Question:
In a country where all its people embrace Islam, the country of one million martyrs for their jihad against the French occupation that lasted 132 years, in this country, popular protests broke out, breaking the barrier of fear of the tyrants of Algeria since 22/2/2019 until today, but they do not call for Islam! What are the reasons for this? What is the reality of the international conflict over influence in Algeria? Does it have a role in what is happening? Then, what is expected especially about the elections?
Answer:
In order to clarify the answer to the above questions, we will review the following:
First: The reason for not advocating Islam in the movement:
1- Yes, Algeria is an authentic Islamic country, and this was proved when the state seemed as if it were giving a way to free and fair elections in the early 1990s. The result was that the call for arbitration of Allah’s Law was overwhelming and carried by millions in the streets of Algeria. Europe was furious and France threatened military intervention. Europe and France pushed the rulers of Algeria at the beginning of 1992 to disavow the results of the elections in 1991, then the army intervened and announced its control over the country. The most prominent support for the rulers of Algeria came from the capital of darkness, “Paris”, which is falsely called the capital of light. French intelligence, in cooperation with its local security services, fuelled the sparks of brutal massacres, which inaugurated an era of massacres in the 1990s that killed hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Algeria. Then, without shame or embarrassment, the regime in Algeria and behind it, France and Britain, attached all these massacres to the Islamists. The scourge became widespread and the regime linked every drop of blood and massacre with the Islamists. The period lasted for nearly ten years, and thus called the “Black Decade”, and the regime begun to spread fear in people’s minds from calling for Islam, and that anyone who calls for the arbitration of Islam wants to restore the black decades! The French press carried this banner of intimidation, and the intimidation of Islam became an obsession among politicians in Paris. This French and European fear and obsession with the movement of Algeria, if it called for Islam, have immediately moved to the Algerian regime; “Parties close to the country’s decision-making circles promoted that the Islamists ‘Will turn against the secularists and plan for an Islamic state that will be built on the ruins of secularists and perhaps even on their bodies if necessary.’” (The Independent 21/3/2019). Thus, the regime warns the people overnight of the “scarecrow of radical Islam” who is ready to spill blood! Although it is the regime that is pursuing Muslims and stirring blood. “Algerian security forces attacked a well-known dissident, one of the founders of the Islamic Salvation Front, Ali Belhadj, and dragged him in a street” (Arabic 21, 23/2/2019). i.e., on the second day of the outbreak of protests in Algeria…!
2- This is in addition to the American war on Islam, which has taken the broad title “Islamic terrorism”, where all the sincere ones in the Islamic world of movements, parties, associations and figures have been targeted and stigmatized terrorism, and then they criminalized Islamic symbols such as banners, and called those who adhere to the Islamic provisions as extremists and terrorists, etc. All of this have also cast a shadow over the call of the popular movement in Algeria.
3- One of the reasons that hindered the emergence of Islamic demands in the movement of Algeria is what stuck in the minds of the people about some movements with Islamic character which are called “moderate”. They saw them sometimes calling themselves opposition movements, and sometimes participating in the government and enjoy ministerial portfolios and parliamentary seats. This participation affected a wide range of people, especially those who trusted these movements as working for Islam, and then found them working with the regime. Not to mention the Shariah rulings which they did not abide by of the prohibition of the man-made legislation in parliaments and the prohibition of participation in regimes that are not from Islam in anything. This has driven a large sector of the Algerians not to mention Islam in the movement.
4- Finally, the international conflict on Algeria to exert influence and the desperate attempt of the West, especially France, to spread secular culture, and to highlight leaderships that are its followers in the movement, which is certainly secular, to achieve through which their political influence in Algeria. Note that the parties to the international conflict in Algeria fully agree on the obliteration of Algeria’s Islamic identity and highlighting the secular character of the state.
These are the deep reasons that facilitated the emergence of the secular character of the popular movement in Algeria; behind all of which are the deception, misinformation and political malice of the West and its agents. And if they ostensibly succeed in preventing the emergence of Islam on the movement, Islam is stable in the heart of Algeria of the one million martyrs and its emergence will not be delayed, with Allah’s permission. And tomorrow to is nearby, إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْراً “Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent” [At-Talaq: 3].”
