Draft:Mahfoud Nahnah
| Mahfoud Nahnah | |
|---|---|
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| Name | Mahfoud Nahnah |
| Other Names | {{{other_names}}} |
| Personal Details | |
| Birth Place | Blida
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| Brith Date | 27 January 1942 |
| Death Date | 19 June 2003 |
| Religion | Islam |
Mahfoud Nahnah was an Algerian politician who participated in the Algerian Revolution and, after independence, turned to law and then politics, founding the Movement of Society for Peace with an Islamic orientation.
Birth
Mahfoud Nahnah was born on 27 January 1942 in Blida.
War of Independence
Mahfoud Nahnah participated in the War of Independence of Algeria. He remained in Blida until 1962 and lived among the Algerian mujahideen during the period of armed revolution. He was also alongside two great mujahideen, Mohamed Bouslimani and Mohamed Belmahdi, in widespread popular demonstrations in Algeria. This association with these two mujahideen benefited him greatly.
Collaboration with Al-Azhar Professors
Mahfoud Nahnah began his legal activities in 1962 in the mosques of the capital and Blida. In 1964, Mahfoud Nahnah, along with Bouslimani, established the first legal centre in Algeria for this group with the help of some Al-Azhar professors.
Mahfoud Nahnah entered university in 1967 CE after obtaining his bachelor's degree and enrolled in the Institute of Language and Literature. This choice led him to become fond of the Arabic language. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Arabic in 1970 and then enrolled at Cairo University for graduate studies.
Student Mosque
Mahfoud Nahnah participated with like-minded individuals at the Central University of Algeria in the opening of the Student Mosque and was the first person to lead Friday prayers there. 12 people participated in the Friday prayer at the Student Mosque, including Mohamed Bouslimani, Abdelwahab Ben Hamouda, and Malek Bennabi.
Arrest and Imprisonment
Mahfoud Nahnah was in the front line of gatherings demanding the preservation of the Islamic identity of Algeria and opposing the West. Mahfoud Nahnah was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1975 for plotting a coup against the regime of the time. Houari Boumédiène, whose real name was Mohamed Ibrahim Boukharouba, was one of the leaders of the National Liberation Army of Algeria who was later elected as President of Algeria[1]. He opposed the imposition of the socialist system on Algerian society and demanded the expansion of political and economic freedoms.
Formation of the Movement of Society for Peace
Mahfoud Nahnah carried out political activities in prison and completed his theses. After his release from prison and the formation of the Movement of Society for Peace, he achieved considerable accomplishments. Among these accomplishments was effective participation in international conferences and gatherings in Europe, America, Asia, and Africa regarding issues of Islam, the West, human rights, and democracy. During his travels to these countries, he met with leaders and senior officials of these countries in France, Spain, Sweden, United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Qatar, Kuwait, Morocco, and Libya.
Among the most important theses that Mahfoud Nahnah defended were: consultation, democracy, development, tolerance, coexistence, mutual respect, respect for human rights, women's participation in fields of life, respect for minority rights, dialogue of civilizations, expansion of the base of sovereignty, peaceful transfer of power, and respect for fundamental personal freedoms. Mahfoud Nahnah, President of the Movement of Society for Peace, condemned violence, terrorism, and all manifestations of exaggeration in religion from the time of its emergence, considering them alien to Islam and Muslims, and devoted more than three decades of his legal activities to defending correct beliefs and values.
Works
Mahfoud Nahnah published his book titled "The Desired Algeria... The Lost Equation: Islam... Patriotism... Democracy". He also drafted the statement of the Grand Islamic Council in 1980 and organised the first Islamic Festival in 1988. Mahfoud Nahnah was invited in 1989 to establish an association that would gather all preachers to preserve Islamic identity.
Death
He suffered from leukaemia and died on 19 June 2003 at the age of 61.
See also
Notes
References
- Mahfoud Nahnah, Al Jazeera News Network website, Published: 20 November 2014, Accessed: 4 May 2025.
- Anniversary of the suspicious death of Houari Boumédiène, Algerian peace mediator, Shahrvand Newspaper website, Published: 27 December 2023, Accessed: 4 May 2025.