in Damascus in 1883 at the age of 75. After the independence of Algeria in 1966,in order  to honor his position, the remains of his body were exhumed and buried in Algeria as a national hero. [3]

Movements after Amir Abdul Qader

After the death of Amir Abdul Qader, there were sporadic struggles and protests until, after the First World War, Amir Khalid, the grandson of Amir Abdul Qader, followed his grandfather's actions. [4]

After him, Ahmed Masali al-Haj led the independence movement of the Algerian people, he participated in the Congress of the Alliance against Imperialism in Brussels in 1927, and in that conference demanded the independence of the people Algeria from France.

Ahmed Masali then founded the "Star of North Africa" association in Algeria with the aim of equalizing French and Arabic culture, but he was sent to prison

But the first revolution after this long period of relative inactivity, began from the city of Constantine in the northeast of Algeria  in 1945.

In this year, when the Second World War was about to end, the people of Algeria, who had prepared themselves to gain independence as much as possible, rose up, but France stood up to this uprising with an unexpected force and killed 45,000 people of Algeria. [5]

Abdul hamid ben Badis and his effective  role in the Algerian revolution

Years after the uprising of Amir Abdul Qader, the religious scholar Sheikh "Abdul Hamid ben Badis" together with his friend, Sheikh Bashir Ebrahimi, who was also a clergyman, tried to lead the anti-colonial uprising by forming the "Association of Muslim Scholars".

Although the approach of these two men, especially Ben badis, was based more on awareness raising and cultural activities, but he gradually entered the political fields, in such a way that some members of this group followed the opinions and thoughts of Ibn Taymiyya   and the students of Sheikh Mohammad Abduh, such as Mohammad Rashid Reza and the group by the name of "Ansar  reforms in the Islamic World" led by Shakib Arslan  started armed activities in Algeria. [6]

This population eventually allied with anti-colonial political and armed groups such as the "National Liberation Front" and played a prominent role in the eight-years  war (1954-1962) against France.

The first movement of the Islamists and the victory of the revolution

Shakib Arslan

With the victory of the 1962 revolution, it can be said that the first phase of Islamic movements began, but this was not the end of Islamic movements in this country.Because following the rise of the revolutionaries and the monopolization of the nationalists in the decision of power and many restrictions on the role of the Islamist trends, Islamic movements were once again formed.With the difference that this time the struggle was not to drive out colonialism and gain independence, but it was an effort to prevent tyranny and ruling the real goals of the revolution, the most important of which were equality, social justice and the implementation of Islamic laws.

The serious and organized movement of Islamist trends after the revolution was formed in the 80s, which the new Islamist parties were  taken responsible for it.

The reasons for the formation of Islamic movements

It should be said that the contemporary political struggles of the Algerian people had two main motivations.

1- Drive out of the colonists

2- Struggle to return Islamic principles to the management of community after the colonialists were expelled and the revolution won.

The remarkable point about the struggles of the Algerian people is its Islamic nature. "It was Islam that struggled in Algeria for one hundred and fifty years, and it was Islam that kept the roots of Arabism in that land... and it was only by this means that the spirit of resistance survived in Algeria." [7]

The first revolutionary movement in this country, which is known as Amir Abdul Qader's movement, happened right when the French occupied this country and Abdul Qader, who was a religious leader, started an uprising.

By uniting the tribes and emphasizing the religious teachings of struggle  against oppression and rejecting the foreign rule, Abdul  Qader established his uprising. Following him, the most famous people such as Sheikh Abd al-Hamid ben Badis, "Amir Khaled al-Hashemi", and "Shakib Arsalan" started an uprising and opposed the French occupiers. [8]

What the historical facts of the Algerian revolution show is that  in  anti-colonial movements, the main factor and leaders of movements were all influenced by Islam. Even after the victory of the revolution, the Islamist movement has been the main leader of the struggles in Algeria.

The impact of Algeria's internal factors

The Islamic movements of Algeria until the 1962 revolution were completely affected by the presence of foreign forces in their country; Until this date, people considered all internal problems and crises to be the result of foreign colonialism. For this reason, none of the Islamic movements in Algeria before the revolution were formed based on internal factors.