Second: As for the international conflict in Algeria:
1- For Britain and France:
a- Since the coup of Boumediene in 1965, the British influence is strong in Algeria with some French protrusions. However, after the dismissal of the French agent Khaled Nizar from the Ministry of Defense in 1993, France’s influence gradually weakened within the army until it reached a situation closer to “military culture” dependence rather than political loyalty. Bouteflika, known for his loyalty to Britain, during his long reign since 1999, has resorted to the treatment of these French protrusions gradually and without causing a stir. The issue of ending French influence from the structure of the state was closer to athletic competition; that is, no signs of heating from the two parties in the issue of influence that took the form of competition have appeared. However, Bouteflika’s relieving of the director of the General Intelligence Service, Mohammad Median, known as General Tawfeeq on 13/9/2015 was a painful blow to the French influence in Algeria, which was largely expelled from the army and continued to rely on intelligence as a semi-sole security corner of French influence in Algeria. This painful blow ignited the fire under the ashes of the apparent calmness of the relationship between the two influences in Algeria.
b- There have been two circumstances that took the competition between the British and French influences in Algeria from the state of athletic competition, so the conflict between them became closer to “arm-twisting” although it did not amount to “breaking a bone”. These two circumstances that have made the competition between the two countries hot are:
The first: Britain’s Brexit referendum in 2016 has widened the dispute between Britain and France, and this was reflected in the intransigence of France, the European Union, in its negotiations with the British Prime Minister May, and this was also reflected in the plans of the new Prime Minister, Johnson, to leave the EU even without an agreement, and this is a great harm to France. The disagreement also emerged on the issue of America’s straining the crisis with Iran after its withdrawal from the nuclear deal. While France was adopting a different position from America, Britain was closer to it, and their differences continued to expand. These new British-French differences are reflected in their positions in other places such as Algeria.
The second: the outbreak of popular movement in Algeria on 22/2/2019.. France saw that the instability in Algeria and the shake-up of the pillars of English influence in Algeria as an opportunity to restore its greater influence in Algeria; that is, the spontaneous popular movement has exposed the latent French fire since 2015!
c- As a result, the state of competition between them has moved to the level of “arm-twisting”. The security services revealed a plan similar to the military coup to remove Qaid Saleh [Gaid Salah] from the army chief of staff, so the security forces arrested the strongest and most dangerous men in France, namely, Mohamed Median (General Tawfiq) and Bashir Tartak, two former directors of the intelligence service who were arrested on 5/5/2019. Then the arrest of Labor Party leader Louisa Hanoune, on May 5, 2019, in addition to Said Bouteflika, who seems that the men of France in Algeria have attracted him to their side, especially after the resignation of his brother, President Bouteflika, and they were tried; “an Algerian military court in Blida sentenced four defendants who were accused of conspiring against the military and state authority to 15 years in prison. The rulings were handed down in presence to Said Bouteflika, Louisa Hanoune, leader of the Labor Party, and retired Lieutenant General Mohamed Medine. The military court in Blida also sentenced former Defence Minister Khaled Nizar to 20 years in prison in absentia” (Sky News Arabic 25/9/2019). France has protested against the military leadership in Algeria because of the arrests. According to the British Independent Newspaper on 18/5/2019, when Louisa Hanoune was arrested, 1000 French personalities, including former Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, signed an initiative demanding her release. The newspaper added: “The republican party deputy in the French parliament, Jean LaSalle, feared the impact of events on the interests of his country”, and said: “The rise of a new generation of officers and generals in the Algerian military establishment, with a concentrated nationalist formation and framework, threatens French interests in Algeria, especially in the cultural, economic and political aspects”. This is an indication of France’s annoyance, which means that this conflict is taking a warming course, although Britain has the upper hand in the regime supported by the army chief of staff.
2 – America’s attempts to infiltrate the Algerian arena:
American media have tried to promote some of the figures that have emerged in the popular movement, such as Karim Tabbou, the former secretary of the Socialist Forces Front. Alhurra, American TV channel, described him on 12/9/2019 as (“the most prominent face in the popular movement” and promoted Karim Tabbou videos as “he leads marches in the Algerian capital as part of the popular movement” and promoted his “true opposition to power, not like other parties”). This perhaps indicates the existence of American contacts with such activists in the popular movement in Algeria. Algerian security services have arrested this activist and others and charged him of “weakening the army’s morale.” Assuming the existance of American contacts with symbols of the popular movement in Algeria, and this is expected, then such people have not attained the ability to influence the political life in Algeria to the aspiration of America that has not been able to infiltrate the influence within the military or state institutions so far.
