Draft:Ahmed Ben Bella

Ahmed Ben Bella
Name	Mohamed Ahmed Ben Bella
Personal Details
Birth Place	Algeria
Death Place	Algiers

Mohamed Ahmed Ben Bella (Arabic: أحمد بن بلّة) (born December 25, 1916) was a hero of the Algerian people's war of liberation and commander of the anti-colonial armed forces. He is among the prominent figures of contemporary history who passed away on April 18, 2012, after 80 years of struggle, jihad, exile, and imprisonment. He was a Muslim mujahid and a great revolutionary of contemporary history; although he appeared to be interested in communism or scientific socialism, he accepted it within the framework of Islamic teachings. He was a staunch defender of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, regarding it as a source of hope and a catalyst for the awakening of oppressed nations worldwide. He was the political leader of the Algerian War of Independence, the first Prime Minister, and the first elected President of Algeria.

Life

Ben Bella was born into a farming family in the small town of Marnia, near the Moroccan border. In 1937, he joined the French army and attained the rank of sergeant. He resided in Marseille until 1940, after which he chose to return to Algeria rather than remain in France to pursue a professional football career with Olympique de Marseille, spending the next three years working on his family farm. In 1943, he returned to his military post and received two military medals for his services during the war in Italy. After the war ended, he opposed the continuation of French rule over Algeria. In 1947, he became a member of the Marnia city council, but the following year, due to French interference in the elections, he was prevented from entering the Algerian Assembly.

Opposition to French Rule

On November 1, 1954, Ben Bella and other Algerian exiled leaders residing in Egypt, following a secret meeting in Switzerland with opposition leaders still based in Algeria, announced the formation of the National Liberation Front to command the armed struggle against French colonizers. He played a significant role in leading the party while simultaneously organizing the smuggling of weapons into Algerian territory. In 1956, Ben Bella survived two unsuccessful assassination attempts, one in Cairo and another in Tripoli. However, later that same year, he was arrested by French military forces in Algeria and remained imprisoned until 1962.

Presidency

Following Algeria's independence, in August 1962, Ben Bella, with the assistance of the National Liberation Army led by Houari Boumédiène, overthrew the provisional government, and Ben Bella assumed power. One year later, he was elected President. During his presidency, Ben Bella implemented significant economic reforms, including the nationalization of large French-owned farms and means of production, the revival of Arab and Islamic traditions, and the allocation of one-quarter of the state budget to the education sector. In foreign policy, Algeria maintained close relations with France while supporting national liberation movements and adopting a policy of non-alignment. During this period, Algeria also established close ties with Arab countries.

Important Views of Ahmed Ben Bella

In Volume Twelve of the collection Hadith-e Ruzgar (Chronicles of the Era), under the title "Documented Memoirs of Master Seyyed Hadi Khosrowshahi regarding Ahmed Ben Bella (Commander of the Liberation Jihad of the Algerian People)," some of Ahmed Ben Bella's views are recorded as follows:

-"The struggle must be led from a mud-brick room and amidst the people, like Mr. Khomeini, not from an aristocratic palace."

-"Negotiations with the Zionists will yield no result except misery and humiliation, and any dialogue with Israel constitutes a betrayal of the cause of the Palestinian and Arab nations; because the very existence of Israel in the heart of Arab and Islamic lands is a betrayal."

-At the end of the section "The Shia and Sunni Issue and Palestine," which contains an interview with Ben Bella, he states: "I believe that in Iran, all scholars and clerics should not involve themselves in administrative and daily state affairs, as they will face calamity. Let a select group of distinguished scholars, who possess the competence to hold office or provide leadership, assume these roles, while the rest remain as a perpetual sanctuary for the people within mosque bases, staying alongside the populace, distancing themselves from executive duties and state administration, and focusing instead on guidance and oversight."

-"In these sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf, mercenaries have been installed to fulfill the objectives of Western oil interests; they extract oil upon command and, in return, purchase weapons without knowing what use these arms serve."

-During a second meeting in Switzerland, Ben Bella stated: "Imam Khomeini is the greatest figure in contemporary history, and I believe another Imam like him will not emerge. In my view, the Islamic Revolution is far more significant than the French Revolution, the October Revolution in Russia, and the Algerian Revolution of November; because this revolution is not exclusive to Iran but pertains to all nations, and its effects will not remain confined within Iran's geographical boundaries. This marks the beginning of a new Islamic movement throughout the world."

-Regarding the issue of Shia and Sunni, Ben Bella believes: "The creation of discord between Shia and Sunni is a political phenomenon, originally instigated by previous tyrannical and anti-people regimes. Currently, Arab reactionaries and enemies of the Revolution—who are the same devils of the East and West—are fueling this strife to confine the Islamic Revolution of Iran to Shia regions, thereby rendering the export of the Revolution, which has been our shared aspiration and a necessity for its preservation and continuity, impossible."

-"Yes, I am an Algerian of Maghrebi origin through my parents, but my entire life is Algeria. I was born here."

-"Apart from the Holy Quran, no companion accompanied me throughout all my periods of imprisonment."

-"I am not a secularist. Whoever calls for secularism seeks to dress an Islamic body in Western garments." What is significant for me in the Iranian Revolution is that, for the first time, a revolution was born with a cultural blueprint.

The youth of all Islamic countries are seeking their true Islamic identity. They reject the programs of Western civilization. When these young people go to the mosque, speaking solely of Western culture is insufficient; rather, Islamic culture must be discussed. Our rejection of Western culture is not due to racism, but because it is unsuitable for our circumstances and conditions.

Death

Ahmed Ben Bella passed away on April 11, 2012, at the age of 95.