Abdelkader El Djezairi

Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine (6 September 1808 – 26

May 1883), (Arabic: ‫عبد الق ادر ابن مح يي ال دين‬ ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn
Muḥyiddīn), known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abdelkader
El Djezairi, was an Algerian"Sharif" religious and military
leader who led a struggle against the French colonial
invasion in the mid-19th century. An Islamic scholar
and Sufi who unexpectedly found himself leading a military
campaign, he built up a collection of Algerian tribesmen that
for many years successfully held out against one of the most
advanced armies in Europe. His consistent regard for what
would now be called human rights, especially as regards his
Christian opponents, drew widespread admiration, and a
crucial intervention to save the Christian community
of Damascus from a massacre in 1860 brought honours and
awards from around the world. Within Algeria, his efforts to
unite the country against foreign invaders saw him hailed as
the "modern Jugurtha,"[3] and his ability to combine religious
and political authority has led to his being acclaimed as the
"Saint among the Princes, the Prince among the Sain