Movement of Society for Peace
Encyclopedia
The Movement for the Society of Peace (Arabic
: Harakat mujtama' as-silm حركة مجتمع السلم, formerly called Hamas حماس, French
: Mouvement de la société pour la paix) is an Islamist party in Algeria
, led until his 2003 death by Mahfoud Nahnah
. Its current leader is Bouguerra Soltani
. It is aligned with the international Muslim Brotherhood
. It is currently (as of 2004) part of a ruling coalition with the FLN
and RND
, and holds posts in the parliament and government of Algeria.
reached Algeria
during the later years of the French
colonial presence in the country (1830-1962). Sheikh Ahmad Sahnoun led the organization in Algeria between 1953 and 1954 during the French colonialism
. Brotherhood members and sympathizers took part in the uprising against France in 1954-1962, but the movement was marginalized during the largely secular FLN
one-party rule which was installed at independence in 1962.
Islamist forces however remained active in religious education, mosque
s and religious associations, including sympathizers of the Muslim Brotherhood. Brotherhood activists generally refrained from confronting the regime, which did not tolerate independent opposition
, but sometimes protested the government and generally argued for a greater role for Islam in the country's politics
.
Islamists also called for increased Arabization
of education and the state bureaucracy, and gained a foothold through heavy state backing for the early Arabization programs under Presidents
Ahmed Ben Bella
and Houari Boumédiène
. The reformist-Islamist ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, in particular, was strengthened through the recruitment of Arabic language
teachers from other Arab countries, particularly Egypt
, which is the Brotherhood's main stronghold.
was introduced in Algeria in the early 1990s, the Muslim Brotherhood formed the Movement for the Society of Peace (MSP), led by Mahfoud Nahnah
until his death in 2003 (he was succeeded by present party leader Boudjerra Soltani). The party was initially known as the Movement for the Islamic Society, and abbreviated in Arabic as Hamas, but following legal bans on religiously founded parties, the name was changed. (The abbreviation Hamas still remains in use.)
A dissident wing of Brotherhood-inspired Islamists led by Abdallah Djaballah
formed their own party, El Nahda
, which later split to create El Islah
, advocating a more hardline stand towards the government. (Neither is supported by the Muslim Brotherhood's international organization, which recognizes MSP/Hamas as its Algerian wing.) The Muslim Brotherhood in Algeria did not join the Front islamique du salut (FIS), which emerged as the leading Islamist group in the 1990 local and 1991 parliamentary elections, although the rapidly growing FIS did attract some of its supporters.
In 1992, a military coup d'état
cancelled elections which the FIS was on the verge of winning, and banned the organization. The Brotherhood condemned the coup, but refused to join the resulting violent uprising by FIS sympathizers and the Armed Islamic Groups (GIA) against the Algerian state and military. Instead, the group urged a peaceful resolution to the conflict and cooperation with the state, which for a time caused some strains with the international Muslim Brotherhood, where many sympathized with the Islamist insurgency.
The MSP/Hamas thus remained a legal political organization, and ran in all elections organized by the state while the ex-FIS and other rebel forces urged a boycott. In retaliation for the party's pro-government stance, several members were assassinated by extremist militants during the war. Since 1997, the party has been supportive of the presidencies of Liamine Zeroual
and Abdelaziz Bouteflika
, and has participated in government.
In parliament and government, the party has tried strengthen conservative and Islamic trends in state and society, eg. in opposing secularizing changes in the Algerian Famiy Code. It has argued in favor of amnesty
and reconciliation efforts
towards former Islamist guerrillas, while simultaneously condemning violence and supporting the state in its confrontation with radical groups still fighting, such as al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (formerly GSPC
).
that ensued. The party remained committed to the political process
, arguing in favor of peaceful reconciliation, an amnesty for Islamist fighters and a return to democracy
, while criticizing both sides of the conflict. In 1995, Sheikh Nahnah participated in the presidential elections as main contender against the military-backed winning candidate, Liamine Zeroual
. He finished second with 25.38% of the popular vote.