However, with the victory of the revolution, the issue changed in a way, and the most  contribution to the emergence of new Islamic movements were affected by the internal chaotic situation, both in terms of indifference to religious demands and indifference to welfare and social inequalities, lack of internal freedom and tyranny, and forgetting the ideals of revolution.

Considering  the course of governments after the 1962 revolution shows that, during the last  four decades after the Algerian revolution, there has always been a conflict between the revolutionaries to gain power on the one hand and the struggle of Islamists to change the situation on the other hand.

Shazli ben Jadid

In fact, Ahmad Ben Bella removed "Abbas Farhat" from power with a quiet coup and established a socialist system in this country, which civil liberties were limited and he established a type of authoritarian government in Algeria that cast a shadow over Algeria's political system for decades. [9]

From the early years after the revolution until the beginning of the 21st century, what has happened to Algerians were  absolute domestic tyranny and the intensification of political and social inequalities.

Algeria, which had lost all its infrastructure during the struggle and due to the brutal exploitation of the French, after the revolution also witnessed internal tyranny, economic stagnation, and the intensification of social inequalities  and as a result, increasing  phenomenon of poverty.

But the most showed off  was the lack of social-political freedoms and the disregard for the religious demands of the people who sacrificed more than a million people  for these demands.

Ahmad Ben Bella, who came to power with the coup of Colonel Boumedienne was also removed from power with another coup.

After Boumedienne 's death, Shazli ben Jadid came to power with the support of the military and was removed from power once again by the will of the same military and after he wanted to create political freedoms.

After a short period, Bouteflika finally came to power with the support of the military and in a one-party election, which is still in power.

In these years, the biggest event was the victory of the Islamic Salvation Front in the parliamentary elections, which ended badly with the arrival of the military and the arrest of the leaders of this party. [10]

In fact, the formation and continuation of Islamic movements in Algeria after the revolution was directly affected by internal tyranny, the endless military rule, and the lack of political and religious freedoms.

For this reason, the listed factors can be considered the main internal reasons for the formation and continuation of Islamic movements in Algeria.

The impact of Algeria's external factors

The role of foreign factors in Islamic movements in Algeria can be considered in several periods and from several perspectives.

In the first generation of Algerian Islamic movements, apart from the role of the direct external factor, i.e. colonialism, as the main driver, it is inevitable to pay attention to the influence of intellectual trends  as well as regional and global developments.

The leaders of the first generation of Islamic movements in Algeria - such as Amir Abdul Qader, Ben badis and Ebrahimi - were directly influenced by the Egyptian anti-colonial school.

They were strongly influenced by the thoughts of Egyptian anti-colonial and religious figures such as Seyyed Qotb, Hassan al-Banna and Muhammad Abduh and  they put these thoughts at the forefront of  their plans. [11]

Younger Algerians - the generation after Ben badis - also used the Egyptian thoughts and ideas in another way to advance the goals of their movement when, Gamal Abdel Nasser came to power in Egypt.

Gamal Abdel Nasser's ambitious ideas for the unification of the Arab world and Arab nationalism, as well as his opposition to Western countries, created many opportunities for Algerian revolutionaries to organize their activities with the help of Gamal Abdel Nasser. [12]

On November 1, 1954, after the second military statement of the National Liberation Front was broadcast on Cairo Radio,they started guerrilla and armed operations from the "Kabylie" mountains in Algeria. Kabylie region  and Egypt (Gamal Abdel Nasser ) were  a good refuge for the Algerian warriors.

Also, the struggle of the people of Iran led by Dr. "Mohammed Mossadegh", the struggles of the people of Egypt led by "Gamal Abdel Nasser" and some other countries for independence and nationalization of their wealth was an important lesson and teaching  for Algerian revolutionaries.

The independence of China and India - the two most populous countries in the world - had a great impact on the spirit of the people of North Africa to gain independence, and they also sought to gain their rights.

In fact, these are the negative and positive effects of the first generation of Islamic movements in Algeria by external factors, but the second generation of Islamic movements in Algeria can be considered more influenced by the Islamic Revolution in Iran than any other factor.

