173:. Although Mokhtefi admired French literature and culture, his experience as a colonized subject of France led him to write about the hypocrisy of French ideals. In particular, Mokhtefi was frustrated with the French labor movement's lack of support for Algerians, later writing: "Where is past proletarian solidarity, what has become of the values of the Enlightenment?" However, he did meet several French people who were sympathetic towards or assisted in the fight for Algerian independence, including
243:
At the end of the war, Mokhtefi voted for
Algerian independence. In his memoirs, he recounts disobeying orders and traveling from Morocco into the newly independent Algeria. At the border, he encountered an illiterate Algerian soldier who pretended to read his travel documents. Due to French colonial
239:
Mokhtefi references a "climate of fear and disdain" in the ALN in his memoirs. Observing corruption and unnecessary violence in the ALN, he became increasingly disillusioned with it and openly opposed some of the decisions made by ALN leaders. For example, Mokhtefi was ordered to kill two fellow
161:
In his memoirs, Mokhtefi recounted how his education at a French school caused a feeling of alienation from his family and his village: "I see that the habits, the beliefs, the way of thinking and acting acquired in my original environment are eroding. I’m 'Frenchicizing,' one might say."
271:(née Klein), at a friend's dinner in Algiers. At the time, she worked in the Algerian administration as a fixer. When Elaine was ordered to spy on a colleague, former president Ben Bella's wife, she refused. As a result, she was forced to leave Algeria, and Mokhtefi went with her.
274:
In 1974, the couple moved to Paris, where they sold jewelry and children's books that they had created. They married in 1991. His wife has said that he experienced racism in France. After 20 years there, they ultimately ended up in New York City, where
Mokhtefi studied English at
149:
Mokhtefi was the only one of his family's six children to attend secondary school, after one of his teachers encouraged his father to let him take an entrance exam. Mokhtefi obtained a scholarship and was one of the few
Algerian students at his French boarding school in
282:
Mokhtefi continued to follow the news in
Algeria and visited his family every year. His wife has said, "The country was the love of his life. He couldn’t bear it being endangered in such a way, to see it manipulated and degraded."
204:
Three years into the war, Mokhtefi discovered that his political activity had caught the attention of the French colonial authorities and that other activists had been arrested. As a result, Mokhtefi took the train to
244:
education policies, only 10-15% of
Algerians were literate at the time of independence. Mokhtefi ends his memoirs with the statement: "Ignorance out of the barrel of a gun is preparing us for bitter tomorrows."
919:
322:
His wife has stated that the memoir "reflects his disappointment in independent
Algeria. He was disappointed that Algeria failed to uphold the ideals of democracy, justice and freedom".
232:" to test radio transmitters. Eventually, he headed his own communications unit. To set up communication posts, he undertook dangerous border crossings, including crossing the
669:
520:"Book Review: Mokhtar Mokhtefi. I Was a French Muslim: Memories of an Algerian Freedom Fighter; Benjamin Stora. Les clés retrouvées: Une enfance juive à Constantine"
699:
624:
256:. Mokhtefi became increasingly disillusioned with Algerian politics, in part because it was dominated by the military. In 1965, the first president
240:
Algerians for treason; believing them to be innocent, he refused. But one of his colleagues killed them and subsequently suffered from nightmares.
296:
772:
454:"Algeria, Antifascism, and Third Worldism: An Anticolonial Genealogy of the Western European New Left (Algeria, France, Italy, 1957–1975)"
252:
After the war ended in 1962, Mokhtefi obtained work in government planning, but his colleagues did not support his "Marxist ideas" about
115:
72:
210:
197:
or student monitor. In 1954, the FLN declared a revolution. Mokhtefi was involved with student and union organizing to support the
934:
264:, a move of which Mokhtefi disapproved. He also criticized the suppression of free speech, comparing it to French colonialism.
939:
567:
888:
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where he had enjoyed sitting. In 2024, she set up the Elaine and
Mokhtar Mokhtefi Endowment to support students at the
600:
640:
362:"I Was a French Muslim: Memories of an Algerian Freedom Fighter. By Mokhtar Mokhtefi. Translated by Elaine Mokhtefi"
292:
122:. He wrote about his experiences growing up in Algeria and fighting in the war as a radio operator in his memoir,
924:
798:
929:
261:
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by Other Press. The title references how
Algerian Muslims were categorized on their identity documents.
139:
670:"A rebel and freedom fighter, Elaine Mokhtefi translates their remarkable life in her husband's memoir"
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453:
190:
166:
155:
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229:
225:
856:
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Towards the end of his life, Mokhtefi began working on his memoirs. Soon after his death in 2015,
426:
291:
In 2015, Mokhtefi died of cancer in New York City. His wife, Elaine, dedicated a bench to him in
780:
864:
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After training in
Morocco and Tunisia, he served as a radio operator in the ALN
170:
135:
35:
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810:
636:
535:
487:
214:
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included it on a list called "Best Middle
Eastern Literature to Read Now".