In the 1997 parliamentary elections, the party gained 14.8% of the vote, finishing as the second-largest party in parliament.http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/algeria/algeria1997.txt, and subsequently joining the pro-Zeroual governing coalition under leadership of the RND.
from 1999, Abdelaziz Bouteflika
. In the first parliamentary elections under Bouteflika, the MSP received 7% of the vote in the 2002 elections
, gaining 38 members in the parliament. In the 2004 presidential elections
, the party endorsed and were part of a coalition supporting the reelection of Bouteflika, and it has remained committed to the three-party "presidential coalition" (together with the secular FLN
and the RND parties). As part of the presidential coalition, the party has argued for conservative values and the Islamization of society, as well as supported Bouteflika's projects to grant amnesty to former Islamist militants.
In the 2007 parliamentary elections
, the MSP again ran as a member of the presidential bloc, earning 9.64% of the popular vote and becoming the third-largest party of the parliament, with 52 members. The party further supported constitutional changes in 2008, designed to allow President Bouteflika to run for a third term. Rather than launching its own candidate, it campaigned in favor of Bouteflika's candidacy in the 2009 presidential elections
.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
: Harakat mujtama' as-silm حركة مجتمع السلم, formerly called Hamas حماس, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Mouvement de la société pour la paix) is an Islamist party in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, led until his 2003 death by Mahfoud Nahnah
Mahfoud Nahnah
Mahfoud Nahnah was the leader of the Islamist political party Movement of Society for Peace in Algeria....
. Its current leader is Bouguerra Soltani
Bouguerra Soltani
Bouguerra Soltani is the leader of the Algerian party Mouvement de la Societé pour la Paix , which is reformist-Islamist and considered close to the doctrine of the Muslim Brotherhood.-References:...
. It is aligned with the international Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
. It is currently (as of 2004) part of a ruling coalition with the FLN
National Liberation Front (Algeria)
The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
and RND
National Rally for Democracy
The National Rally for Democracy is a political party in Algeria. It is led by Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia.The RND was founded on February 21, 1997. The party held its Second Congress on May 15–17, 2003....
, and holds posts in the parliament and government of Algeria.
Roots in the Muslim Brotherhood
The Muslim BrotherhoodMuslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
reached Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
during the later years of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
colonial presence in the country (1830-1962). Sheikh Ahmad Sahnoun led the organization in Algeria between 1953 and 1954 during the French colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
. Brotherhood members and sympathizers took part in the uprising against France in 1954-1962, but the movement was marginalized during the largely secular FLN
National Liberation Front (Algeria)
The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
one-party rule which was installed at independence in 1962.
Islamist forces however remained active in religious education, mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s and religious associations, including sympathizers of the Muslim Brotherhood. Brotherhood activists generally refrained from confronting the regime, which did not tolerate independent opposition
Opposition (politics)
In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government , party or group in political control of a city, region, state or country...
, but sometimes protested the government and generally argued for a greater role for Islam in the country's politics
Islam in Algeria
Islam, the religion of almost all of the Algerian people, pervades most aspects of life. The vast majority of citizens are Sunni Muslims. Islam provides the society with its central social and cultural identity and gives most individuals their basic ethical and attitudinal orientation. Orthodox...
.
Islamists also called for increased Arabization
Arabization
Arabization or Arabisation describes a growing cultural influence on a non-Arab area that gradually changes into one that speaks Arabic and/or incorporates Arab culture...
of education and the state bureaucracy, and gained a foothold through heavy state backing for the early Arabization programs under Presidents
President of Algeria
The President of Algeria is the head of state and chief executive of Algeria, as well as the Commander-in-Chief of the Algerian armed forces.-History of the office:...
Ahmed Ben Bella
Ahmed Ben Bella
Mohamed Ahmed Ben Bella was a soldier and Algerian revolutionary, who became the first President of Algeria.-Youth:...
and Houari Boumédiène
Houari Boumediene
Houari Boumedienne served as Algeria's Chairman of the Revolutionary Council from 19 June 1965 until 12 December 1976, and from then on as the fourth President of Algeria to his death on 27 December 1978.- Background :Mohamed Ben Brahim Boukharouba was born near Héliopolis in the province of...
