News editor for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.
28/05/2002
Islam
is, historically, one of the most powerful opposition political
forces in Algeria, as well as the tie that binds the country's
ethnically diverse population together.
Islam's
ability to mobilize the people stems from its importance in defining
Algerians' sociocultural identity, its status as a coherent
political, social and economic system, and the individual's
spiritual devotion.
The
Algerian Islamist movement is one of the most vibrant in the Arab
and Muslim worlds, exhibiting a degree of organization,
sophistication and, indeed, success that is difficult to find
elsewhere. Yet the movement also faces a number of grave internal
and external threats and challenges.
How
has the Algerian Islamist movement evolved since independence, what
are some of the difficulties it faces and how can these challenges
be met?