|
Sheikh Mahfoudh Nahnah was a veteran who
lived out the Algerian Revolution as a young boy and his
eager youthfulness allowed f him to participate in it,
against the colonization within the national movement. he
lived in the independence period anguished because of
confiscating the principles of the revolution and forcing
the Algerian society to be inserted into the socialist
system, causing , abolishing the right of pluralism and
opposition .He fought for the freedom, and paid the price by
doing time in prison where he had lived for several years.
Then he saw the political pluralism, That allowed the
formation of parties and flowing of visions and bearing
their consequences and their different challenging of ideas
and organizations. He led the public opinion through an
honest political competition at the highest positions of
State as candidate for the Presidency. He presented a system
of treatment the phenomenon of terrorism in particular and
for the overall crisis, he knew how to strike a balance
between personal and partisan interests and the supreme
interest, and he warned of distorting electoral practices
and democratic path.
Sheikh Mahfoudh (Allah mercy him) was a real follower of the
school where he originated from. Then he fought for the
values and ideas of the sincere nationalism, and the true
pure Islam, that came to get people out from darkness to
light through the illuminated ideas, nobility of spirit, and
virtue of ethics.
He was often repeating these words :
"We are like candles, burning to light for others."
" Each one (must) spends (goodness) from which he has ".
"Tell people well."
He was the breeder, father, professor, teacher, leader, and
politician , a well-doer in sublimity and silence declaring
the quiet strength inside him. And each word is derived from
his keeping to read the book of Allah(Qur'an) in that the
crescent did not pass unless he finished reading it many
times not only one .
* Sheikh Mahfouz Nahnah was born on 28th, January 1942 in
the city of Blida, called “City of roses”, 50 km South of
the Algerian capital.
*He grew up in a conservative family, learning his lessons
in the “Islah” (reform) school created by the national
movement. These schools represented a symbol of resistance
and defense of Islamic and Arabic identity of Algeria
against detachment and alienation.
* He participated with his father, in the noble revolution
of liberation as youngster, 16 years old (1958-1962).
*He completed his primary, secondary and university
education in Algeria and then he worked in the field of
Islamic mission for more than 30 years , in facing the
socialist revolutionary tide, and spreading the French
culture versus the Arab culture. he was considered one of
the most powerful opponents of the Marxist and Francophiles
(French style and culture), he also worked on establishing
the principles of Islam in the conscience of people and
reforming their religious issues that were given up. With
the help of the remaining men of Algerian Muslim Oulema
“Scholars” association,
* He was the manager of the Centre for Arabization in the
Central University in Algeries (1971-1975)
* In 1975, he was sentenced to enter the prison for 15 years
, accused of masterminding a coup against the regime at that
time (Houari Boumedienne) as he opposed the imposing of the
Socialist system by force on the Algerian society as a not
consistent option with the constituents of the Algerian
Arabic Muslim people, and he called to expand the political
and economic freedoms and rejected socialism , showing that
socialism and marxism were one thing. He was sentenced to
pass 15 years in prison as well as a group of his brothers
was sentenced with varying years of imprisonment. The prison
was a valuable opportunity for requesting more science on
one hand and the revision of intellectual and political
arguments on the other hand, and many prisoners with
behavioural deviations has turned on his hands to become
good examples.
* Sheikh Mahfoudh Nahnah worked to establish the Islamic
da'awa (mission) Association wishing to find a religious
reference to Algerians, reserving people and country from
any deviation in 1990, after he had founded the Association
Of Ircehd wa Islah “Guidance And Reform” with his mate
Sheikh Mohammed Bouslimani in 1989, whom was assassinated by
the armed group in 1994.
* He set up a political party called " The Islamic Society
Movement " and was elected as its first chairman on 30 May
1991.
*He was a candidate in the presidential election In Algeria
in November 1995 and got 3.2 million votes, to be in the
second rank after President Liamine Zeroual , according to
the announced official results. These elections were
considered to be the first elections participated by
Islamists in the Islamic world.
* He participated in various international conferences and
forums in Europe, America, Asia and Africa on issues of
Islam and the West, human rights and democracy and during
his visits to these countries he met the leaders and senior
officials of these countries in each of France, Spain,
Sweden, United States Of America, Germany, Britain, Italy,
Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, , Qatar, Kuwait,
Morocco, Libya and other countries.
* He participated in the process to the Algerian State from
collapsing, and defended it in the international forums ,
and in order to protect and restore the State's institutions
and preserving them , he presented significant concessions,
and so he was exposed to biting criticisms.
* He defended the democracy, development, tolerance,
coexistence, mutual respect, respect for human rights, the
participation of women in the fields of life, respect for
the rights of minority, the dialogue of civilizations,
broaden the base of governance, the peaceful transfer of
power, respect for personal and basic freedoms, moderation,
bridging the relationship between the governor and the
governed. And Sheikh Mahfoudh Nahnah condemned the violence
and terrorism and all manifestations of extremism in
religion since their beginnings and considered them as
unfamiliar with Islam and Muslims .And he has devoted his
missionary work (Daw'ah) for more than three decades in
defending the correct faith and the values of moderation,
and his movement paid precious tax , most notably the
assassination of more than 500 activists and lovers to the
movement, and on top of them ,Sheikh Mohammed Bouslimani. He
also had clear positions towards socialism and secularism,
regional and Zionism And the question of Palestine and
Afghanistan, and the Arab League and Islamic Conference.
* The movement that was headed by Sheikh Mahfoudh Nahnah
managed to achieve great political gains as it ranked second
in presidential election and it was one of four candidates ,
and it ranked second in the parliamentary elections of total
70 members in 1997 , and ranked third in local elections.
And the movement participated in the government with two
portfolios and then graduated to seven portfolios, and it is
participating now with four portfolios , and it has 38
members in the parliament after laws of 2002, and four
ministries .
*The Sheikh advocated the need to prevail the national
interest above the partisan and personal interest as well as
he called to distinguish between the need for State and
strengthen it and between the presence of the parties in
order to criticize ,compete, oppose, and call to remove it
when it misbehaves.
* And he finds that participation in the management of
governance is better than the retreating spirit or the
radical opposition and the events have shown the credibility
of that choice.
* Several writings about him were authored , expressing his
thoughts: a man of dialogue, a step towards the Presidency,
in addition to his cultural contributions in various Arab
journals and magazines and in national and international
forums, and Islamic –Christianity dialogues in Italy ,
Sweden and Britain.
* His position towards ceasing the electoral path in 1992
was that the government's great error shouldn't be handle
with the error of carrying weapons and cutting heads and
planting culture of destruction and hatred. And he was
convinced that the national popular army is a descendant of
the national liberating army (1954-1962) and it must return
to its barracks after the stability of security and it is
not reasonable that the people remain unprotected.
* His first book in this regard was released under the
title:
"Long-sought Algeria" "Missed equation: Islam. The
Patriotism .. The Democracy.".
* And he has many intellectual productions in press, one of
them is a book called "the pattern of opposition."
*A collection of academic lectures that he delivered in the
most important centres of studies and international
conferences.
* Compact discs for understanding series (44 episodes) and a
series of resolution( 8 episodes), and a series of
interpretation and biography of the Prophet.
* Thousands of audio and visual tapes on various research
topics.(Sermons, lectures, interviews, dialogues, ...Etc.).
* He passed away- Allah's mercy upon him- on Thursday 19
June 2003 and was buried on Friday in The Martyrs ' Square
in Alalia's cemetery in the capital Algeria 61-year-old.
See too :
|