The Bureaucratization of Islam in Algeria: The State as the Only Controller of Religion.

This article examines the Algerian state's systematic control and institutionalization of Islam since its independence in 1962, highlighting how religion has been used to forge national identity and legitimize political authority. Key state bodies such as the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments (Awqaf), the Islamic High Council (IHC), and the Great Mosque of Algiers serve as instruments of bureaucratic oversight, regulating religious education, personnel, mosques, and Islamic practices to promote a state-sanctioned "authentic Islam" aligned with Algerian identity and political stability. Successive governments, notably under presidents Houari Boumedienne, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, and Abdelmadjid Tebboune, have expanded this control through legal reforms, hierarchical clerical structures, and large-scale religious projects, aiming to counter radicalism and maintain social cohesion. Despite these efforts, the article notes ongoing challenges from unofficial Islamist movements and socio-economic grievances that limit the effectiveness of state-controlled Islam in Algeria.