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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

14 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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Donald Trump

PEACE IN OUR TIME? President Trump’s Revolving Deadlines Expose A Department Of War That Is Much More Like Chamberlain Than It Is Like Churchhill

Published

17 hours ago

April 23, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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The Big Difference Between WWII And Today Is Simple, America Once Demanded Surrender, But Trump And The Department Of War Now Specialize In Empty Deadlines

What made America strong in World War II was not endless messaging, phony leverage, or recycled ultimatums. It was simple: the enemy was told to surrender unconditionally, and that was the end of the discussion. When Himmler came sniffing around for a negotiated exit, he was rejected. No games. No moving deadlines. No “last chance” followed by another last chance. No pretending that evil men could be talked into behaving honorably after drowning the world in blood. Negotatiate with terrorists? Not with the “greatest generation”. But that was then and this is now, and no one in Washington seems to have the foggiest notion of what to do next.

“But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” Matthew 5:37 (KJB)

By contrast, what people are seeing from President Trump and the Department of War in the current Iran crisis looks, to many critics, like a theater of shifting ultimatums: self-imposed deadlines, last-minute extensions, threats of overwhelming force, then more time for talks, then fresh threats again. The Council on Foreign Relations described Trump announcing a two-week ceasefire just 88 minutes before his own deadline, and CBS reported this week that he extended that ceasefire after saying he would not move the deadline. That is exactly how “red lines” become punch lines. When a leader repeatedly announces a deadline and then stretches it, the deadline stops being a warning and starts becoming a bargaining ritual. The enemy learns that time itself is a weapon. Every delay becomes leverage. Every extension signals hesitation. Every reversal teaches hostile actors that Washington’s fiercest language may only be the opening act in another round of process.

UK Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain right before the start of WWII flew to Nazi Germany, for peace talks, and came back waving a piece of paper signed by Adolf Hitler, and he proclaimed he have achieved “peace in our time”. Shortly after that, WWII began, with Hitler mocking Chamberlain for his naive weakness, literally laughing at him. By contrast, when his replacement Winston Churchhill was given the opportunity to negotiate “peace talks” with Hitler, Churchill refused and said they would fight to the last man and die before that happened. Winston Churchill knew that “peace talks” are for losers who cannot win militarily. President Trump and Pete Hegseth over at the Department of War talk like Churchill, but they act like Chamberlain. What’s that you say, ‘peace in our time’? That’ll never happen if the Bible is right. But who believes the prophets and the Bible anymore? We do.

WE LIVE IN A DISTRESSED AND STRESS-FILLED WORLD, THIS BOOK WILL GIVE YOU COUNSEL FROM GOD’S WORD, CLICK TO ORDER!!

Trump Extends Iran War Ceasefire In Operation Epic Fury

FROM THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Trump announced an extension to the U.S.-Iran truce yesterday to allow Iranian leaders to reach a “unified proposal” in talks. The eleventh-hour move came as the truce was in its final stretch and marked an abrupt shift for the president, who earlier yesterday had reiterated opposition to an extension. While it staves off resuming large-scale hostilities in Iran and the Persian Gulf, both Washington and Tehran are maintaining their restrictions on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz while condemning each other’s actions. The United States boarded a tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean yesterday, while Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said today that Iranian forces seized two ships in the strait.Meanwhile, attacks in Lebanon and northern Israel tested the ceasefire there.

U.S.-Iran diplomacy. Trump’s truce extension came after fears of a return to fighting rippled through oil markets, sending the price of Brent crude temporarily back up to around $100 per barrel. Unnamed U.S. officials told multiple news outlets that the extension reflected divisions in opinion among Iran’s leadership as well as trouble communicating with injured Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. An advisor to one member of Iran’s negotiating team called the extension meaningless, though the team did not immediately give a unified response. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Trump for the extension, writing it would “allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to take their course.” READ MORE

Neville Chamberlain returns from Germany with the Munich Agreement

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Free Bible Program

The Coyote Ridge Corrections Center In Washington State And The Warren Correctional Institution In North Carolina Are In Need Of King James Bibles

Published

1 day ago

April 22, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Behind Prison Walls At Coyote Ridge And Warren Correctional Institution, Inmates Need The Hope, Comfort, And Salvation Found In A King James Bible

The King James Bible has a power and a majesty to it that speaks with authority. It does not flatter the sinner, but it does point him to the Saviour. For the inmate who feels forgotten, the Bible tells him that God sees. For the prisoner crushed by guilt, the Bible tells him that the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away sin. For the man or woman inmate who thinks their life is over, the Bible tells them that new life can and will begin in Jesus Christ, even in the darkness of a prison cell, if they would only believe. This is what Bibles Behind Bars does every day of the week, this is why we exist.

