Abbas el Hocine Bencheikh called Sheikh Abbas (1912, in Mila

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

– 3 May 1989, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

), was an Algerian diplomat, cleric, writer, and rector of the Muslim Institute and the

Great Mosque of Paris The Grand Mosque of Paris (french: Grande Mosquée de Paris), also known as the Great Mosque of Paris or simply the Paris Mosque, is located in the 5th arrondissement and is one of the largest mosques in France. There are prayer rooms, an outdoo ...

. After theological studies in family brotherhood and once aged 21, Sheikh Abbas studied at the Islamic University of Zaytuna in Tunis and that of al-Qarawiyyin in

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

. After ten years, he returned to Algeria and became the disciple of the reformer

Abdelhamid Ben Badis ʻAbd al-Ḥamīd (ALA-LC romanization of ar, عبد الحميد) is a Muslim male given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words ''Abd (Arabic), ʻabd'' and ''al-Ḥamīd'', one of the names of God in the Qur'an, whic ...

. He campaigned with him for religious and political reform (commonly known as "al-iṣlāḥ" by

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

reformists). At independence of

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, he was appointed ambassador to Saudi Arabia, following his resignation from the post he has held the office of President of the Supreme Islamic Council of Algeria, a seat he left to pursue weekly preaching in the

Djamaa el Kebir Djamaa el Kebir ( ar, الجامع الكبير, translit=djama' el-kebir), also known as the Great Mosque of Algiers (), is a historic mosque in Algiers, Algeria. It is located within the Casbah (old city), near the city's harbor. Dating to 1097, ...

mosque. In 1982, Sheikh Abbas took charge of the

, succeeding Sheikh

Hamza Boubakeur Hamza Boubakeur or Hamza Al-Sid-Boubakeur, (born 15 June 1912 in El Bayadh, Geryville (then French Algeria) as Aboubakeur ben Hamza ben Kadour – died 4 February 1995 in Paris), was a French politician and Islam, Muslim cleric.Endowments of Algeria and secondly to develop a body of 80 imams.Abbas Bencheikh
official website of the Paris mosque He intervened to resolve the painful issue of divorce between binational families, especially in defending the rights of French mothers whose children had been brought in Algeria after the divorce. He also interjected to facilitate the return of many French-Muslims (

Harkis ''Harki'' (adjective from the Arabic ''harka'', standard Arabic ''haraka'' حركة, "war party" or "movement", i.e., a group of volunteers, especially soldiers) is the generic term for native Muslim Algerian who served as auxiliaries in the F ...

) who had left the

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

since independence in 1962 and stay there instead.

References

Hamza Boubakeur Hamza Boubakeur or Hamza Al-Sid-Boubakeur, (born 15 June 1912 in El Bayadh, Geryville (then French Algeria) as Aboubakeur ben Hamza ben Kadour – died 4 February 1995 in Paris), was a French politician and Islam, Muslim cleric.Great Mosque of Paris The Grand Mosque of Paris (french: Grande Mosquée de Paris), also known as the Great Mosque of Paris or simply the Paris Mosque, is located in the 5th arrondissement and is one of the largest mosques in France. There are prayer rooms, an outdoo ...

Islam in France Islam in France is a minority faith. Muslims are estimated to represent around 4 to 8 percent of the nation's population and France is estimated to have the largest number of Muslims in the Western world, primarily due to migration from Maghr ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbas Sheikh 1912 births 1989 deaths 20th-century imams Muslim reformers Algerian imams Algerian diplomats 20th-century diplomats Ambassadors of Algeria to Saudi Arabia People from Mila

References

See also