Islam and the French decolonization of Algeria: The role of the Algerian ulama, 1919--1940

This study analyzes an important and neglected factor in the French decolonization of North Africa, namely Islam and its institutions. After more than a century of French imperialism, Islam remained, for the majority of Algerians, the principal means of self-identification, the source of values, and ultimately, the principal refuge from the French political and cultural domination. Thus, in the 1920s and 1930s, Algeria experienced an Islamic revival. This revival was the result of the work of the ulama, who played a role similar to that of Western intellectuals and clergy. Ibn Badis and Al-Ibrahimi, the most influential scholars in Algeria in the twentieth century, led a new movement that was the basis for major opposition to French rule. Ibn Badis in particular contributed immensely to Islamic revivalism. By analyzing his writings, this thesis establishes the extent to which Islam was the anchor of Ibn Badis' worldview and of his lucid response to the challenges of modernity. In short, French decolonization cannot be fully understood without examining the ulama's activities, especially those of Ibn Badis.; This dissertation examines certain aspects of French colonial policy in Algeria before 1940. It pays special attention to how French colonial forces perceived and treated both Islam and Muslims, and how by 1940, an inhumane colonial system based on political, economic, educational, and judicial inequality made even loyal French-educated Algerians mistrust the ideals of 1789. Islam, not communism or liberalism, remained the only common denominator among the Algerians in their fight against French colonialism. This study shows how French colonial policy failed. It also shows the inherent flaws of the mission civilisatrice and shows how Islamic universities served as finishing schools for those who advocated and developed Islamic education in order to reconstruct the Islamic identity and evict the French. Networks of schools, mosques, cultural clubs, and other institutions provided ways for the ulama, particularly Ibn Badis, to disseminate their ideas. It was the ulama who transformed Algerian culture, effectively creating the Algerian identity, and made the revolution possible.