“Abd el-Kader, the Arab of Enlightenment”, interview with Karima Berger
On the Oummatv program, an interview with Karima Berger on the occasion of the publication of his book Abd El-Kader, the Arab of Enlightenment published by Albin Michel editions. Through this initiatory account, the writer offers a personal and spiritual reading of the life of the Emir Abd El-Kader, a major figure in Algerian history. From his quest to know his founding role in the unity of Algeria, passing through his humanism deeply anchored in faith, Karima Berger lights up an unknown facet of this exceptional man. An exciting exchange in which history, literature and reflection on the spiritual heritage of this great figure in the history of Algeria mingles.
Review of the interview with Karima Berger, author of the book Abd el-Kader, the Arabic of the Enlightenment published by Albin Michel Éditions
An initiatory and subjective story
From the start of the exchange, Karima Berger insists on the subjective and personal character of his book. She specifies that it is not an academic or historical work, but an initiatory story that follows the significant stages of the life of Abd el-Kader ,: resistance, prison, exile, illumination and extinction. These stages, she says, recall those of a spiritual quest, a path to wisdom.
The author confides that her interest in Abd el-Kader, does not first come from history, which she admits sometimes finding forbidden, but from the reading of her works. It is by reading Kitâb al-mawâqifa collection of spiritual writings of the emir, which she discovered a deep thought, anchored in an inner quest. According to her, Abd el-Kader, is not content to expose theological or legal ideas; Above all, he shares his personal experience of the spiritual test. It was only after exploring this dimension that she became interested in her historical biography, then discovering a man even greater than what she imagined.
The central role of knowledge and books
Over the course of the interview, Karima Berger highlights Abd el-Kader’s passion, to find out. From an early age, he devoted himself to study and meditation, surrounded by books. This thirst for knowledge never left him, even in prison, where he constantly asked for new works to feed his reflection.
The writer underlines a symbolic episode: during the capture of thesmala From Abd el-Kader, by French troops, the latter thought they were discovering a material treasure, but they only found books. This “treasure” illustrates, according to Berger, the true wealth of the emir, who saw in knowledge an emancipation key.
Abd el-Kader, founder of the Algerian nation
One of the major aspects of Karima Berger’s book is the recognition of Abd El-Kader, as one of the founders of modern Algeria. Before him, the country was a set of tribes without real political unity. To fight against the French occupation, Abd el-Kader, understood that these tribes had to be brought together under the same authority. He set up an embryonic political organization, hitting money, creating arms factories and sending ambassadors.
Although Algeria has known great leaders before him, such as Jugurtha or Massinissa, Karima Berger believes that Abd el-Kader, was the first to think of national unity beyond the tribal divisions. She quotes the academic Bruno Étienne, who describes his reign as a “khalifat of light”, because of the way he ruled and the respect he granted to prisoners and populations under his authority.
A humanism rooted in faith
Asked about Abd el-Kader’s humanism, Karima Berger nuances this qualifier. She explains that in the West, humanism is often perceived as a moral posture, a desire to be “good”. However, for Abd el-Kader, it was not a choice, but a natural consequence of his faith. He considered that all of the creation – human, animal, vegetable – was a manifestation of divine unity and that it should be respected.
This respect for religious otherness was notably illustrated in 1860, when the emir protected Christians persecuted in Damascus. He did not act in the name of a modern humanist ideal, but in coherence with his spiritual vision of the world.
A complex thinker, far from classic reformers
Finally, Karima Berger explains that Abd el-Kader, was not a reformer in the classic sense of the term. Unlike thinkers of the Nahdawho wanted to modernize Muslim societies by being inspired by the West, he did not advocate a direct imitation of Western modernity.
However, he criticized the taqlid (the servile imitation of the ancients), affirming that each era was to reinterpret its own principles. In a letter, he underlines that we are always “someone’s old, the modern of someone else”, thus stressing the need for a perpetual movement of reflection and adaptation.
Conclusion
Through this interview, Karima Berger highlights an often overlooked facet of Abdelkader: that of a mystical thinker, nourished by reading and reflection, whose political action was inseparable from his spiritual quest. His book, Abd el-Kader, the Arab of Enlightenment, is a subjective and literary reading of this major figure in Algerian history, with a look that goes beyond the boundaries of history to touch the universal.
