Book Review: Another Road to Damascus: An Integrative Approach to ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza’iri (1808-1883). (Copy)

In his reading of Algerian Sufi and anti-colonial leader ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza’iri, Tom Woerner-Powell notes the pervasiveness of a narrative of redemption. Mirroring the transition of Saul of Tarsus into Paul the Apostle, ‘Abd al-Qadir traverses the road from Algeria to Damascus, undergoing a dramatic transformation from a political leader into a pluralist religious thinker. In these Western historiographic narratives, scholars demarcate ‘Abd al-Qadir’s life into two dramatically irreconcilable eras after his surrender to the French empire. By bridging the “Islamic” and the “political,” Woerner-Powell’s intervention not only critically demonstrates the colonial saliency of the “Road to Damascus” narrative, but also cogently replaces it with an integrated narrative more representative of ‘Abd al-Qadir’s own writings.  

Woerner-Powell attributes his theoretical approach to the critical scholarly tradition of post-colonial studies. He refers to his approach as “decidedly a work of post-Orientalism orientalism,” making reference to Edward Said’s critique of the discursive tradition of Orientalism (p. 6). Working through Said, Woerner-Powell identifies the political saliency of the Road to Damascus; by narrativizing ‘Abd al-Qadir’s transformation from fanatical religious warrior to quiescent Sufi scholar, Western scholarship creates a more “benign” form of Eurocentrism than outright apologia for colonialism. The narrative of transformation that occurs after ‘Abd al-Qadir’s encounter with the French Empire “repurposes [Abd al-Qadir’s life] so as to spiritually enrich France” (p. 187). Identifying the “Road to Damascus” as not only politically convenient, but altogether inaccurate, Woerner-Powell forges a way forward to reimagine ‘Abd al-Qadir’s biography as a more coherent, integrated story. Woerner-Powell reads against the grain of dominant narratives by engaging with a range of ‘Abd al-Qadir’s writings, depicting his life as simultaneously “Islamocentric” and political. 

The first two chapters focus on ‘Abd al-Qadir’s Algerian years, represented as decidedly militant and political in dominant historiography. Woerner-Powell’s methodological interest in post-colonial studies emerges in his invoking of anthropologist Talal Asad, who warns against a cynical reading of “charismatic” religio-political leaders (p. 67). Consequently, Woerner-Powell argues for a pre-eminence of Sufi Islamic ontology to ‘Abd al-Qadir’s so-called “political” Algerian period. Locating an overlooked text by Abd al-Qadir called Risalah on Hijrah, Woerner-Powell traces ‘Abd al-Qadir’s jurisprudential argument against living under non-Muslim imperial control (p. 78). Following the implications of this argument, Woerner-Powell showcases how ‘Abd al-Qadir legitimizes his militant struggle against the French Empire, as well as his consequent hijra away from Algeria, as concurrent with Islamic jurisprudential discourse. This critical reading of ‘Abd al-Qadir’s “religious” texts during his supposedly “political” years removes the presumed barrier between religion and politics in secular discourse. Rather than showcasing ‘Abd al-Qadir as a cynically charismatic leader invoking religion with political anti-imperialist aims, Woerner-Powell heads Asad’s warning and presents a much more dynamic figure in ‘Abd al-Qadir.

More importantly, Woerner-Powell’s reading of ‘Abd al-Qadir’s earlier years

recontextualizes his later so-called “quiescent” years in Damascus, which he deals with in the latter 3 chapters of the book. Woerner-Powell argues that the years after ‘Abd al-Qadir’s surrender to the French did not represent a dramatic rupture from a militant past—rather, they remained continuous with his Islamic teachings in Algeria. Western historiography often treated ‘Abd al-Qadir’s famed intercession for the Christian minority in Damascus during the riots of 1860 as a byproduct of his post-surrender “transformation.” Writing against this dominant view, Woerner-Powell demonstrates ‘Abd al-Qadir’s commitment to saving the Christian minority as a religio-legal obligation connected to their status as dhimmis in an Islamic empire (p. 149). ‘Abd al-Qadir, who chose to leave French opulence for Muslim lands after his surrender, understood his own actions in Damascus as a service to the Muslim ummah by saving it from a grave injustice punishable by Allah. Following along with these later writings by ‘Abd al-Qadir, Woerner-Powell dismisses the narrative of transition from “parochialism” to “cosmopolitanism” in ‘Abd al-Qadir’s later Damascene years.

