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Commander of the Faithful: The Life and Times of Emir Abd el-Kader (1808-1883) Kindle Edition

by John W. Kiser (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 61 ratings
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"... One of those dazzling biographies that informs our modern life."—Susan Eisenhower, Chairman of the Eisenhower Group, author of Mrs. Ike “Today more than ever, Muslims and non-Muslims alike need to be reminded of the courage, compassion and intellect of Emir Abd el-Kader… Abd el-Kader’s jihad provides Muslims with a much- needed antidote to the toxic false jihads of today, dominated by anger, violence and politics.” -- His Royal Highness, Prince Hassan bin Talal (Prince of Jordan)    "Abd el-Kader teaches the French and the world that to achieve success, moral authority is necessary, not simply military might...This fascinating revival of a 19th century world hero’s story holds valuable lessons for today’s Middle East Warrior. It would be a worthwhile addition to any reading list.”—Col. Jon Smythe, USMC ( ret.) “Abd el-Kader lived by a chivalric code steeped in the Arab concept of honor. When, in our own day al-Qaeda terrorists claim the title of 'knight,' it’s worth recalling a time when Arab warriors embodied the noblest attributes of knighthood: courage compassion and restraint.”—Steve Simon, research fellow, Council on Foreign Relations “John Kiser has not just given us an absorbing and beautifully written story of a great hero, he has written an important book. The reader is bound to be moved by the life of this remarkable man who was the very opposite of a fanatical jihadist.”—Jane Geniesse, former New York Times reporter and author of Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark “Kiser weaves the intricate tale of Abd el-Kader’s heroic life and spirit as deftly as the emir maneuvered his armies on the battlefield . . . the perfect elixir for the contemporary West’s chronic difficulties understanding the East.”—Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, author of What’s Right with Islam When Abd el-Kader died in 1883, The New York Times hailed him as “one of the few great men of the century.” The warrior/saint had won the heart of the French nation, his sworn enemy and the invader of his Algerian homeland. He reached the summit of his fame after he saved the lives of thousands of Christians during a Turkish rampage in Damascus. Elkader, Iowa, is named after the emir. www.truejihad.com John W. Kiser is the author of The Monks of Tibhirine (St. Martin’s Press, 2003), which won the French Siloe Prize. His articles have appeared in Foreign Policy Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.   New York Times Review: Reviving a Novel-Worthy Tale of War and Religion PETER STEINFELS   Published: November 21, 2008 For more than 40 years he was a world figure, his renown stretching from the American Midwest to Moscow to the Middle East. As he neared death in 1883, The New York Times wrote that he “deserves to be ranked among the foremost of the few great men of the century.” Earlier, he had received accolades and awards from France, Britain, Russia, the Ottoman sultan, the papacy and President Abraham Lincoln, who sent him not a medal but, in quintessentially American fashion, a matched pair of fancy Colt pistols. The man being honored was Abd el-Kader, a learned and fervent Muslim, who for 15 years had organized and led a jihad against a Western power. After he ceased hostilities, his four-year detention, in violation of a promise of safe passage into exile, became an international cause célèbre. Released and feted, even by his captors, he came to live in Damascus. There, in July 1860, el-Kader braved mobs and saved thousands of Christians from a murderous rampage through the city’s Christian quarter. In this, the bicentennial of his birth, el-Kader’s name is known to only a tiny fraction of Americans. That fraction includes those knowledgeable about modern Algeria, where his resistance to French colonization places him among the founding figures of an independent nation. And then there are the 1,500 residents of Elkader, a town in northeastern Iowa, founded and named in 1846 by a frontier lawyer who admired the freedom-fighting...
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  1. Print length
    394 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Monkfish Book Publishing
  5. Publication date
    April 2, 2013
  6. File size
    3259 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a dramatic story of quarreling tribes, of Sufi sects and brotherhoods, of treacherous Ottoman officials, rival French generals, secret negotiations, broken truces, terrible atrocities and new forms of insurgency and counterinsurgency warfare. Any number of episodes could inspire novels... But it is hard to read Commander of the Faithful without thinking of more recent events. - Peter Steinfels, New York Times

"...a strikingly good biography and an important one as well... the result of more than a decade of scholarly research." - ForeWord Magazine

"...notable for illustrating that the meeting of civilizations need not always produce a clash." - Kirkus Reviews

"...a valuable and timely reminder of a gifted man who is regarded by many as a philosopher-saint who balanced devout faith with openness to new ideas.... that rare figure: a bridge between East and West." - Times Literary Supplement

"...brings both the man and his world brilliantly to life." - Steve Simon, Council on Foreign Relations

"...could only have been written by someone with a profound knowledge of the French and Arab worlds..." - Fredrick Starr, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies

"...an important book on an important subject. I hope it will reach a wide audience. I will introduce it to my fellow scholars and students." - Seyyed Hossein Nasr, University Professor of Islamic Studies, George Washington University

"Commander of the Faithful should be used as a guidebook for understanding current and future conflicts and interventions." - Col. John Bourgeois USMC (ret)

About the Author

John W. Kiser is the author of four books including The Monks of Tibhirine: Faith, Love, and Terror in Algeria (St. Martins, 2002). He is a former international technology broker with a B.A. in European History from Columbia and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. His articles have been published in Foreign Policy Magazine, the Washington Post.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00CST3PP8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Monkfish Book Publishing; Illustrated edition (April 2, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 2, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3259 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 394 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0982324669
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 61 ratings

About the author

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John W. Kiser

John W. Kiser

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John Kiser is an author, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He serves on the board of the William and Mary Greve Foundation from which position he has been spearheading, for the past twenty-five years, projects to address America's dangerous ignorance of the Muslim faith. It is an ignorance, he has learned, that also infects Muslim communities.

