- Also called:
- Association of Algerian Reformist Ulama
- French:
- Association Des Uléma Musulmans Algériens
- Or:
- Association Des Uléma Reformistes Algériens
- Arabic:
- Jamʿiyyat al-ʿUlamāʾ al-Muslimīn al-Jazāʾiriyyīn
- Date:
- 1931
- Areas Of Involvement:
- Islam
- nationalism
Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama
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What is the Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama?
The Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama was a group of Muslim religious scholars who wanted to bring back an Algerian nation that was based on Islamic and Arabic traditions during French rule. Sheikh ʿAbd al-Hamid ben Badis founded the association in 1931, and it was formally organized on May 5, 1935. The association was influenced by Muḥammad ʿAbduh, a Muslim jurist and reformer, and his belief that Islam could adapt to the modern world if it were freed of its non-Islamic elements.
The Algerian Ulama worked to reform the outdated educational system and fought for the importance of studying Arabic, the language of Algerian Muslims. The association aimed to provide Algerian Muslim society with an identity and tradition rooted in the Islamic community that was different from that of its French colonizer.
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Where and when was the Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama founded?
The Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama was founded in 1931 and formally organized on May 5, 1935, by Sheikh ʿAbd al-Hamid ben Badis. The association advocated for the restoration of an Algerian nation rooted in Islamic and Arabic traditions under French rule. The organization's channels of communication included Al-Shihāb (“The Meteor”) and Al-Baṣāʾir (“Clairvoyance”), a religious weekly, both published in Arabic.
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Who were the main leaders of this association?
The Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama, founded in 1931 and formally organized on May 5, 1935, was led by Sheikh ‘Abd al-Hamid ben Badis. After Ben Badis's death in 1940, Sheikh Muḥammad al-Bashīr al-Ibrāhīmī took over. During the Algerian war of independence against France (1954–62), Tawfīq al-Madanī, secretary-general, joined the provisional government of the Algerian Republic after independence in 1962.
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What were the goals of the Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama?
The Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama, founded in 1931, aimed to restore an Algerian nation rooted in Islamic and Arabic traditions under French rule. Influenced by Muḥammad ‘Abduh, the association believed in Islam's flexibility and adaptability to the modern world, provided it was freed from non-Islamic elements. They campaigned against superstition and maraboutism and reformed the educational system by opening over 200 schools and advocating for Arabic language instruction.
The association sought to provide Algerian Muslim society with an identity distinct from the French colonizer. By the mid-1930s, the association joined other organizations to collectively oppose the French.
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How did the association try to improve education and preserve Algerian identity?
The Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama, founded in 1931, aimed to restore an Algerian nation rooted in Islamic and Arabic traditions. Influenced by Muḥammad 'Abduh, the association believed Islam could adapt to the modern world if freed from non-Islamic elements.
To improve education and preserve Algerian identity, the Ulama conducted campaigns against superstition and reformed the educational system, opening over 200 schools and advocating for a Muslim university. They stressed studying Arabic, the language of Algerian Muslims, and fought for its obligatory instruction in schools. The association wished to provide Algerian Muslim society with an identity distinct from that of its French colonizer.
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What role did the association play during Algeria's struggle for independence?
During Algeria's struggle for independence, the Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama played a crucial role in advocating for an Algerian nation rooted in Islamic and Arabic traditions. Founded in 1931, the association, led by Sheikh \u2018Abd al-Hamid ben Badis, aimed to provide Algerian Muslims with a distinct identity from their French colonizers. They opened over 200 schools, promoted Arabic studies, and fought against the adoption of European culture, issuing a formal fatwa against it in 1938.
The association joined other organizations to oppose the French and, during the Algerian War of Independence (1954–62), aligned with the National Liberation Front (1956). After independence in 1962, the association retained significant influence on policy, especially in education and cultural matters.
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Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama, a body of Muslim religious scholars (ʿulamāʾ) who, under French rule, advocated the restoration of an Algerian nation rooted in Islamic and Arabic traditions.
The association, founded in 1931 and formally organized on May 5, 1935, by Sheikh ʿAbd al-Hamid ben Badis, was heavily influenced by the views of the Muslim jurist and reformer Muḥammad ʿAbduh (1849–1905). It adopted his belief that Islam was essentially a flexible faith, capable of adapting to the modern world if freed of its non-Islamic and vulgar accretions. The Algerian Ulama thus conducted widespread campaigns against the superstition and maraboutism that had become common among the public (see marabout). They also implemented ʿAbduh’s belief in the efficacy of modern education by attempting to reform the antiquated educational system. More than 200 schools were opened, the largest at Constantine with about 300 students, and the possibility of a Muslim university was introduced but never realized. The Algerian Ulama stressed the importance of studying Arabic, the language of Algerian Muslims, and fought for its obligatory instruction in Algerian elementary and secondary schools. The organization’s channels of communication included Al-Shihāb (“The Meteor”) and Al-Baṣāʾir (“Clairvoyance”), a religious weekly, both published in Arabic.
In effect, the Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama wished to provide Algerian Muslim society with an identity and tradition rooted in the Islamic community (ummah) and distinct from that of its French colonizer. Sheikh ben Badis condemned the adoption of European culture by Algerian Muslims, issuing a formal fatwa (legal opinion) against it in 1938. In the mid-1930s, the association joined with other organizations, including the North African Star (Étoile Nord-Africaine) led by Ahmed Messali Hadj, to collectively oppose the French.
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The association met with opposition from two sources. Gallicized Algerian Muslims, known as évolués—Arabs by tradition and Frenchmen by education—insisted that Islam and France were not incompatible. They rejected the idea of an Algerian nation and stated that Algeria had for generations been identified in terms of its economic and cultural relations with France.
Various Muslim circles also rejected the Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama. The leaders of the Muslim Ṣūfī (mystic) brotherhoods and the marabouts were directly threatened by the purist drive of the association, while the Islamic functionaries—imams (prayer leaders in the mosques), qadis (religious judges), and muftis (religious lawyers)—were affected by their educational reforms and anti-French sentiment.
The popular response to the programs of the association was nonetheless considerable. To counteract the growing influence of the Algerian Ulama, the French government issued the circulaire Michel, which forbade members of the association from preaching in the mosques. The association, however, did not curtail its activities, even with the arrest of ben Badis in 1938. Sheikh Muḥammad al-Bashīr al-Ibrāhīmī succeeded ben Badis upon his death in 1940. During the Algerian war of independence against France (1954–62), the association aligned with the National Liberation Front (1956), and Tawfīq al-Madanī, secretary-general of the Algerian Ulama, sat in the provisional government of the Algerian Republic after independence (1962).
After independence, the association retained significant influence on policy (mainly with regard to education and cultural matters) and in the government, especially under Col. Houari Boumedienne.
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