Muslim France and the Revolution: Religious Tensions and International Solidarity

During the era of the French Revolution, Islam became a significant touchstone for both revolutionaries and their adversaries. While the transformation of public perception regarding Islam and its association with revolutionary ideas has been previously explored, the weaponization of the ‘Muslim image’ by anti-revolutionaries adds another dimension to this complex interplay.

Anti-revolutionary elements in France painted a portrait of a dystopian ‘Muslim France’, using it as a means to vilify the revolutionaries. This fiction served to brand the revolutionaries as irreligious atheists intent on dismantling Christianity and substituting it with what they termed as ‘Turkish fallacies’. In many ways, the revolution’s strife against Roman Catholicism was perceived as a battle on Islamic lines. The facets of Islam that resonated with revolutionary thought—like its anti-clericalism, the confluence of religious and secular authority, and the emphasized civil and moral responsibilities of religious leaders—were hot topics. The discussions surrounding these Islamic principles became a backdrop for the enduring confrontation between anti-clerical revolutionaries and the pro-Church factions, which included royalists, devout Catholics, and counterrevolutionaries.

Ian Coller’s research provides empirical weight to these observations. Analyzing a collection of pamphlets at the Jesuit Library in Lyon, which focused on the religious upheavals of 1791-1792, Coller found a staggering frequency of references to Muslims. These pamphlets, revolving around the clergy, clerical oaths, and the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, demonstrated how intertwined the discourse on the revolution was with perceptions of Islam. Such frequent references underscored that the implications of these discussions were not mere passing mentions but significant components of the narrative.

Parallel to these intellectual and symbolic exchanges, a practical alliance was also brewing. The Revolution, for all its ideological fervor, had material and economic needs. In this context, Muslim regions, specifically Algiers, emerged as unexpected yet crucial allies. Hasan Pasha, the leader of Muslim Algiers, became a formidable supporter of the revolutionary cause. His backing wasn’t just ideological; it was material. He provided the revolutionaries with substantial financial support and ensured a steady supply of grain—a resource vital for the well-being of the revolution’s heartland. What makes this support particularly noteworthy is Pasha’s decision to prohibit the same aid to the revolutionaries’ adversaries.

Algiers’ alignment with revolutionary France went beyond just trade and material assistance. The dey of Algiers, for instance, exhibited an evident pro-French stance, even in diplomatically sensitive situations. In 1793, when Toulon fell to the British, he refused to let grain supplies from Algiers be shipped there, a move which further crippled the already famine-stricken city.

This support was especially significant given the broader European context. While monarchies and churches from Spain, Britain, Germany, and other European regions mobilized against revolutionary France, financially strangling it and cornering it politically, Algiers stood in stark contrast. The Muslim region not only recognized the French Republic but also played a pivotal role in aiding it against a Europe-wide onslaught. A 1795 report from the Moniteur articulated this dynamic clearly, noting the irony of an African power recognizing and allying with the fledgling French Republic while the rest of Europe conspired against it. By mid-1793, the narrative was glaringly apparent: Revolutionary France, besieged by Europe, had found an unexpected ally in the Regency of Algiers.

The interplay between the French Revolution and Islam was multi-faceted. While the anti-revolutionaries conjured the specter of a ‘Muslim France’ to stigmatize and oppose revolutionary ideas, the practical and tangible support from Muslim regions, especially Algiers, was instrumental in buoying the revolution during its most trying times. The complex interrelationship underscores the intricate ways in which religious, political, and socio-economic factors intermingle during periods of profound societal upheaval.