Algerian Reformist {ʽ}Ulamāʾ, Association of

Group of Muslim religious scholars founded in 1931 that worked to create an Algerian Muslim identity.

The ʽUlamāʾ opened schools and promoted the teaching of Arabic. It was opposed by the French-educated elite and the traditional Muslim establishment, which felt threatened by its religious purist tendencies. It joined the National Liberation Front during the war of independence (1954–62) and later had a seat in Algeria's provisional government. See also Young Algerians.