Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine

Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine (September 6, 1808 – May 26, 1883; Arabic: Abd al-Qādir ibn Muḥyiddīn), known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abdelkader El Djezairi, is an Algerian religious and military leader who leads a struggle against the French colonial invasion in the mid-nineteenth century.

An Islamic scholar and Sufi who unexpectedly finds himself leading a military campaign, he buids up a collection of Algerian tribesmen that for many years successfully holds out against one of the most advanced armies in Europe.

His consistent regard for what would now be called human rights, especially as regards his Christian opponents, draws widespread admiration, and a crucial intervention to save the Christian community of Damascus from a massacre in 1860 brings honors and awards from around the world.

Within Algeria, his efforts to unite the country against foreign invaders see him hailed as the "modern Jugurtha" and his ability to combine religious and political authority has led to his being acclaimed as the "Saint among the Princes, the Prince among the Saints".

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