Mohamed ben Rehall
Hewas one of the national personalities who contributed in forming the Algerian national movement he tried so hard to take advantage of his vast culture and wide knowledge on the outside world’s cultures to promote the Algerian community His travels had a great impact on developing his ideas, fuelling his feelings towards the Islamic identity , And national identity as well as his awareness on the underdevelopment of his country compared with other countries of the world, he promised himself on protecting his country and people from oppression of colonialism this is why he was defending Algerian people’s right with all the means . Tried hard to preserve the Algerian , Arab and Islamic nationality from the arbitrary practices of French colonialism. This is why we find him in all the fields defending the Algerian rights while taking advantage of his social status as a noble and his cultural status as a member of the consul and financial associations of Oran, he fought the unjust laws especially indigene code , the exceptional courts and the conscription law . He defended the Algerians from this law. He founded a delegation who went to Paris in 1912 demanding the annulment of this decree and to provide a grant as a compensation for this procedure .He was against naturalization he considers it as obliging Algerians to abandon their beliefs and religion, that France promised to respect he sought for freedom and to let naturalization as an facultative choice .Ibn Rahal rejected inclusion he sees that the future of Algerians happened with the politic of inclusion but rather adherence to their origins .Now regarding his efforts in the political fields we find him trying effortlessly to balance and unite between political parties , he called in this filed for establishing a national front to gather the Algerian public.
He called to reconciliation between the members of the party eldjazair he demanded to establish a unity between those who tear each other and the necessity to unify their efforts for the interests of Muslim.
Mohamed Rahall was interested in the educational field along with politics He resented the deterioration of the cultural situation in Algeria .because the French education was useless for Algerians and was aiming to eradicate the Arabic language and made the Algerian ignorant of his own religion and culture . This has effected Ben Rahall who prompted ,because of his pride of religion and his nationalism, on defending Islam and Arabic that was marginalized by the French colonialism .He called on the nasality of generalizing education in all the Algerian territories he was supportive to girls’ education he saw the generalisation as a principle way the renaissance it appears in his saying :” Islamic countries are late and divided ,the spread of education will enable it to regain its status in the world” . We find his good contributions in the educational field through his attempts to realize some reforms in the educational system and presenting to the elite the investigation of the notables in 1892 that made a tour in Algeria to consider the reorganization of higher academic education in Algeria. This committee had indeed introduced reforms but it was the opposite of what Ibn rahall aspired for. Ibn rahall was one of the supporters of benefiting from the progress made by the French language and did not see Islam as an obstacle to this regard.
He believed just like other reformers to call for the renaissance and to develop the cultural scientific thoughts of Algerians; he supported all national activities aiming to advance the country and the people. He has contributed like other reformers in cultural activities like the establishment of the first Muslim cultural clubs in Tlemcen “club of Algerian youth”. And in Algiers the association Rochidia he gave a lecture entitled “ balancing between Islam and progress “.
Ibn rahal like all reformers and thinkers called the Arabic Islamic world on the necessity of quoting from the western civilization and borrow their knowledge and arts without plagiarism by taking from it and always return to the origins of the Islamic religion .he made it clear in his saying” it is true that we must not accept everything given From the civilization blindly ,a lot of things are unenviable and can be left without a big impact, but we can borrow a big number of what it produces without danger But with benefit, and at our own expense, it can adopt all the fields of science And a big part from the internal and political organization and the program of public activities as well as education and all what is related to agriculture and industry without applying major changes to the beliefs(doctrine) “.
Ibn Rahall has contributed in important productions in the cultural field, he published many studies and researches including A study about applying the public education in the Arab country in 1887, Notes about educating indigenous “ unpublished lines” in 1886 , translated from Arabic to French The history of Sudan in the 16th century ,he presented lecture in front of the orientalists in Paris entitled “the future of Islam” in 1897 ,published an article in the magazine of diplomatic and occupation cases on November 10 ,1901.He also wrote in newspapers El heq (the right) ,Takadoum (development ) He has as well animated many lectures in clubs and cultural associations especially el rochidia association and The Islamic club of Tlemcen , Ben Rahall remained the great Algerian personality before the appearance of emir Khalid, Ben Rahall died in 1928.
