La dimension religieuse de la guerre d'Algérie (1954-1962). Prémices et conséquences. Préface de Gregor Mathias

Arab-Islamism in the Algerian War

The Algerian War (1954-1962) took on a religious dimension that was clearly neglected or even ignored by historians of all backgrounds who chose to study it in light of an anti-colonialist or anti-communist vision.

And yet, on November 1, 1954, the National Liberation Front (FLN) opened hostilities with a very paradoxical goal: "The restoration of the sovereign, democratic and social Algerian State within the framework of Islamic principles".

On August 20, 1956, the Soummam Congress confirmed these fundamental contradictions between the authoritarian unanimism of Islam and the fundamental individualism of liberal democracy.

In fact, the FLN had, throughout this conflict, a double discourse:

One that uses the weapon of religion, the only unifying link between Algerian Muslims, to draw them into a true holy war against the "infidel" occupier;

Another, more polished, willingly socialistic, intended for socialist countries and left-wing intellectuals who all seem to have been completely fooled by it.

Roger Vétillard analyzes the identities and respective strategies of the main actors who succeeded in both imposing and hiding their Islamic and pan-Arab vision of the future Algerian Algeria – and this by marginalizing or eliminating all those who were hostile to it.

190 pages, 58 illustrations

Official release in bookstores (in France) on September 10, 2018.

Already available on our website and in bookstores in Germany.

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