The year of 1990 was the start of the Black Decade, what Anouar Benmalek called “not a civil war but a war against civilians” marked the start of civil war in Algeria that saw the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) win elections as the Algerian army organized a coup d’état in retaliation to block the formation of an Islamic government. Islamists known for their brutality and exploitation of the Islamic religion, worsened the status of women’s rights in the region by claiming women had no place in society which led to them being confined to their homes in fear of harassment, imprisonment, or death. They used religion to promote their radical ideologies for claims that this will ensure spiritual salvation. Associating women’s rights with the West and framing the discourse as being “anti-islamic” is a strategy deployed to terrorize and incite fear amongst populations. Nonetheless, using culture and tradition as a method to justify control over women, seduced a large number of the population on the basis of encouraging masculinity and male dominance. As Butler points out, discourse produces significance, and dominant narratives have inaccurately portrayed women and racialized peoples as inferior. Feminist theory and postcolonial theory helps us to understand the legacies and effects of patriarchy and colonialism. Theorists including Saba Mahmood, Aimé Césaire, Edward Saïd, amongst others, demonstrate that emancipation begins at the recreation of new narratives. Retelling stories introduces new genres of the human and opens the space for another kind of positionality that distinguishes itself from traditional Eurocentric notions of “human.” These theories work in conjunction with each other to transform traditional narratives into liberatory narratives. As Fanon argues: “Liberation of Algerians is closely tied to liberation of women.” Women’s liberation movements continue to pose threats for women in the Maghreb region. Authors of the Black Decade such as Malika Mokeddem, Maïssa Bey, Latifa Ben Mansour, and many others highlight how women are beginning to play a bigger role in shaping the politics of social movements. They help us to redefine our traditional notions of violence and highlight the essential role that women play in political movements. During any transition, women will play a key role in holding an elected government accountable and in ensuring democratic measures are implemented. Primary source research conducted in France and North Africa includes dozens of interviews with women protagonists in this liberation struggle.