Religion in
Algiers
A trip to Algiers is enhanced by understanding the religious beliefs of its inhabitants. Read the following section to enrich your voyage and understand the faiths of the Ottoman Algiers.
http://www.i-cias.com/e.o/algiers.htm
Islam was the official religion in Algiers, and the majority of the population was made up of professed Muslims ("Algeria" ArabNet). In fact, Algiers was said to be the not only the "geopolitical" center of North Africa, but the "spiritual center of Moslem North Africa" as well (Cooley, 165). Before the Ottomans took control of Algiers, it was already an Islamic country, so the Islamic Ottoman empire created very little religious change (Murray, 120). The Ottoman empire in general was very tolerant of diverse religious beliefs (Stillman, 306). The empire had among its subjects Muslims, Jews, and Christians ("The History of the Ottoman Empire"). Those who didn't practice Islam did have to pay a special tax, however, in order to make up for their absence from military service, from which all non-Muslims were excluded (Spielvogel,523). Non-Muslims could convert to Islam if they so wished or were free to practice whatever religion they believed in (Spielvogel, 523). Islam as a faith did not stress the need to force others to convert because the Quran, the Muslim scripture, states that "There is no compulsion in religion" (Sura 2:256). Some discrepancy still existed because although non-Muslims could convert to Islam, professed Muslims could not convert to a different faith (Spielvogel, 523).
Unfortunately, although one statement from the Quran may have led to the political acceptance of other religions, religious prejudice still existed within the Islamic Ottoman empire (Stillman, 306). Jean Baptiste La Faye, author of Several Voyages to Barbary, recorded the unjust burning of a Jew in Algiers, and then wrote that these unjust 'accidents' "happen quite frequently to Jews, who, by a terrible judgment of the Almighty, are become the objects of universal hatred" (Stillman, 305). Religious tolerance was more customary in the Ottoman empire than in most parts the world at the time, and some even thought it a place where no religious "fanaticism" existed. However, according toThe Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book, however, Jews were often the victims of religious prejudice (Cooley, 166).
Religious tolerance was built into the political structure and policies of the Ottoman empire, in which separate 'nations' were formed by each religious group, each with its own laws, leaders, legal systems, schools and beliefs (Spielvogel, 523). Each group also dealt with issues of marriage, birth, death, and safety of their followers ("Turkey and Ancient Anatolia" Britannica Online). The leaders were responsible for their followers and were held accountable to the sultan for the behavior of the believers in the faith they represented (Spielvogel, 523). The "nations" were known as millets, designed to separate different peoples and reduce the chance of interreligious conflicts caused by hatred ("Turkey and Ancient Anatolia" Britannica Online). Unfortunately, the millets could not totally eliminate religious hatred even in a society of tolerance, and religious hatreds induced millet competition and high tension between groups of different beliefs ("Turkey and Ancient Anatolia" Britannica Online). Jews especially faced strong anti- Semitism from the Christians and some Muslims, usually converted Christians, and were subject to what were known as "blood libel " attacks wherein they were attacked and their houses and buisinesses were damaged ("Turkey and Ancient Anatolia" Britannica Online). Despite the tensions and distrust between the groups, the concept of religious tolerance and freedom was established, which in itself is big achievement.
The Islam faith of Algiers and the Ottoman empire was still the official religion of Algiers and impacted the lives of the entire population. Religion was integrated into society. Official religious holidays were Islamic: the Ramadan celebration, the Aid El-Fitr celebration, the Eid Al-Adha celebration, the Awwal Muharram holiday, the Ashoura holiday, and the Al Mawlid Al- Nabi celebration ("Window on Algeria" ; "Algeria" ArabNet).
The Ramadan celebration is a celebration in which all Muslims fast from sun-up to sundown to fulfill the Qur`anic statement: "O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may learn self-restraint" (Qur`an 2:138). All Muslims are required to fast to remember to think of others and experience the hunger and thirst of the less fortunate around them. The fasting involves not only refraining from food and drink, but also from any unpure action. If fasting causes extreme suffering to a Muslim, he or she doesn't have to participate, like pregnant women, the sick, the old, the very young, and the manual workers, for example. Instead the sick and old must help to feed the poor during the celebration, and others must fast out of Ramadan when they are physically able. At sundown, families usually prepare the most delicious meals of the year (see section on food) to satisfy their hunger. The night of Laylat At- Qadr is the most important night of the Ramadan festival, for it is believed that on this night all Muslim prayers will be answered. It celebrates the time when Mohammed, the Islamic prophet, received his first revelation from the arch-angel Gabriel. The Ramadan celebration brought and still brings a serious religious atmosphere to Algiers and other Muslim areas ("An Overview of Algeria").
As another important religious holiday, the holiday of Aid El-Fitr signifies the end of the Ramadan fast. It is referred to as the "minor festival" and "Festival of Breaking the Fast" and is a time for rejoicing in Algiers. It involves prayer either in the open air or in a mosque and talking with friends and relatives, as is the case with most of the Islamic holidays ("An Overview of Algeria").
Aid Al-Adha, "The Holiday of the Sacrifice," is the "major festival" of the Muslims. It is a celebration of Abraham's sacrifice to God, a celebration of upheld promises, generous giving, and the making of sacrifices. Every Muslim family sacrifices something, usually a sheep, and the town butcher or the authority of the home makes the sacrifice. A special prayer is said by the men either outside or in mosques while the women cook the sheep to eat. The family gets to eat a third of the meat, a third goes to the poor, and the last third is stored. The Aid Al-Adha is the most important religious holiday for the Islamic peoples ("An Overview of Algeria").
Another important holiday, Awwal Muharram, also called Ra's al- 'Am, is the Islamic New Year. More civil than religious, Awwal Muhurram commemorates the hijra (emigration) of Mohammed from persecution in Mecca to acceptance in Medina. It is a time for dining and making important decisions ("An Overview of Algeria").
The Ashura holiday holds religious significance as well as another important Islamic celebration in North Africa and in all Muslim communities. It commemorates many things, most importantly the day Noah left the Ark and the day the grandson of Mohammed, Husayn, was killed in battle with Yazid, the Umayyad caliph. Usually, the celebration involves fasting (not required), giving to the poor, and visiting grave sites of those who passed away. The holiday begins somberly and becomes joyous at night with the exchanging of gifts and sweets in memory of ancestors ("An Overview of Algeria").
Finally, Al Mawlid Al-Nabi holds, an mportant festival, commemorates the birth of the prophet Mohammed, the most important human to the Islamic faith. He is not considered to be divine by any means, as Muslims are strict monotheists, but as the Prophet or Islam who received revelations from the archangel Gabriel, he is considered very significant. His birthday is an important event to the Islamic faith ("Window on Algeria").
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