Abd el-Kader was well known in his own time for his efforts to prevent the French colonization of Algeria, but became even better known and respected by enemy and friend alike for his acceptance and interest in people of all political and religious backgrounds. His very popularity caused him difficulties because it made him a risk in exile even when he had no intention of violating his word that he would never return.

He was a complicated man, a thinking man thrust into the position of a leader in time of war, but his actions after surrender stand out with as much prominence as any he made harassing the French in Algeria.

This biography provides the background to understand the Emir’s proving ground, but the focus is more on who he was and how he treated others because that’s what offers an example to the modern world. It says something that so many of the existing records of his life come from descriptions by those who met him across a battleground or negotiating table. Even as he refused an offer by the then king of France to go back rule Algeria because he’d given his word to another French government never to step foot in his birth country, so too did he expect others to hold to their promises, an honor he did not find in those responsible for carrying out the terms of his surrender.

I’m jumping ahead in the biography to give a taste of what this telling offers. Will you see the dates of great battles within the pages: yes. Is that the theme that drives this particular biography: no.

This biography looks at the ways in which Emir Abd el-Kader made choices that did not reflect either the brutality of the French or the circumstances facing his own forces during the conflict. Instead, he focused on the law of Islam, the pure message of faith and treatment of others that many warp to serve their purposes. Not the emir. He kept to the spirit as well as the letter, treating his prisoners with the respect due to them as fellow people. He did the same with his visitors, whether sent to spy on him in the guise of a translator or come to request a prisoner exchange, something the French later banned because they needed to maintain the fiction of the Emir as a monster, not a good man.

Whether you read about the emir to learn about the past or out of curiosity, this biography has more to offer in showing how a political and military conflict can play out. It offers a glimpse into the complex maneuvers as government policy shifts and where expedience or caution can undermine duty and honor.

This is no simple presentation for all that it doesn’t have the length to go in depth on every aspect of this man’s journey through the trials and tribulations of life. There’s a lot to learn from what he dealt with, but more from how he dealt with the crises he faced.

I enjoyed The Compassionate Warrior and hope this renewed interest helps bring his perspective in the modern dialogues facing us, especially on religious grounds.

This book was provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review.