Page 149 - The Winter of Islam and the Spring to Come

HARUN YAHYA (ADNAN OKTAR)
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kill. Victims had rubber pipes placed in their mouths and then the
water was turned on, or fingernails were pulled out, or people were
held head-down in baths full of water, or they were hung for hours
at a time by their wrists in such a way that their feet could barely
touch the floor. There were still other methods. It is not easy to write
of these things. I have only repeated a part of what I know. 25

What Changed With Independence?
Algeria won its independence in 1962, although very little actually
changed for the Muslim people. With the declaration of independence,
the FLN assumed power and turned into an organization intimately
tied to colonialist France. Following a tradition frequently witnessed in
the Islamic world in the twentieth century, the party set up an oppres-
sive regime. The leaders of that regime exploited the country's rich nat-
ural reserves during their time in power. As the FLN leaders and their
backers made fortunes, the people grew ever poorer. In the 1990s, un-
employment levels rose to around 70 percent. However, all the pressure
and exploitative policies directed at the Muslim population carried the
seeds of the regime's own destruction.
All these developments in Algeria led to popular demonstrations,
boycotts and protests through which the people expressed the wrong-
doings being committed. More and more voices called for a free, multi-
party system to replace the single-party one. Eventually, in 1989, a
multi-party system was formed.
General elections were held on Dec. 26, 1991. It was to be a two-
round ballot, and the results of the first round were announced on Dec.
30. The Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) had secured an overwhelming ma-
jority, winning 188 out of the 232 seats in the parliament. The ruling
FLN only managed to win 15 deputies. The second round was seen as
just a formality. It was certain that the FIS would emerge victorious.
However, the oppressive regime in the country did not allow that
to happen. The army, led by Chief of General Staff Khalid Nezzar, took
power in a military coup. A number of provocations and blatantly false