Larbi Tbessi, whose real name was Larbi Ferhati, born in 1891 in
Cheria
Cheria ( ar, الشريعة) is a town and commune in Tébessa Province in north-eastern Algeria
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Tébessa Province
Tébessa ( ar, ولاية تبسة) is a province (''wilayah'') of Algeria. Tébessa is also the name of the capital, which in ancient times it was known as ''Theveste''. Another important city is El Ouenza. Tébessa is located only 20 kilometer ...
, was a revolutionary and reformist Algerian, president of the
Association of Algerian Muslim Ulema. He disappeared on April 4, 1957, during the
war of Algeria
The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...
, following his arrest at his
Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
home by civilians disguised paratroopers, the French military are still denying arresting or detaining him.
Biography
He spent his early life at
Nefta
Nefta (or Nafta; ) is a Tunisian municipality and an oasis in Tozeur Governorate north of the Chott el Djerid.
Religious significance
Nefta is considered by most Sufis to be the spiritual home of Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam; many re ...
in
Tunisia
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, then he studied in
al-Azhar University
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in Egypt, and
University of Ez-Zitouna in
Tunisia
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. Subsequently, he participated actively in the
Association of Algerian Muslim Ulema and was President of the Association after his return to Algeria.
Larbi Tebessi was arrested in 1943 and then released. Then he was imprisoned in 1945 after the
Sétif and Guelma massacre
The Sétif and Guelma massacre was a series of attacks by French colonial authorities and pied-noir settler militias on Algerian civilians in 1945 around the market town of Sétif, west of Constantine, in French Algeria. In response to French po ...
on May 8, 1945. Larbi Tebessi managed to create a school and he spread his anti-colonial ideas.
Sheikh Larbi Tebessi represented the main current of the
ulema
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
association who rallied the principles of the
National Liberation Front in 1956. This was instigated by
Zighoud Youcef
Zighoud Youcef ( ar, زيغود يوسف) is a town and commune in Constantine Province, Algeria. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 28,764. The town was formerly known as Smendou, and was renamed to its current name in honor of Yo ...
head of the department of
Constantinois and founding member of the FLN and after insurgency of August 20, 1955.
Sheikh Larbi Tebessi was killed in 1957 by a commando of the French Army. His body was burned in hot oil and his remains have yet to be returned to the Algerian people. Similar to many Algerian revolutionaries whose remains are kept in museums throughout France, a wicked practice in postcolonial France
.
Legacy
* Tébessa University bears his name.
* Larbi Tbessi prize is awarded to the best researchers in Algeria.
* Seminars are organized by the Ministry of Culture and the one of War Veterans in Algeria to celebrate the memory of Larbi Tbessi each year.
See also
*
Ben Badis
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tbessi, Larbi
1891 births
1957 deaths
People from Tébessa Province
Algerian Muslims
Al-Azhar University alumni
University of Ez-Zitouna alumni