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” Psalm 119:9 (KJB)

A personal Bible matters because it becomes more than a book. It becomes a lifeline, the inmate can underline verses in it. They can write prayers in the margins, mark the date when God spoke peace to their heart. He or she can go back again and again to the passages that carried them through despair. That Bible becomes a quiet companion in a place filled with sorrow. It becomes the one possession that reminds them they are not beyond the reach of the grace of God. This is why sending King James Bibles into places like Coyote Ridge Corrections Center and Warren Correctional Institution matters so much. We’re not merely mailing paper and ink, we are placing eternal truth into the hands of souls who need it desperately. Your gift is giving light to men and women who are walking in dark places. You are giving truth to those who have believed lies. You are giving comfort to the broken, warning to the hardened, and hope to the repentant. Prayerfully consider giving today to help provide King James Bibles for the inmates at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center and Warren Correctional Institution. Your gift will place the scriptures into the hands of a prisoner who may be reading the words of life for the very first time. Come help us, we need you!

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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)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Headline News

THE PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST: Washington Teases UFO’s, Hollywood Hypes ‘Disclosure Day’, And Book Of Enoch Trending To Prepare The World For The ‘Big Lie’

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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The Book Of Enoch, Missing Scientists And Trump’s Alien File Tease Converge With Hollywood’s ‘Disclosure Day’ Push To Set The Stage For Deception

Right now, there are a handful of things happening at the same time that, in and of themselves, aren’t overly spectacular, but when taken as a whole hit all the buttons. Look on social media, especially on places like X and Instragram, and you will see a lot of posts about the extra-biblical book of Enoch. Then we have President Trump threatening, or teasing, to reveal what the federal government knows about UFOs. Finally, in just a few weeks, Steven Speilberg’s much-anticipated movie ‘Disclosure Day’ is opening on June 12th. There seems to be a coordininated effort between social media, the White House and Hollywood to get us ready for something. But for what? That’s the question before us today.

“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:11,12 (KJB)

On this episode of the Prophecy News Podcast, What we are watching right now is not random. Anna Paulina Luna is pushing renewed interest in the Book of Enoch, the Trump administration is teasing that alien secrets may soon be revealed, and Hollywood is rolling out Spielberg’s June 12, 2026 release Disclosure Day just as public fascination with UFO disclosure is surging. Now add in the fresh federal probe into the deaths and disappearances of 10 to 11 scientists and staff tied to sensitive nuclear and space-related work, and the atmosphere gets even darker. The danger is not just government files or UFO chatter by itself, it is the framework being built around it. The Book of Enoch is not a Bible book, yet it is increasingly treated as though it contains hidden keys to fallen beings, ancient corruption, and modern “non-human intelligence.” That is how deception works. Once people stop trusting Scripture alone, they become vulnerable to forbidden knowledge, secret revelations, and counterfeit spiritual explanations dressed up as discovery. And when mysterious missing scientists, rumored classified programs, and talk of disclosure all get folded into the same story, the public becomes even easier to condition. Washington provides the platform, Enoch provides the spiritual counterfeit, Hollywood provides the emotional packaging, and the missing scientists story provides the atmosphere of urgency and menace. Together they prepare the public to receive a supernatural explanation that bypasses biblical truth and feeds end-times delusion. We don’t need secret files, extra-biblical texts, or cinematic propaganda to understand the times. We already have a more sure word of prophecy, and we’ll give it all to you today.

GET THE TRUTH ABOUT ALIENS AND UFOS IN THE CONTEXT OF A KING JAMES BIBLE STUDY, CLICK TO ORDER!!

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