La Poste France 200th Birth Anniversary of Emir Abd el-Kader

 

LA POSTE FRANCE in 2008 issued this first day cover stamp marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Emir Abdelkader or Abdelkader El Hassani El Djazairi. 

He was an Algerian 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.

 

 He embodied qualities I would dare say emulated those of the Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam), Salahuddin al-Ayyubi  and later Omar al-Mukhtar.