For all this, the Algerian arena is almost free of European conflict with America, but it is between Britain and France with the serious attempt of Britain and its military system to clip French wings in the arena. The American attempts did not succeed in infiltrating the European role in Algeria although the ruling gang in Algeria fears that the prolonged period of the crisis – the popular movement – could enable America to make a breakthrough that it has been seeking for years, but France may also use the long period of the movement to strengthen its followers and provide opportunities for them.
Thirdly, as for what is expected from the elections, it can be understood as follows:
1- Britain and those in power and the army leadership have been able to exclude the French men significantly from the state structure, so this system is rushing the elections so as not to change these circumstances, especially as the movement continues, Qaid Saleh stated: “before now we were talking about the need to speed up the presidential elections. Today, we are absolutely certain that these elections will take place within the time limits set for them.” (Independent 14/9/2019), as well as his demand for a clear position such as (declaring that the current period requires a clear position “There is no room for holding the stick from the middle … Either with Algeria or with its enemies” (The Independent 14/9/2019). This is an indication that the pro-Britain system of governance is rushing to resolve today because things seem relatively in their favor. France and forces affiliated to it are opposed to holding these elections, or would like to postpone them to a circumstance that suits them, but they do not make public statements on that, but rather they diplomatically say that the decision is of the Algerian people with regards to the affairs of their country!
2- The system of government is trying to push candidates from its followers for presidential elections after changing their color “former prime ministers Ali Benflis and Abdelmajid Tebboun announced on Thursday their candidacy in the December 12 presidential elections” (Reuters 28/9/2019). These and their likes are reliable faces of the system of government, and some of them now play the role of opposition. Ali Benflis, head of National Liberation Front partypresents himself as an opposition party and calls for change. Its leader, Benflis, was a head of government for Bouteflika between 2000 and 2003, meaning that this system wants to renew the regime with relatively new faces, suggesting that the people of Algeria go along with the deception and the movement (Hirak) ends!
3- Nevertheless, it is apparent that the broader sectors of the spontaneous popular movement rejecting elections under the same regime are much stronger than the pro-regime or the so-called opposition parties that can support the elections, and this makes the country heading towards one of the two possibilities:
– Either the current regime will be forced to postpone the elections at the last minute as happened on the date of the elections of 18/4/2019, and was postponed.
– Or there will be a largely incomplete elections, so that the popular movement will continue as if the elections did not take place even if some forces were to dissociate from the popular movement, but then the conditions will be ripe for acts of violence by the Authority to put an end to the movement after it says that a legitimate president has been elected and that his decisions must be adhered to! Thus, things continue to be in turmoil between give and take!!
4- Thus, the current movement will not bring a real change or an effective revival because this movement, although spontaneously arise, but the interventions of Britain and France in it and the cliques and followers make the movement lose its effectiveness especially after revealing the alignment of the leadership of the army with the regime, rather, it is an inherent part of it; it gives orders and prohibitions. This means that change can only be achieved in Algeria by shifting the army’s loyalty to the Islam of this authentic people. This is possible and achievable after the removal of the top generals, the agents of Britain and the West, and enabling the sincere group of officers to take control of matters within the army, and then supporting the real change that the Ummah aspires to on the basis of Islam. This does not mean that the military holds the government, but to be the people of its support with the Truth, so the real leadership that the Ummah awaits comes to bring about comprehensive change, by resuming the Islamic way of life and establishing the true Khilafah Rashidah (righteous Caliphate) that revives the Ummah and brings to life crops and udder, and we return by it as Allah wants us to be كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ… “You were the best nations ever to be raised for mankind: you enjoin what is right (ma’roof), forbid what is wrong (munkar), and believe in Allah.” [Al-i-Imran: 110]…
وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ * نَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنْصُرُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ
“And that day the believers will rejoice; In the victory of Allah. He gives victory to whom He wills, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.” [Ar-Rum: 4-5].
4th Safar 1441 AH
03/10/2019 CE
4th Safar 1441 AH
03/10/2019 CE