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Arab Spring Is Now Targeting Algeria

Algeria’s Islamists, in the political wilderness since their last attempt to win power dissolved into civil war, are now trying again, galvanized by the success of their brethren elsewhere in north Africa in the wake of the Arab Spring.

Published

15 years ago

December 8, 2011

Geoffrey Grider

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(Reuters) – Algeria’s Islamists, in the political wilderness since their last attempt to win power dissolved into civil war, are now trying again, galvanized by the success of their brethren elsewhere in north Africa in the wake of the “Arab Spring”.

Riot policemen clash with university students from marching during a demonstration in which they demand political change in Algiers May 2, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Most Islamists in Algeria have been excluded from political life since the conflict, but in the past few months they have shown renewed signs of activity, much of it conducted from exile to dodge the attentions of the Algerian state.

They have set up a satellite television station based in Europe, sent delegations to Arab countries that saw revolutions this year, and made tentative forays into anti-government protests.

Their chances of success are slim: they are divided into rival ideological camps, hemmed in by the powerful Algerian security apparatus, and, most importantly, discredited in the eyes of many people by a conflict in which they took part and which killed an estimated 200,000 people.

But they see an opportunity in the upheavals of the “Arab Spring,” which have this year unseated entrenched secularist leaders. In neighboring Tunisia, a previously outlawed Islamist movement has come to power, while in Egypt Islamists have taken a strong early lead in multi-stage parliamentary elections.

“Tunisia was an example and launcher of this (Arab Spring) revolution,” said Abdullah Anas, a London-based member of the leadership council of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), which is banned in Algeria.

“It could be a very good example for Algeria.”

LEGACY OF VIOLENCE

Any Islamist revival in Algeria, an OPEC member and supplier of about a fifth of Europe’s imported gas, would have first to shed the burden of the country’s bloody history.

Twenty years ago, FIS was poised to win a legislative election, called after street protests forced the authorities to loosen their grip on power. FIS said it would impose an Islamic state.

The military-backed government stepped in to annul the election. The Islamists took up arms and Algeria slipped into a conflict of horrific violence. Civilians had their throats slit in the street; in the mornings, people woke up to find their towns littered with bodies.

A rump of Islamists, now operating under the banner of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, is still fighting. They periodically ambush security forces in the countryside, kidnap Westerners and stage suicide bombings.

But the violence has subsided considerably. A huge security crackdown has rounded up thousands of insurgents. Others have laid down their arms and been granted an amnesty, in exchange for an undertaking to stay out of politics.

This legacy is the biggest obstacle to any comeback by Algeria’s Islamists.

“Since then (the conflict), the Islamist was no longer seen as a hero who stands up against tyranny,” said Soheib Bencheikh, a theologian who used to be the chief cleric at the mosque in Marseilles, France, where there is a large Algerian community.

“On the contrary, he became, in the eyes of public opinion, accountable for the pain and suffering of the people,” Bencheikh told Reuters.

A fear of a return to violence helps explain why Algeria has this year remained relatively calm while neighboring countries have been convulsed by unrest.

TV STATION

But the Islamists still believe that Algeria is ripe for change, and are beginning to take practical steps.

Starting in November, a group of exiled Islamists with links to FIS set up a Europe-based television station, called Rachad TV. Carried by the Atlantic Bird 7 and Nilesat satellites , the station can be picked up in Algeria, where most homes have a dish.

It broadcasts political and social programs where opposition leaders and activists — most of them harshly critical of the government — are invited to comment on Algeria.

At the top of the station’s homepage on the Internet, there is a link to show viewers “how to free your country”, and a second link to help them “organize and participate in unrest.”

The exiles say they are also building contacts with other countries where “Arab Spring” revolts have propelled Islamists into a position of power.

Rachad says on its website that it sent a delegation to Libya in late September to meet officials in the new government, in which Islamists have a prominent role.

Abdullah Anas, the exiled Islamist in London, said there had also been contacts with Rachid Ghannouchi, the head of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party. Since an election in October his party leads Tunisia’s coalition government.

Tunisia’s experience had proved that it is possible to open up the political space in north Africa, said Anas.

“Everyone in Algeria must understand that Algeria has room for all … no matter what opinions you have,” he said, calling for a lifting of political curbs and the possibility of power-sharing between previously antagonistic groups.

