Algeria: academics call for national day in Emir’s honour 

Professors, specialists and researchers in various fields have called for the dedication of a national day in honour of Emir Abdelkader El Djazairi, as well as an annual prize in his honour, Echorouk Online has reported. The intention is to “set the record straight” about his life.

At the end of a two day conference entitled “Emir Abdelkader… The Man of Resistance and State”, organised by the Ministry of the Moudjahidine, the academics stressed “the importance of preserving the great history of Algeria and all its icons, most notably Emir Abdelkader, by instituting a national day for him away from fallacies and allegations.”

Speaking about those who offended the symbols of Algeria, especially Emir Abdelkader, the activist, writer and author Zohour Lounisi confirmed that “people with wrong things to say may be forgiven due to their ignorance of history.”

However, a former Algerian minister called for a correct reading of Algerian history, because in her opinion the true danger can emanate from “the nation’s ignorance of the country’s history, which contributes to offending and distorting the fundamentals of the nation.”

READ: Algeria: largest Islamic party refuses to join new government

The participants proposed to rid the history of Emir Abdelkader of political and ideological ambivalence as a matter of urgency; accept his history “as it was”; and write it “within its historical, social and sociological context away from the allegations of treason.”

They also urged his history to be tackled “as it really happened, not as we want it to happen.” As some academics said, “We still read this history from a current political perspective that refers to the Emir as the founder of the Algerian state.”

Emir Abdelkader’s granddaughter, Zohour Boutaleb, called for the dedication of a national day in his honour. “We express regret for the distortion attempts that affect this and other icons of Algeria in the course of this sensitive phase of the nation’s history,” she explained. “This necessitate our unity and solidarity and our full endorsement of our principles and common roots.”

The annual prize in the Emir’s name will be awarded for the best research or study on him and the symbols of the Algerian resistance, revolution and liberation.