The Role of the Men of the Association of Muslim Scholars in Eastern Algeria in Promoting and Developing Free Arabic Education (1931- 1956) The Aures Region as a Model

Abstract

This article examines the role of the Association of Algerian Muslim Scholars in promoting and developing free Arabic education in the Aures region during the colonial period (1931–1956), as a case study of Eastern Algeria. The study highlights the limited academic focus on the cultural dimension of the national movement compared to its political aspects, despite the crucial role of education in producing intellectual and social transformations. It shows that education was a key arena of conflict between the colonial administration and the Muslim society, as the Association sought to resist the policy of French assimilation through the establishment of free schools, mosques, and Qur’anic schools. The article also emphasizes the contribution of the Association’s activists in spreading religious and national awareness and in training a local elite that led reform activities. In the Aurès, social and cultural conditions facilitated the gradual reception and spread of reformist ideas. This led to the creation of an educational network that transformed the intellectual and social structure of the population. The study concludes that these efforts helped revive national identity and strengthen the spirit of resistance. It also stresses that reformist education played a fundamental role in preparing the Aurès society to later join the national movement and the Liberation Revolution.