Authoritarian Regimes, Religion and Revolts: The Case of Algeria Issam Aburaya The major purpose of this essay is to explore the transformation of the Algerian Islamic movement from a body that focused mainly on social, religious and cultural reform in the 1960s into a radical (and very popular) political opposition in the late 1980s. More specifically, I contend to highlight the connections between the structural characteristics of the post-colonial Algerian political regime, its policies and contradictions that led eventually to the mass rebellion in October 1988 followed by political liberalization measures on one hand and the changing nature of the Algerian Islamic opposition, its shifting aims and strategies on the other. I aim to demonstrate this by highlighting the two major factors that turned the Algerian Islamic movement into a significant force in the mass rebellion against the authoritarian regime in October 1988 and subsequently into the main benefactor of the first fair and democratic municipal and national elections in postcolonial Algeria (1990-1991). I argue these factors were: First, the Islamic movement’s effective cooptation of the legacy, symbolism and aims of the Algerian revolution and the national liberation struggle which in the Algerian consciousnesses are tantamount to national pride, egalitarianism and social justice. Second, the Movement’s impressive capacity of combining organic and modern mobilizing structures. Of special interest for this essay is what is depicted in the vernacular Algerian language the Huma (Le quartier). The Huma allowed Islamic movement to produce an extensive and sophisticated communication networks in its opposition to the current ruling elites. This is in addition to its successful combination of universal Islamic ideals and values with local identities and connections such as the family and the neighborhood