The strength of Woerner-Powell’s argument rests in his incisive, contextual analyses of ‘Abd al-Qadir’s writings. By looking at a variety of his writings, whether they be vastly overlooked or widely misread, Woerner-Powell not only critiques a dominant narrative but replaces it with a quite convincing, more integrated one. Woerner-Powell’s own background as a former student of the University of Oxford’s Oriental Studies department equips him with the theoretical toolbox to bridge between the Islamic Studies and political history of ‘Abd al-Qadir. His refusal to follow along with the secular distinctions between “religion” and “politics” seems to follow suit with ‘Abd al-Qadir’s own Islamic discourses throughout his lifetime. Therefore, Woerner-Powell’s approach bears under archival scrutiny far better than the historiography he critiques.

However, Woerner-Powell’s more “integrated” reading produces one unintended consequence: it could be taken so far as to imply that ‘Abd al-Qadir’s beliefs remained rigidly static throughout his life. Because Woerner-Powell’s project concerns itself primarily with establishing continuity against an exaggerated rupture, it pays less attention to any growth or evolution in ‘Abd al-Qadir’s thought. While this concern is somewhat speculative, there can be little doubt that human beings are prone to change over the course of their lifetimes, and ‘Abd al-Qadir should be no exception. Woerner-Powell seems to hint that any changes in ‘Abd al-Qadir’s worldview and personality could be attributed to friendships he made over the course of his journey (p. 115). Yet, despite these hints, the question of ‘Abd al-Qadir’s growth as a thinker and human being remains altogether unexplored. Because Woerner-Powell remains principally concerned with discarding a colonial narrative of exaggerated personal transformation, he undercuts any notions of change that ‘Abd al-Qadir may have in fact undergone. 

Similarly, another weakness of Woerner-Powell’s project is its singular focus on ‘Abd al-Qadir and his literary production at the expense of his relationships with the individuals and communities that surrounded him. Though Woerner-Powell frequently repudiates the “great man” model of history endemic to the Victorian tradition, his biographic narrative retains a strict focus on ‘Abd al-Qadir. To be fair, Woerner-Powell does successfully show ‘Abd al-Qadir as a man enmeshed with a broader Islamic tradition, not elevated above it as a great man in a “decadent” society (p. 20). Yet, because Woerner-Powell’s narrative excludes a look at ‘Abd al-Qadir’s dynamic relationships, it does not escape the narrative of “great men” altogether. Nevertheless, such an approach may simply go beyond the scope of Woerner-Powell’s project, and could be assessed in another complimentary work. In the conclusion of the book, Woerner-Powell does seem to suggest that there can be more to explore on the road forward from this work, after the dismissal of the neat demarcation of “religion” and “politics” in the Road to “Damascus narrative” (p. 217).

Fortunately, Woerner-Powell’s work holds far more merits than it does weaknesses. His post-colonial analytical approach cogently critiques the conventional narratives on ‘Abd al-Qadir. More importantly than merely critique, though, Woerner-Powell also rectifies these errors with a far more coherent narrative in their place. His historiographic contribution adds a great deal of nuance to ‘Abd al-Qadir, opening up possibilities for further studies that fill in the leftover gaps. Specifically, it opens up possibilities to reimagine ‘Abd al-Qadir’s interactions with not only the Islamic tradition, but with the surrounding communities most impacted by his politico-religious campaigns. These future works no longer need to contend with the dual ‘Abd al-Qadirs before and after France—they can sufficiently deal with a singular ‘Abd al-Qadir, a man who remained deeply loyal to an Islamic worldview, not at the expense of its political and social implications.