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Commander of the Faithful
The Life and
Times of Emir Abd El-Kader By John W. Kiser ISBN 978-09798828-3-8
November 15, 2008
A New (Old) Meaning for Jihad New book celebrates 19th Century Muslim hero who still unites today Rhinebeck, NY November 18, 2008: Though the history of the Emir Abd el-Kader is virtually unknown today in the United States, it wasn’t always the case. When the Muslim warrior-saint died in 1883 the New York Times, in their obituary, hailed him as “one of the few great men of the century.” Abd el-Kader had been a world figure for fifty years. He had skillfully resisted the French occupation of Algeria for seventeen of those, had finally gracefully surrendered and stoically endured years in a French prison, and had gone on to save the lives of thousands of Christians and Europeans by intervening in a Turkish instigated pogrom in Damascus. He was admired and even revered around the world for his moral authority, keen intelligence and natural warrior abilities. But it was the independence of his spirit that particularly spoke to Americans at that time; President Abraham Lincoln sent him an inscribed gift of two Colt pistols and the newly formed town of Elkader, Iowa was named after him. It will sound hard to some ears today but Abd el-Kader earned his place on the world stage by following the dictates of Jihad as he understood them. Americans saw a kindred spirit in Abd el-Kader’s defiance of European imperialism. They (the average person on the street) also understood something that we have forgotten today: the true meaning of Jihad. They could recognize its merits in the person and deeds of Abd el-Kader and they intuitively understood that its religious underpinnings, though Islamic, had much in common with their own Christian and American ideals. Jihad, as embodied by Abd el-Kader, showed the way of a just war. It preached religious tolerance, the protection of minorities and the humane treatment of political prisoners. In 1883 there was no such thing as an Islamic terrorist threat to our security; 9/11 was far on the horizon and unimaginable. These are two reasons why the story of Abd el-Kader’s life is not only relevant today but urgently needed. Abd el-Kader’s life was a story of true Jihad. This Jihad bears no resemblance to terrorism in any form. This Jihad, this history, is in fact an antidote to Islamic terrorism. Where this history is taught and remembered, terrorism in the name of Islam will find it harder to gain a foothold. Monkfish Book Publishing Company is therefore proud to announce the publication of Commander of the Faithful: The Life and Times of Emir Abd el-Kader: A Story of True Jihad by John W. Kiser. The book was officially launched last month in Elkader, Iowa where Mr. Kiser spent two days speaking in town venues such as the school, library, and opera house. Elkader does not have a predominantly Muslim population but the connection to the Muslim hero was fresh in the town’s mind. Elkader is a member of Sister Cities International and sister city to Mascara, Algeria, the birthplace of Abd el-Kader. This summer when Elkader was one of many towns in Iowa hit by floods, the government of Algeria sent a check for $150,000 for relief. The book has received wide prepublication praise. Susan Eisenhower said “Commander of the Faithful is one of those dazzling biographies that inform our modern life” while the Prince of Jordan, Hassan bin Talal, hailed it as a book which “provides Muslims with a much needed antidote to the toxic false jihads of today, dominated by anger violence and politics.” Bulk copies of the book have been ordered by several progressive religious organizations including Religions for Peace, a 30 year-old coalition comprised of leaders from over sixty U.S. religious communities and ASMA, the American Society for Muslim Advancement. Commander is also being simultaneously published in the UK by Archetype Books and will be presented to the Muslim world in Doha, Karachi and Lehore in the coming months. Many of its strongest supporters echo the comments of Muhammad Ammar Khan Nasir, Editor of the monthly Al-Sharia, in Pakistan, “I strongly recommend this book be translated into Arabic, Persian and Urdu.” Commander of the Faithful is the third volume in a trilogy of books about the Abrahamic faith traditions—Christianity, Judaism, and Islam written by Mr. Kiser. Muslim-Christian harmony was the subject of Monks of Tibhirine: Faith Love and Terror in Algeria (St. Martins Press, 2006, winner of the French Siloe Prize) and Stefan Zweig: Death of a Modern Man, one of the most prolific and widely read Jewish writers of the 1930s and 1940s (University of Toulouse Press, 1995, in French). Mr. Kiser is Chairman of the William and Mary Greve Foundation. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of North Carolina, a master’s degree in European history from Columbia University, and a master’s of business administration degree from the University of Chicago; in addition, he pursued German studies at Gottingen University. Mr. Kiser has worked as a private consultant to the U.S. Department of State and was the Founder and President of Kiser Research, Inc., a consulting and brokering business based in Washington, D.C., which acquired the rights to advanced technologies from Russia and Eastern block countries. In 1994, Mr. Kiser and his family lived in St. Paul de Vence, France, where he began a second career as a writer and farmer; he now lives in Sperryville, VA, USA. He speaks German, French, and Russian. To obtain a review copy of the book, or to arrange an author interview, please contact Paul Cohen of Monkfish Publishing Company at 845.876.4861, bookcohen@aol.com, or visit www.truejihad.com. On the emir’s life in the 19th century * Abd el-Kader was 24 years old when his father abdicated his leadership role with the tribes of Algeria in favor of his son. He was raised to be a “Marabout” or holy man. Marabouts memorized the Koran and were known as scholars, healers and spiritual leaders. * Though outnumbered and facing vastly superior weaponry, Abd el-Kader resisted the French for seventeen years, only surrendering when the French resorted to scorched earth tactics. *Abd el-Kader was promised free passage to the Middle East as a condition of his surrender. The French government reneged on its promise and imprisoned Abd el-Kader in France in 1848. The agreement was honored by Louis-Napolean in 1852. *In 1860 Abd el-Kader gave refuge in his palatial residence to the western diplomatic community and thousands from the Christian quarter during a politically inspired rampage against the Christians …He had every reason to hate Christians yet this holy warrior exemplified the highest ideal of Christian love of neighbor.
On the Emir’s Jihad *Jihad defined: struggle or striving in the cause of God; any moral or spiritual effort either against one’s lower instincts or in the cause of justice—from the glossary, Commander of the Faithful * Spiritual jihad lies in struggling with the axis of evil within—those inner demons that lead to violence and injustice. Christians know them as the seven deadly sins, among which anger and hatred are the most deadly. War provides the hardest test of controlling these deadly passions, one which emir Abd el-Kader passed to the applause of all who knew him. *The emir's regulations for the treatment of his prisoners were a Koranically based forerunner of the Geneva Convention. His fame in Europe spread at first from words of praise from released French prisoners and officers of the French army who met him in battle. His moral courage in protecting innocent lives won him the praise of President Abraham Lincoln, Queen Victoria, Pope Pius IX and heads of state from all over Europe.
On the Emir’s fame * In 1847, a village in the Missouri Territory was named after the Emir, today Elkader, Iowa *Citizens of Bordeaux put Abd el-Kader’s name on the ballot as a candidate in the French presidential elections of 1849 * A horse named Abd el Kader ('Little Ab' by the racing public) was twice winner of the British Grand National Steeple Chase. *"Allowing for certain exceptions of a theological nature, there is no Christian virtue that Abd el-Kader does not practice to the highest degree," wrote Dominican Sister Natalie who cared for the emir's family in prison. *The emir's most influential biographer was a descendent of the Duke of Marlborough, Col. Charles Henry Churchill, British military attaché in Lebanon. * The French Free Masons invited Abd el Kader to join their society. *The Suez Canal would not have been built in 1869 without Abd el- Kader's influence among the Arabs, and support for the French project.
Today *U.S. officials are being advised in internal government documents to avoid referring publicly to al Qaeda and other terrorist groups as Islamic or Muslim, and not to use terms like jihad or mujahedeen, which "unintentionally legitimize" terrorism. Washington Times, Wednesday, May 7, 2008 *According to a report in Foreign Policy Magazine (May 2007) and elsewhere, Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion with 1.3 billion adherents worldwide. *There is no common consensus as to how many Muslims currently live in the US. Estimates range from 2.5 million to 6 million. * “The Sister Cities Friendship Club of Elkader invites you to read its story to learn how a small community of some 1500 inhabitants can positively affect the world by promoting peaceful projects with the citizens of Mascara, Algeria. Elkader, Iowa is one of the smallest cities in the Sister Cities movement and is currently the only U.S. city to have a sister city in Algeria. The program has opened new doors of diplomacy and trade between the two countries.” –from the website http://www.elkader-iowa.com/Sister_Cities/
Monkfish is an independent press in Rhinebeck, New York publishing works that combine spiritual and literary merit. Monkfish is distributed to the trade by Consortium/Perseus Distribution. Commander of the Faithful: The Life and Times of Abd el-Kader: A Story of True Jihad by John W. Kiser, Trade Cloth, 978-0-9798828-3-8, US $28.95/CAN $32.95, 361 pages, illustrated Publication Date: November 15, 2008
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