What to Make of Morocco’s Most Famous Anti-Colonial Hero?

One hundred years ago this week, Muhammad ibn Abd el-Karim el-Khattabi—better known simply as Abd el-Karim—surrendered, ending his five-year rebellion against Spanish and French colonial forces. In 1921, when the war began, Abd el-Karim was just a regional judge in the Rif region of northern Morocco. By 1925, he was on the cover of Time magazine .

The accompanying article described him as an “impressive man,” “liberally bewhiskered,” and “master of the terrain.” In a few short years, Abd el-Karim destroyed an army from Spain, demoralized another from France, and established a short-lived state called the Republic of the Rif. As a result, anti-colonialists and leftists in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere took up Abd el-Karim’s cause. Ultimately, Abd el-Karim, or Moulay Mohand, as he remained known in the Rif, failed to liberate his homeland. Defeated by French forces, he was sent into exile, eventually settling in Cairo. Despite living nearly 40 more years, Abd el-Karim never again set foot in Morocco. A century later, Abd el-Karim still hasn’t been properly welcomed back. In the foothills of north-central Morocco, 15 or so kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea, along the winding road between Temsaman and Ben Taieb, there’s a walled enclosure with a little ceremonial gate. Inside, a chiseled marble plaque commemorates the July 1921 Battle of Anoual, where Abd el-Karim’s confederation of tribal forces ambushed and destroyed a Spanish garrison. Nowadays, the monument at Anoual is a dusty place. The central plaque reads, in Arabic, “The battle confirmed the will of the Moroccan people to defend their land, their sacred values, and their national unity.” That national unity would only come 30 years after Abd el-Karim’s surrender. In 1956, Morocco won its independence from France and Spain, unifying the multiple colonial zones with Sultan (and later King) Mohammed V on the throne. Today, Mohammad V’s grandson still rules all of Morocco.

Key points

• The accompanying article described him as an “impressive man,” “liberally bewhiskered,” and “master of the terrain.” In a few short years, Abd el-Karim destroyed an army from Spain, demoralized ano…
• As a result, anti-colonialists and leftists in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere took up Abd el-Karim’s cause.
• Ultimately, Abd el-Karim, or Moulay Mohand, as he remained known in the Rif, failed to liberate his homeland.
• Defeated by French forces, he was sent into exile, eventually settling in Cairo.
• Despite living nearly 40 more years, Abd el-Karim never again set foot in Morocco.