SALAFISTS STIRRING

Inside Algeria, the most influential Islamist force are the Salafists, followers of an ultra-purist interpretation of Islam. Unlike the FIS, they are tolerated by the Algerian state because their creed forbids participation in politics.

When Algeria was shaken at the beginning of this year by protests sparked by a spike in food prices, the spiritual leader of the Algerian Salafists, Abdelmalek Ramdani, who lives in Saudi Arabia, issued a religious decree.

It said: “As long as the commander of the nation is a Muslim, you must obey and listen to him. Those who are against him are just seeking to replace him, and this is not licit.”

Nevertheless, there are stirrings of political activity by some Salafist preachers.

Sheikh Abdelfateh Zeraoui, a former FIS member and now a well-known Salafist preacher in the Algerian capital, issued a declaration in October saying the government had to enact urgent reforms.

“Political reforms allowing us to have free political activity are key to the stability of the country. Without reforms the country may explode,” the declaration stated.

The preacher has also tried to organize protest marches in the capital, but these have been blocked by the security forces. “We have been barred from politics,” he told Reuters.

The fact that Algerian Islamists are divided dilutes their ability to stage a comeback, said Mohamed Mouloudi, an editor and specialist on Islam.

“They are no longer speaking with one voice,” Mouloudi told Reuters.

“You have the Salafists, the Muslim brotherhood, and the Djaz’airists,(who give priority to Algerian religious traditions) among others,” he said. “You have those who are for a political action, and those who consider political action as illicit.”

SUCCESSION DEBATE

Even so, a debate is now under way in earnest within the Algerian ruling elite, for the first time since the conflict began 20 years ago, about giving Islamists a role in politics.

The focus for that debate — which, like much of Algerian politics, is conducted behind closed doors — is the question of who will succeed President Abdelaziz Bouteflika when his final term ends in 2014.

One camp within the elite is backing Abdelaziz Belkhadem, a former prime minister and secretary general of the ruling FLN party. He is a secularist but is trusted by the Islamists. Opposing him is a camp of hardline secularists who have backing from the powerful security forces.

Friction spilled out into the open when a group of Belkhadem opponents inside the FLN launched a campaign to have him removed from the party leadership.

“It will be wise to promote a man like Abdelaziz Belkhadem who has good ties with Islamists as well as with decision makers inside the regime,” said Mohamed Lagab, a secularist academic at Algiers university.

“Decision makers should take into account that North Africa will be ruled by Islamists ,” said Lagab. source – Reuters

Related Topics:Algeria arab Islamists spring

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Headline News

Thanks To Your Prayers And Support, Good Child Missions In Uganda Now Has A Cow That Will Help Feed Hungry Children And Strengthen Their Ministry

Published

7 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Operation Africa! Raises The Funds Necessary To Purchase A Cow For Good Child Missions In Uganda To Help Feed And Bless Needy Children God places in their care

The photo you see at the top of this article is Irad, with an enormous smile on his face, standing with the cow we helped him to purchase for Good Child Missions. Actualy, two cows because she’s pregnant, a double blessing! The cows are an intergal part of the self-sustaining farm Irad is constructing to provide a steady stream of food for the children God places in his care. NTEB has been a strong financial partner with Good Child Missions from their inception, and Lord willing, will remain so through our newly launched Operation Africa! now also operating in Kenya.

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.“ James 1:27 (KJB)

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When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

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Donald Trump

Donald Trump’s Iran ‘Victory Lap’ Ends With Him Ironically Ditching The New Muslim-Provided Air Force One From Qatar And Returning Home On The Old One

Published

1 day ago

July 8, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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President Donald Trump’s Middle East Theater Meets Reality As Iran Threats Send Him Back To The Old Air Force One For The Flight Home

Trump is selling strength, victory, dominance, and deterrence over Iran, yet the image coming out of this trip is not victory-lap confidence but nervous calculation. He says Iran has been beaten, decimated, obliterated, and put back in its box, but when the moment comes to fly through a dangerous threat environment, the Qatari-gifted luxury jet suddenly stays behind and the old, battle-tested Air Force One gets the call. That is political irony at 40,000 feet. The boast is “Iran is defeated,” but his actions say, “not defeated enough for me to trust this plane.” Reports say the switch raised questions precisely because Trump was also talking about Iranian threats and being at the top of their “kill list.”

“Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Proverbs 27:1 (KJB)

Trump bragged about the lavish $400 million plane gifted by Qatar, took his first flight on it, and praised it like a symbol of prestige and power. But Qatar is a Muslim Gulf state with its own entanglements, relationships, and strategic calculations in the region, and the moment Iran re-enters the picture, that glittering “gift” starts looking less like strength and more like vulnerability. The old Air Force One may be aging, but it represents hardened American continuity; the Qatari jet represents spectacle, luxury, controversy, and foreign influence. One is built for the presidency in crisis. The other looks tailor-made for Trump’s brand.

WE HAVE A GREAT SELECTION OF CHRISTIAN AND PATRIOT COMICS, CLICK TO VIEW AND ORDER!!

Trump’s foreign policy is forever trapped between theater and reality. In the theater, Iran is crushed, America is feared, enemies are trembling, and Trump is the great wartime commander. In reality, Iran is still threatening, the Middle East is still burning, the ceasefire is being declared finished, and the president is making aircraft decisions that appear to reflect a genuine fear of exposure. He can call Tehran names, promise to hit them “hard,” and claim victory all day long, but if Iran is still shaping how the president travels, then Iran has not been removed from the chessboard.

Walking slow like a defeated man, President Trump gets back into the old Air Force One because he’s too afraid of Iranian missile attacks to fly in the jet that his Muslim friends in Qatar just gave him. Sad state of affairs. pic.twitter.com/DmXua9QzJF

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) July 8, 2026

So the old Air Force One becomes the perfect symbol of the moment. Trump wanted the new plane to say, “Look how powerful I am.” Instead, the switch back to the old one says, “Look how dangerous this has become.” He boasted about beating Iran, then appeared unwilling to put that boast to the test in the Muslim-provided luxury jet from Qatar. That is not just irony — that is the whole Trump Middle East doctrine in one image: loud claims of victory, foreign gifts wrapped in controversy, threats still coming from Iran, and America once again flying through the consequences of unfinished wars.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

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“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

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Donald Trump

THE PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST: As Trump Resumes Bombing Of Iran, Emmanuel Macron Takes Center Stage In Stunning Visit To Syria With Ahmed al-Sharaa

Published

1 day ago

July 8, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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The Middle East is undergoing a paradigm shift realingment now with Emmanuel Macron center stage in Syria and Donald Trump restarting the bombing of Iran

The Middle East is shaking on every side right now, and the headlines are lining up like pieces on a prophetic chessboard. Trump is in Turkey, strengthening ties with Erdoğan and signaling that he may reverse the F-35 ban and lift sanctions tied to Turkey’s Russian S-400 purchase — even as Israel has reportedly warned that arming Turkey with F-35s could destabilize the regional balance of power. At the very same time, the U.S. has restarted strikes against Iranian targets after renewed attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, with CENTCOM calling Iran’s actions a violation of the ceasefire. Hey, Christian, if you’ve been waiting for the end times to start, you’re already late to the party.

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:7,8 (KJB)

On this episode of the Prophecy News Podcast, then comes Macron, the man we are watching closely as the possible, and probable, biblical man of sin, walking into Damascus like he owns the place to meet Syria’s new president Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. During that visit, two IEDs exploded near the Four Seasons Hotel where Macron was staying, wounding at least 18 people, while Macron continued his meeting with al-Sharaa at the presidential palace. That is an astonishing visual. Western diplomacy blessing a rebranded jihadist regime, bombs rocking Damascus, Iran burning again, Turkey being courted, and Israel surrounded by shifting alliances. This is Middle East Turmoil in every sense of the phrase – war, diplomacy, betrayal, reinvention, and prophetic foreshadowing all colliding at once. The world calls it stabilization, reconstruction, NATO strategy, and regional diplomacy. Now, the world may be confused watching all of this unfold, but the student of prophecy knows what’s going on. The nations are moving, the alliances are shifting, Damascus is shaking, Iran is raging, Turkey is rising, and Europe is inserting itself into the heart of the Middle East. Welcome to Day 2,307 of 15 Days to Flatten The Curve, and Day 130 of World War Trump in Iran. It’s a great day for an end times Podcast, so let’s get after it…TO THE FIGHT!!!

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