His engagement with the Muslim world began in 1994, after winding down Kiser Research, Inc. in Washington DC. Countering the conventional wisdom about Russian secretiveness, his business had won national attention by documenting and implementing opportunities for acquiring advanced technologies and intellectual property rights from Russia. His innovative thinking was recognized by both congressional intelligence committees and the Russian Academy of Science in 1993.

When Peristroika, and its companion, chaos, took hold, John took his family to France for a sabbatical. His goal was to improve his French, read the Bible and expose his children to other cultures. Ten years later, two books emerged: The Monks of Tibhirine: Faith, Love and Terror in Algeria and Commander of the Faithful: A Story of True Jihad. In 2012, John's book about French Benedictine monks was the basis for the Cannes Festival's award-winning film Of Gods and Men.

In 2008, the launch of Commander of the Faithful in Elkader, Iowa, led to the Abdelkader Education Project. AEP is now developing strategies for the globalization of Abdelkader as Teacher for The World. Today, audiences for the Emir’s lived values and universalist thinking include educators, civic leaders, diplomats, religious communities and the military.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
61 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

abdelhamid mezoui
5.0 out of 5 stars the power he had
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2023
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what a nice book, I am very happy ,I have found this book, and to learn more about the Emir Abdelkader,nice work
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Salman Ahsan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Historical Narrative
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2009
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This is a very well researched biography of Emir Abd el-Kader, the first leader to resist French colonization of Algeria. In many ways, this is an important work in the polarized world we live in today and Kiser's awareness of this diplomatic aspect of his penmanship is evident throughout the book. Indeed this higher motivation, of bridging the current religious and civilizational divide, is at times a bit of a distraction in the engaging historic narrative that we find unfolding in the pages of this book.

Abd el-Kader was raised in the tolerant religious tradition of Islamic Sufism, and his duties and obligations as a religious scholar and leader were paramount during his military campaigns and later on during his exile in France and ultimately in Damascus. A clear distinction is visible between Abd el-Kader's worldview and that of the stereotypical Islamic scholar of today. Kiser treats his subject with respect - respect that often borders on adulation, but the treatment of the French is also gentle. Despite being colonizers (some contemplating the Native American solution to Algeria), many of them are depicted as wanting to do the right thing.

Definitely worth reading.
2 people found this helpful
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timothy
4.0 out of 5 stars A change in thought...
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2010
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Instead of summarizing the book, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the effect this book has had on me. Prior to reading Commander of the Faithful, I found myself thinking poorly of Muslims and the Islamic faith. However, I wasn't aware of this prejudice until I began reading. I was constantly comparing the acts of war that Kiser describes to the acts of terrorism that we hear of today. However, once I realized I was reading this book through prejudiced lenses, I was able to take a step back and examine myself. From that point on, I was able to read with a open heart and mind. In doing so, I discovered a man and a faith full of good and pure intentions. Don't get me wrong, this book did not lead to a conversion experience to Islam, but it did help me open my eyes/ears to seeing/hearing other's in a new way. It has caused me to want to listen to other's rather than judge before knowing them.

I am grateful for this book and the insights I have gleaned from it. Whether you are a history buff, religious scholar, or a person looking for great leadership examples, I am sure Commander of the Faithful will prove to be a wonderful read and heart warming story.
25 people found this helpful
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W. Dickson
5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading on Islam
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2016
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Kiser aptly summarizes the great philosopher-warriors life. He offers readers a window onto the life of one of Islam's great luminaries and defenders, Emir Abdelkader, who famously fought the French with honour and restraint, and later saved thousands of Christians in Damascus from a Muslim mob.
3 people found this helpful
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William R Burns Jr
5.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting and inspiring book centered on a 19th ...
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2017
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A very interesting and inspiring book centered on a 19th century Muslim leader who became a hero to Christians, including Abraham Lincoln.
One person found this helpful
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C. McPherson
5.0 out of 5 stars An Islamic Martin Luther King, well researched and very ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2017
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An Islamic Martin Luther King, well researched and very well written. An important example for our time.
3 people found this helpful
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Sarah Cunningham
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent use of historical facts!
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2010
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The author used excellent historical facts that gave the reader ample historical background to tell the story of the life and times of el-Kader. I found that Mr. Kiser's writing style was straightforward and at times very exciting.
One person found this helpful
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K. Jensen
4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative about real meaning of Islam
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2014
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Although the book was sometimes difficult to read, particularly with Islamic terms used throughout, the story of Adb el-Kader was fascinating. I had never heard of him before, so I was surprised to read how well-known he was in the world in the 19th Century. Book is most interesting for people who enjoy reading about real historical characters.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Abu sulaiman
3.0 out of 5 stars Good but flawed
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2022
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Kiser has written an interesting book on an important and transcendental character - it’s shocking that there isn’t more material on Abdel Kader in English.

The story is vividly told and Kiser is fairly nuanced in most matters. However, it does feel Orientalist at time. Constant referral to the cruelty and nefariousness of the Turks and their rule, is annoying. There is plenty of recent academic work which dispels this myth. Kiser should know better.

Otherwise, as I’ve said, an interesting read on an under researched character
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on January 11, 2018
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Excellent
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