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Algeria
The Islamist Movement since the Late 1980s
Until the late 1980s, the government required that imams be named
by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and prohibited the formation
of any Islamist political or public association. Sermons and religious
speeches were monitored, and worship services could be held only
in officially designated mosques. But, with the urban growth that
occurred during the 1970s and 1980s, the government could not
keep up with the proliferation of mosques and neighborhood associations.
This "imam shortage" opened the way for the independent Islamist
movement, which quickly moved in to fill the public arena. These
"unofficial imams" preached wherever they could find space and
occupied official mosques in defiance of government legislation.
The Islamists who occupied these urban mosques offered comprehensive
social programs that included schooling, business development
and neighborhood beautification, garbage pickup, tutoring sessions,
and economic assistance for needy families. In a time of severe
economic crisis and apparent government ineptitude, the Islamists
did not seem to be limited by the reductions in municipal budgets
and appeared committed to social welfare programs and improving
the material condition of the general populace.
This social commitment would later benefit the political aspirations
of the movement by creating a mass base from which to draw public
support, even from those sectors unlikely to support an Islamist
party. In fact, the commercial bourgeoisie --entrepreneurs driven
by profit motives--were among the most important financial contributors
to the Islamist movement. These businessmen were attracted to
the FIS program by promises of tax cuts, deregulation, and economic
incentives for business development. The Islamist movement has
a national as well as a religious appeal. It has attacked the
widespread corruption in the government and suggested solutions
for the housing and unemployment crises. All of these efforts
provide attractive campaign points for any opposition party, religious
or secular, and allow the Islamist movement to transcend the traditional
bases of Islamist support.
Data as of December 1993
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