Algeria's Uneasy amnesty

For some time now there has been a civil war, in effect, in Algeria. About 13 years ago the government was about to lose the popular vote to an Islamist party and cancelled the elections. Since then there have been atrocities committed by government and FIS (Front Islamique de Salvation). Now there is a truce and the FIS have signed up to not take part in politics, but how long can it hold? One opinion is,

"Is there going to be an Islamic republic here, like Iran? That is not possible. Algeria is secular," said Lagab Mohammad, a university lecturer and newspaper columnist who writes in support of the Algerian president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

But given some of the other things in this report, we have to ask whether that is whistling in the dark. Algerian exiles seem to have been one important aspect of Al Qaida style cells in 'Londonistan' over the last decade ...
Guardian Unlimited | World dispatch | Uneasy amnesty:

Technorati tags: Algeria, Islam, FIS, Al Qaida