. The reformist-Islamist ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, in particular, was strengthened through the recruitment of Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
teachers from other Arab countries, particularly Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, which is the Brotherhood's main stronghold.
History of the party
When a multi-party systemMulti-party system
A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...
was introduced in Algeria in the early 1990s, the Muslim Brotherhood formed the Movement for the Society of Peace (MSP), led by Mahfoud Nahnah
Mahfoud Nahnah
Mahfoud Nahnah was the leader of the Islamist political party Movement of Society for Peace in Algeria....
until his death in 2003 (he was succeeded by present party leader Boudjerra Soltani). The party was initially known as the Movement for the Islamic Society, and abbreviated in Arabic as Hamas, but following legal bans on religiously founded parties, the name was changed. (The abbreviation Hamas still remains in use.)
A dissident wing of Brotherhood-inspired Islamists led by Abdallah Djaballah
Abdallah Djaballah
Saad Abdallah Djaballah is an Algerian politician and leader of the Movement for National Reform , an Islamist political party that he led in a breakout from the Islamic Renaissance Party , which he had created but lost control over. Djaballah stood for the presidency twice, in 1999 and 2004...
formed their own party, El Nahda
Islamic Renaissance Movement
The Islamic Renaissance Movement is a moderate Islamist political party of Algeria.In the 2002 elections it received 0.6 percent of the vote and has one member of parliament. In the 17 May 2007 People's National Assembly elections, the party won 3.39% of the vote and 5 out of 389 seats....
, which later split to create El Islah
Movement for National Reform
The Movement for National Reform is a moderate Islamist political party in Algeria. It received 9.5% of the vote in the 2002 elections and received 43 members of parliament....
, advocating a more hardline stand towards the government. (Neither is supported by the Muslim Brotherhood's international organization, which recognizes MSP/Hamas as its Algerian wing.) The Muslim Brotherhood in Algeria did not join the Front islamique du salut (FIS), which emerged as the leading Islamist group in the 1990 local and 1991 parliamentary elections, although the rapidly growing FIS did attract some of its supporters.
In 1992, a military coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
cancelled elections which the FIS was on the verge of winning, and banned the organization. The Brotherhood condemned the coup, but refused to join the resulting violent uprising by FIS sympathizers and the Armed Islamic Groups (GIA) against the Algerian state and military. Instead, the group urged a peaceful resolution to the conflict and cooperation with the state, which for a time caused some strains with the international Muslim Brotherhood, where many sympathized with the Islamist insurgency.
The MSP/Hamas thus remained a legal political organization, and ran in all elections organized by the state while the ex-FIS and other rebel forces urged a boycott. In retaliation for the party's pro-government stance, several members were assassinated by extremist militants during the war. Since 1997, the party has been supportive of the presidencies of Liamine Zeroual
Liamine Zéroual
Liamine Zéroual was the ninth President of Algeria from 31 January 1994 to 27 April 1999.He was born in Batna and joined the National Liberation Army in 1957, at the age of 16, to fight French rule of Algeria. After independence, he received training in Cairo, Moscow, and Paris...
and Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Abdelaziz Bouteflika is the ninth President of Algeria. He has been in office since 1999. He continued emergency rule until 24 February 2011, and presided over the end of the bloody Algerian Civil War in 2002...
, and has participated in government.
In parliament and government, the party has tried strengthen conservative and Islamic trends in state and society, eg. in opposing secularizing changes in the Algerian Famiy Code. It has argued in favor of amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
and reconciliation efforts
Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation
The Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation was a charter proposed by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in an attempt to bring closure to the Algerian Civil War by offering an amnesty for most violence committed in it...
towards former Islamist guerrillas, while simultaneously condemning violence and supporting the state in its confrontation with radical groups still fighting, such as al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (formerly GSPC
GSPC
The acronym GSPC may stand for:* Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat* Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation* Glasgow Solicitors Property Centre* Global Strategy for Plant Conservation* a symbol for the S&P 500...
).