In fact, the spirit and goal of the new round of the Islamist uprising in Algeria in the 90s ( although it was accelerated by the collapse of the bipolar system and the demise of the Eastern Bloc led by the former Soviet Union ) was strongly influenced by the teachings of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In other words, when the revolutionaries of Iran showed with their victory and the formation of an Islamic government that it is possible to establish a stable religious government, the new generation of Islamic movements in Algeria also inclined towards this approach and by breathing a new spirit into it and changing the way of struggle , they tried to  gain victory in the elections of the Algerian parliament  in order to took a step towards the establishment of an Islamic government, which failed due to the presence and coup of the military, but this belief and desire was strengthened even more. [13]

The third historical period in which the Islamist trends  intensified their activities with the help of foreign factors, dates back to the events caused by the new wave of Islamic awakening at the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century.

Following the beginning of the wave of Islamic awakening in Arab countries such as Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, Islamist movements and parties in Algeria became active again and demanded basic  changes in the Algerian government.

For example, "Fateh Rabiei", the general secretary of the "Ennahda Movement" of Algeria, in a clear position, demanded that until the election of the new parliament - which will deal with the drafting of the constitution and revision of all previous laws - the desired reforms of "Abd al-Aziz Bouteflika", the president of Algeria to stop [14]

In this regard, Reuters news agency wrote: "The Arab Spring (Islamic Awakening) has knocked on the doors of Algeria, but the authorities cannot decide whether to allow it to enter or prevent it.

Among Tunisia's northern neighbors, only Algeria has been spared from riots and protests. Rebellions that ousted the leaders of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen last year, and now Syria is involved in it. [15]

The principles and objectives of the revolution of Islamist movements

In order to explain the origins, principles and goals of Islamic movements in Algeria, it is very important to pay attention to one issue, it’s means that Islamic movements in Algeria should be separated into two historical periods.

The pre-revolution era

During this period, the philosophy of the formation of Islamic movements and then nationalist movements were influenced by the issue of colonialism, and the main goal of all popular movements, both Islamist and nationalist, was to gain independence.

Islamist leaders such as Amir Abdul  Qader and Ben badis and their predecessors mixed the foundation of their movement with religious teachings and actually adopted a religious approach in its general sense. As the first leader of the Islamic movement in Algeria, Amir Abdul Qader's intellectual foundation was based on the fact that Islam is the true identity of the Algerian nation and the only way to dismantle colonialism is to use the teachings of Islam. [16]

Amir Abdul  Qader had a completely religious attitude towards the struggle and based his slogans and principles on religious principles.

He believed that the enemies of Algeria, especially the French, are unbelievers and there are only two ways to deal with them: victory or martyrdom.

Of course, Sheikh Abdul Hamid ben Badis, the leader of the Algerian Muslim Ulama community - and the second anti-colonial religious leader after Amir Abdul Qader - while relying on the holy religion of Islam to revive Algeria based on the teachings of revelation and gain the independence of this country, he also tried to include the nationalist attitude in his action.

Abdul Hamid ben Badis raised the slogan "Algeria is my country, Islam is my religion, and Arabic is my language" versus  the French, who had announced the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the occupation of Algeria in 1930 and the cancellation of the Arabic language.

Abdul  Hamid ben Badis first established hundreds of non-governmental schools where Arabic language, religious sciences and new sciences were taught. [17]

Paying attention to Ben badis' words shows that he is both concerned about religion and struggle  for the preservation of the Arabic language, which is actually a part of the national identity.

In fact, for Ben badis, Arabism and Islam were two sides of the coin of independent Algeria. Ben badis' political positions in the last years of his life, especially from 1937 onwards, became inflexible and tended towards armed struggle. According to one of his students, he intended to start his uprising as soon as Italy declared war against  France.[18]

In the pre-revolution period, the traditional Islamic trends,  based on religious teachings and being influenced by the thinkers of the Arab world such as Hasan al-Banna, Muhammad Abduh and Rashid Reza, tried their best to get out of tyranny and colonialism.

This issue - that is, the strong presence of foreign colonialism, which simultaneously was targeted the religion and national identity of Algerians - became the main reason for the emergence of Islamic movements.

The main goal of the Islamic movements of the Algerian people was to gain independence through armed struggle and jihad against French colonialism and to preserve and revive religion. This approach can be well seen in the Tripoli Declaration, which was issued shortly before the independence of Algeria:

"The Algerian culture will be a national culture based on the Arabic language, and the Islamic religion is free from all heresies and superstitions that harm its sacred space, and this divine thought will be crystallized within the framework of culture and personality" [19 ].

