Fodil El Ouartilani

Fodil El Ouratilani (Arabic: الفضيل الورتيلاني) was an Algerian Muslim Brotherhood member. He is considered a prominent member of the Islamic Movement in Algeria, for he had an important role in founding the Association of Algerian Muslim Ulema in 1931, as he was very close to Imam Abdelhamid Ben Badis and Imam Bashir Al-Ibrahimi.

He was the strong link between the Muslim Brotherhood ideology and Association of Algerian Muslim Ulema. as well as opening some community associations in Egypt. .

Early life Ibrahim Bin Mustafa El Djazairi, who is also known as Fodil El Ouratilani, was born on June 2, 1900, in Beni Ourtilane, a town in Setif Province in eastern Algeria. He was associated with the town and it is how he became known as El Ouratilani. He grew up in a family of scholars, as his grandfather, Sheikh Al-Hossein El Ouratilani, an explorer who known for his famous journey, was a renowned scholar in his town and in Algeria.

Like other students, he memorized the Qur’an and learned reading and writing principles.

El Ouratilani’s activities extended to supporting the free people of Yemen, as there was a strong opposition movement and a need for reform. Al-Banna was aware of what was happening in Yemen, and looking to bring the country out of isolation, poverty, and ignorance, he sent Fodil El Ouratilani.

Connections He had close connections with Algerian Muslims living in France and Arab studying there, such as Sheikh Muhammed Abdallah Draz, Sheikh Abdelrahman Taj, Mohamed Al-Mubarak and Omar Bahauddin Al-Amiri. This Islamic activity raised the suspicion of French authorities and racist, terrorist organizations that started to restrict the movement of Muslim activists, primarily Fodil El Ouratilani. La Main Rouge (English: The Red Hand), for instance, a terrorist organization, decided to assassinate him, forcing him to leave France for Italy with the help of Prince Shakib Arslan, who provided him with a passport.

Imam Ahmad Yahya Hamidaddin opposed the constitutional government in Sana'a and accused it of assassinating his father and insulting his sisters, so he gathered his loyal tribes and together they fought against the constitutional government. Constitutional order was overthrown on March 13, 1948, and Imam Ahmad became king. After the defeat of the Yemeni Revolution, El Ouratilani was sentenced to death. He was accused of taking part in the assassination of Imam Yahya and the coup d'état. He was wanted for death, therefore he spent five years in disguise, homeless, and had to change his facial features. And that is why there are pictures of him in an Azhari scholar outfit, a tribe sheikh, and an American actor. During this period, he secretly visited all Western European countries and met with the leader of the Association of Algerian Muslim Ulema, Sheikh Mohamed Al-Bashir Al-Ibrahimi, and his deputy, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Arabi Al-Tibsi in Switzerland. Prime Minister of Lebanon, Riad Al-Solh accepted that El Ouratilani resides in Beirut, provided that it was kept a secret.

Connection with the Muslim Brotherhood In his book, The Muslim Brotherhood: Events that Made History, Great scholar Mahmoud Abdelhalim says about him,

In 1980, a mosque under his name was inaugurated in Algeria in memory of him.