165:
While in school, Mokhtefi became interested in both French literature and
832:"Lifelong anticolonial activist makes significant estate bequest to CNES"
478:
773:"Literacy, training and employment for women Country Profile: Algeria"
138:. His father was a butcher. On 8 May 1945, Mokhtefi witnessed both
206:
151:
315:
Six years later, his wife's English translation was published as
700:"I was a French Muslim—Memories of an Algerian Freedom Fighter"
189:
After Mokhtefi completed high school, he worked at a school in
568:"Mokhtar Mokhtefi: A Free Algeria Was Always Worth the Fight"
325:
313:
J’étais Français-musulman: itinéraire d’un soldat de l’ALN.
146:
in which the French army massacred thousands of Algerians.
889:"Best Modern Middle Eastern Literature To Read Now"
78:
68:
60:
42:
28:
21:
920:Members of the National Liberation Front (Algeria)
458:The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History
420:Barnett, Marcus; Mokhtefi, Elaine (2023-03-07).
154:. His brother, Mohamed, was imprisoned for his
8:
213:, the armed wing of the FLN. He adopted the
422:"Mokhtar Mokhtefi's Literature of Refusal"
18:
799:"When the Black Panthers Came to Algeria"
477:
337:
267:In 1972, Mokhtefi met his future wife,
201:, including raising money for the FLN.
625:"War and Memory in France and Algeria"
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311:published his memoirs in Algeria as
211:Armée de libération nationale (ALN)
14:
749:"Suzanne Ruta on Elaine Mokhtefi"
698:Geracoulis, Mischa (2021-05-23).
452:Brazzoduro, Andrea (2020-09-02).
299:Center for Near Eastern Studies.
524:Comparative Civilizations Review
360:Mortimer, Mildred (2023-04-15).
114:(1935–2015) was a member of the
797:Rodriques, Elias (2019-05-07).
116:National Liberation Front (FLN)
96:
73:National Liberation Front (FLN)
830:McInerny, Peggy (2024-07-22).
668:Hammond, Joseph (2021-08-06).
518:Barrows, Leland (2022-09-01).
1:
631:. Vol. 68, no. 18.
605:. Kirkus Reviews. 2021-07-26.
470:10.1080/03086534.2020.1817232
134:Mokhtefi was born in 1935 in
855:Kaplan, Alice (2017-03-14).
747:Ruta, Suzanne (2018-08-23).
629:The New York Review of Books
623:Kaplan, Alice (2021-11-18).
260:was overthrown in a coup by
228:. Mokhtefi recounted using "
199:Algerian War of Independence
185:Algerian War of Independence
120:Algerian War of Independence
966:
181:, and several priests.
566:day, susie (2021-09-21).
209:, Morocco and joined the
144:SĂ©tif and Guelma massacre
130:Early life and education
16:Algerian freedom fighter
935:People from Berrouaghia
857:"Algeria's New Imprint"
64:freedom fighter, writer
54:New York, New York, USA
169:. He especially liked
940:Algerian nationalists
674:Religion News Service
602:I WAS A FRENCH MUSLIM
317:I Was a French Muslim
140:Victory in Europe Day
124:I Was a French Muslim
167:Algerian nationalism
136:Berrouaghia, Algeria
36:Berrouaghia, Algeria
277:Columbia University
254:land redistribution
230:Chant des Partisans
226:Abdelhafid Boussouf
704:The Markaz Review
262:Houari Boumédiène
195:maître d’internat
109:
108:
50:(aged 79–80)
957:
925:Algerian Muslims
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779:. Archived from
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706:. Archived from
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112:Mokhtar Mokhtefi
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23:Mokhtar Mokhtefi
19:
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258:Ahmed Ben Bella
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132:
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99: 1991)
94:
90:
88:Elaine Mokhtefi
56:
51:
47:
38:
33:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
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930:French Muslims
927:
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893:GQ Middle East
880:
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822:
786:
783:on 2015-12-15.
764:
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653:
608:
583:
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493:
464:(5): 958–978.
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366:French Studies
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326:GQ Middle East
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293:Riverside Park
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710:on 2024-02-27
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61:Occupation(s)
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897:. Retrieved
895:. 2021-11-11
892:
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872:. Retrieved
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839:. Retrieved
835:
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814:. Retrieved
802:
781:the original
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756:. Retrieved
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712:. Retrieved
708:the original
703:
677:. Retrieved
673:
645:. Retrieved
641:the original
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575:. Retrieved
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431:. Retrieved
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222:Signal Corps
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158:activism.
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111:
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69:Organization
48:(2015-00-00)
950:2015 deaths
945:1935 births
234:Morice Line
191:Constantine
171:Victor Hugo
156:nationalist
118:during the
914:Categories
899:2024-07-21
874:2024-07-24
861:The Nation
841:2024-07-24
816:2024-07-24
803:The Nation
758:2024-07-22
714:2024-07-22
679:2024-07-22
647:2024-07-24
577:2024-07-22
433:2024-07-21
332:References
869:0027-8378
811:0027-8378
637:0028-7504
536:0733-4540
488:0308-6534
753:Berfrois
572:Truthout
224:, under
217:Amara.
142:and the
427:Tribune
101:
93:
867:
809:
777:UNESCO
635:
534:
530:(87).
486:
303:Memoir
269:Elaine
79:Spouse
287:Death
207:Oujda
193:as a
152:Blida
95:(
91:
865:ISSN
836:UCLA
807:ISSN
633:ISSN
532:ISSN
484:ISSN
297:UCLA
46:2015
43:Died
32:1935
29:Born
474:hdl
466:doi
279:.
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