The development of Islamic movements after the revolution

The second period of the formation and development of Islamic movements in Algeria should be considered the years after 1962, that is, the period when the French occupiers left  the country  and the revolutionaries came to power.

After the victory of the revolution and gaining independence, the nationalist forces, which had significant activities in the last years of the uprising of the Algerian people and were controlled by the technocratic forces, were able to seize power. Before the victory of the revolution and in the years after World War II, Farhat Abbas, who was educated in France and was a member of the Algerian People's Union Party , formed the Muslim student movement in Paris. During the Second World War, he founded the "Declaration Party of the Algerian People's Liberation" and called for the liberation of Algeria in the form of a republic.

This organization included military and political activities simultaneously in its plan to achieve the freedom of Algeria.

They were able to form the "National Liberation Front" in 1954, and within this political front they formed a military front called the "Algerian Liberation Army".[20]

In fact, after the victory of the revolution, this group gained the most role and contribution in the power structure of Algeria, but despite having Islamic tendencies at the beginning of its formation, after they came to power, they changed their policy and turned towards a kind of party dictatorship with secular and socialist tendencies.

This issue led to the formation of a new round of the Islamic movement in Algeria with the approach of striving for the rule of religion in Algerian society.

In this period, Islamist trends  insisted on granting political-social freedoms and implementing Islamic rules and demanded rapid transformation in all aspects of society and the establishment of Islamic government through Jihad or electoral struggle.[21]

The principles and goals of the formation of the second generation of Algerian Islamic movements - post-independence movements - can be well extracted from the charters and statutes of Islamist parties and trends.

"Dawa Association" was established as one of the leading Islamist parties in 1989 under the chairmanship of "Sheikh Ahmed Sohnoun" and with the presence of famous people  such as Mahfouz Nahnah, Abbas Madani, Abdullah Jabullah, Ali Belhaj and Mohammad Saeed. [22]

This Association   declares its most important goals as follows:

1. Reforming the ideological situation of the society

2. Invitation to Islamic ethics

3. Improving the disintegrated economic situation of Algeria

4. Scientific Jihad.

Islamic Salvation Front

As the main Islamist party of Algeria after the revolution, which emerged after many consultations among the advocates of returning to Islamic culture and from the Dawa Association under the leadership of Abbas Madani and Sheikh Ali Belhaj. In their religious thoughts and opinions, they considered themselves influenced by Sheikh Ben Badis and Ebrahimi and believed in returning to the book(Ouran), tradition, and method of Salaf Saleh.

They also used the revolutionary thoughts in the writings of Hasan al-Banna and Seyyed Qotb as the basis of their actions.[23]

According to Islamic Salvation Front, Islam does not fit in the fence of time and space and is not limited to a specific field, but has the authority to be present in all political, economic, social fields.

The necessity of implementing the Islamic Sharia law, providing the freedom of the nation and eliminating oppression and tyranny, relying on the Islamic economy and preventing prohibited transactions, and striving for the unity of Muslims are among the principles of this movement.

In this regard, "Sheikh Abdul Baqi Sahrawi" as the oldest prominent member of the Islamic Salvation Front, at the beginning of the establishment of the front, strive for Islamic unity, provide Islamic solutions for human life, replace moderation and political moderation instead of repression and violence, provide the resources of the Islamic Ummah of Algeria and providing the Islamic way of salvation to the people are mentioned as the goals of the Islamic Salvation Front. [24]

In a general summary, it can be said that despite the high diversity among the Islamist trends in the post-independence era in Algeria, the basis and main motivation of the Islamic movements can be considered the attempt to return to Islam and Islamic teachings in various fields.

These principles have been manifested in the goals of Islamist groups and parties, which are hard and soft efforts on both fronts of armed struggles - until the 90s - and political struggles in the form of electoral contests, especially parliamentary elections, to gain power and ultimately establish a religious government. In such a way that after winning the 1992 elections, Abbas Madani spoke openly about the party's plans to establish a religious government similar to what happened in Iran. [25]

Iran's Islamic Revolution and its impact on Algeria

Iran's Islamic Revolution and its impact on Algeria is one of the issues  that has had a significant impact in Arab countries, especially in Algeria, because of the common goals it has with Islamic trends.