Middle East Information Resource
Political Entities - Islamic Salvation Front
The Islamic Salvation Front (Front Islamique du Salut) is the most important Islamist movement in Algeria. It is active both politically and militarily to turn Algeria into an Islamic state. Opposition Islamic groups arose in Algeria from the mid-1970`s in opposition to the ruling regime`s efforts to monopolize Islam and in response to popular disillusionment with Algeria`s failed socialism. They advocated an Islamic state ruled by the Shari`a, but a radical faction was led by Mustafa Bouyali, a former FLN fighter. He launched an armed insurrection in the countryside between 1984 and 1987, but it was suppressed.
There were widespread riots in October 1988, which were suppressed by the military. However, President Ben-Jedid was motivated to implement political reforms. He legalized opposition parties in order to restore the regime`s legitimacy and to enhance his own authority. The Islamists took advantage of this liberalization to unite forces, and on February 18, 1989 they founded the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS). Dr Abbasi Madani, a graduate of the Sorbonne and teacher at the University of Algiers became a leader of FIS. Ali Ben Haj became his deputy and represented the younger generation. He lacked formal education, but was a charismatic orator; A five-level organization was established and governed by a five-member National Executive Bureau, also known as the Consultative Council (Majlis al-Shura).
The FIS was dominated by the younger more politicized and pragmatic "Algerians" (jaza`ra) branch. It advocated an independent Islamic Algeria, and supported Madani in his campaign to replace the regime, even by force. On the one hand they denounced democracy as a principle of government, but on the other hand they demanded Parliamentary elections as tactic to gain power. The Sal`afi were a group more bound by doctine; they were led by the more mature leaders, who tended towards a gradualist approach. The ultimate FIS goal, however, was unambiguously to achieve a supra-national Islamic state.
The FIS spread rapidly throughout Algeria, forming a network based upon some 8,000 mosques and social welfare institutions. It took control of fifty-five percent of the local councils and two-thirds of the regional wilayas, during the June 1990 local and regional (wilaya) elections. In June 1991, Madani confrontation the regime over an amendment to the election law. He and thousands of other activists were arested. While he was in prison, his supporter Abdel-Qadir Hashani convened a national conference in Batna on June 25 and 26, 1991. During the conference many of Madani`s opponents were purged from the leadership, further radicalizing the movement.
In the first round of the general elections held on 26 December 1991, the FIS won 188 out of 430 parliamentary seats, even though it lost a million votes compared to the 1990 elections. Before the second round could take place, the army took power, deposed Ben-Jedid, dissolved the National Assembly and banned the FIS. The miltary takeover put the FIS fully into the posture of armed resistance. Veterans of the Bouyali movement, led by Abdel-Qadir Shabuti (killed in 1994), organized a guerrilla force called Armed Islamic Movement (MIA). In July 1994, the MIA and several other smaller armed Islamic groups formed the AIS (Armee Islamjque du Salut). The MIA became the military arm of the FIS and Madani Merzaq, a veteran of the Afghan war, was appointed its national commander (Amir) in March 1995.
The FIS leadership was divided between the imprisoned Madani and Ben Haj as supreme leaders. Five "sheikhs" who were released from prison, an executive committee in exile led by Rabah Kebir, and Anwar Haddam, head of the permanent parliamentary in the US were all also in contention for power. Since 1993, the FIS has adopted a dual position. They have engaged the military regime, but at the same time they have called for a dialogue with the military in order to end the violence and restore the legal political process. It tried to prevent the 1995 Presidential elections, and the 1996 referendum on constitutional amendements, but did not succeed. It was engaged in growing conflict with the more radical Islamist movement, al-Jama`a al-Islamiyya al-Musallaha (Group Islamique Armee-GIA), but it was a key factor in resolving an Algerian domestic crisis.