Abstract
AbstractThe Islamic reformist movement in Algeria is often seen as a precursor to the independence movement, in which religion was supposedly integrated into nationalist identity politics. Focusing on the Muslim scout movements between the 1930s and 1950s, this article challenges this view by arguing that Islam continued to play a role beyond that of an identitarian marker. Influenced by Christian youth movements, the Muslim scouts developed ideas of a “muscular Islam” that remained central even after the movement split in two—one association close to the major nationalist party and another linked to the reformists.
Highlights
The development of Algerian nationalism is often studied in the context of its connections to French leftist movements;1 the war of independence (1954–62) and the regime of President Ahmed Ben Bella (Ahmad bin Billa) (1962–65) to which it gave rise are usually perceived as the epitome of a third worldist revolution with a distinctly socialist character
Muslim scouting emerged during the heyday of paramilitary youth movements, which were sometimes inspired by European fascism, in the Middle East the major influence on the groups in question came from religious associations such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the initiatives of Christian missionaries
Considering the pronouncements of Bouzouzou and others, it is obvious that the split between the Scouts musulmans algériens (SMA) and Boy scouts musulmans algériens (BSMA) did not constitute a break between a secular nationalist and an Islamic reformist movement
Summary
In Algeria, indigenous scouting emerged in the bustling atmosphere that followed the 1930 anniversary celebrations of French conquest. In contrast to youth organizations in Egypt and the Mashriq, which sometimes styled themselves deliberately after fascist examples and were founded explicitly as paramilitary wings of nationalist parties, the SMA and BSMA clearly remained boy scout associations, following the rules established by Baden-Powell and recognized by the French and international scouting federations Their symbols, the fleur-de-lis and crescent and star, reflected their participation in the world scout movement as well as an emphasis on Islamic identity; both symbols were far from any fascist iconography. Members of the AJAAS included, apart from Anne-Marie and Salah Louanchi, Fanny Colonna, who would become a well-known sociologist, as well as two other founding figures of the Algerian scout movement who were active in the nationalist PPA-MTLD: Omar (ʿUmar) Lagha and Mahfoud Kaddache, the future historian of Algerian nationalism Together, they had established their own scout association in the late 1930s, which joined the SMA. The patronages picked up on the Jesuit tradition of education through games and became prominently involved in the development of modern sports in France. In general, the literature has dedicated less interest to Christians’ strictly religious influences on Islamic reformist youth movements. Especially with regard to the multiconfessional societies of the Mashriq, the scholarship often sees religious denominations as identitarian markers.
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