Electoral participation
In the first round of the 1991 parliamentary elections (Algeria's first multi-party elections) the MSP/Hamas gained 5,3% of the popular vote, becoming the fourth-largest party in parliament. The movement was significantly weaker than the non-Brotherhood FIS, which became the largest party with 47%. The second round of elections were cancelled by a military coup in January 1992, and the FIS was banned.During the civil war
The MSP/Hamas protested the coup, but also clearly condemned the Islamist insurgencyAlgerian Civil War
The Algerian Civil War was an armed conflict between the Algerian government and various Islamist rebel groups which began in 1991. It is estimated to have cost between 150,000 and 200,000 lives, in a population of about 25,010,000 in 1990 and 31,193,917 in 2000.More than 70 journalists were...
that ensued. The party remained committed to the political process
Elections in Algeria
Algeria elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a five year term by the people. People's National Assembly has 380 members, elected for a five year term in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation...
, arguing in favor of peaceful reconciliation, an amnesty for Islamist fighters and a return to democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, while criticizing both sides of the conflict. In 1995, Sheikh Nahnah participated in the presidential elections as main contender against the military-backed winning candidate, Liamine Zeroual
Liamine Zéroual
Liamine Zéroual was the ninth President of Algeria from 31 January 1994 to 27 April 1999.He was born in Batna and joined the National Liberation Army in 1957, at the age of 16, to fight French rule of Algeria. After independence, he received training in Cairo, Moscow, and Paris...
. He finished second with 25.38% of the popular vote.
In the 1997 parliamentary elections, the party gained 14.8% of the vote, finishing as the second-largest party in parliament.http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/algeria/algeria1997.txt, and subsequently joining the pro-Zeroual governing coalition under leadership of the RND.
Presidential alliance under Bouteflika
The party would later support Zeroual's successor as presidentPresident of Algeria
The President of Algeria is the head of state and chief executive of Algeria, as well as the Commander-in-Chief of the Algerian armed forces.-History of the office:...
from 1999, Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Abdelaziz Bouteflika is the ninth President of Algeria. He has been in office since 1999. He continued emergency rule until 24 February 2011, and presided over the end of the bloody Algerian Civil War in 2002...
. In the first parliamentary elections under Bouteflika, the MSP received 7% of the vote in the 2002 elections
Algerian legislative election, 2002
The 2002 Algerian Legislative election was held in Algeria on 30 May 2002 to elect members of the People's National Assembly. The governing National Liberation Front won a majority of seats in the election...
, gaining 38 members in the parliament. In the 2004 presidential elections
Algerian presidential election, 2004
Presidential elections were held in Algeria on April 8, 2004. The incumbent president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, was re-elected with 85.0 percent of the vote.-Candidates:*Ali Benflis: candidate of the Front for National Liberation...
, the party endorsed and were part of a coalition supporting the reelection of Bouteflika, and it has remained committed to the three-party "presidential coalition" (together with the secular FLN
National Liberation Front (Algeria)
The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
and the RND parties). As part of the presidential coalition, the party has argued for conservative values and the Islamization of society, as well as supported Bouteflika's projects to grant amnesty to former Islamist militants.
In the 2007 parliamentary elections
Algerian legislative election, 2007
Legislative elections were held in Algeria on 17 May 2007. 24 political parties and around 100 independent lists with a total of more than 12,000 candidates competed for the 389 seats in the National People's Assembly. While most Algerians voted on May 17th, immigrants from Algeria to other...
, the MSP again ran as a member of the presidential bloc, earning 9.64% of the popular vote and becoming the third-largest party of the parliament, with 52 members. The party further supported constitutional changes in 2008, designed to allow President Bouteflika to run for a third term. Rather than launching its own candidate, it campaigned in favor of Bouteflika's candidacy in the 2009 presidential elections
Algerian presidential election, 2009
A presidential election was held in Algeria on 9 April 2009. It was described in a US Embassy in Algiers cable as "carefully choreographed and heavily controlled", with the official turnout figure "exaggerated".- Removal of term limit :...
.
External links
- Movement for the Society of Peace - Official website in Arabic