John Kiser Speaks to Mason Students about the “True Jihad”

By C.M. Abu Sarah

John Kiser Speaks to Mason Students about the “True Jihad”

The Fall for the Book festival at George Mason University attracts scholars of all backgrounds and faiths. Among the authors visiting campus during the 2010 event was John Kiser, writer and board member of the Cordoba Initiative and the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy. Kiser spoke about his book “Commander of the Faithful” on September 21st in a talk sponsored by the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies. The lecture drew a crowd of students and scholars, who turned out to hear Kiser present his latest manuscript, which he calls “a story of true jihad.”

“Commander of the Faithful” explores the life of Muslim scholar and anti-colonial revolutionary Abd el-Kader al-Jaza'iri. In his lecture, Kiser explained why he chose to write about Emir Abd el-Kader. “We need stories about good Muslims today,” Kiser said. “[Abd el-Kader was] a true embodiment of the ideals of Islam.” Abd el-Kader fought against French colonialism in Algeria from 1832 until his exile in 1847. While in exile, he gained even more notoriety for his rescue of thousands of Christians during an uprising in Damascus. The act captured the attention of the West: Abd el-Kader was awarded the French Legion of Honor and President Lincoln sent him a plaque and a set of pistols. After the uprising, the Emir wrote that he rescued the group “to be faithful to Islamic law and out of respect for human rights. All creatures are part of God’s family.”

During the lecture, Kaiser explained that Abd el-Kader’s life was an example of “true jihad” because the Emir fought “to live righteously.” Kiser also recited a passage from Abd el-Kader’s writings. “If God is what the Christians, Muslims, Jews, Zoroastrians, and polytheists believe, He is that – and more. None of His creatures worship Him in His entirety…. we are all wrong: the finite cannot grasp the infinite,” quoted Kiser.

John Kiser later described how writing makes him feel he is participating in an adventure. He says he feels he is recovering lost history, and rightly so. Although Abd el-Kader’s story is one of faith and courage, the Emir is not a well-known figure in the United States, even though he does have the distinction of being the only Arab to have an American town named after him (Elkader, Iowa). Kiser hopes to change this, and views the book as an “effort to revive the memory of a man who was one of the great men of the 19th Century.”

“Commander of the Faithful” has received wide acclaim since its publication in 2008, reflecting the fact that Kiser has written a compelling and timely tale. Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan has said the book “provides Muslims with a much-needed antidote to the toxic false jihads of today, dominated by anger, violence and politics.” Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has also praised the book, writing that “Kiser’s work skillfully reveals that Abd el-Kader’s legacy transcends the bounds of both time and age… [the book is] the perfect elixir for the contemporary West’s chronic difficulties understanding the East.”

Kiser also emphasizes the book’s relevance for current events, and his audience at the lecture seemed to agree. As one participant told Kiser afterward, “[Abd el-Kader] sounds like a man I would have liked to meet… I am grateful for you giving us the chance to meet him through your work.” Overall, it was this sense of “getting to know” Abd el-Kader, as well as Kiser’s ability to find lessons for the contemporary world in Abd el-Kader’s life, that made the lecture notable. Kiser brought a historical figure to life, and in doing so challenged his audience’s perception of what it means to fight the “true jihad.”