Ahmed Messali Hadj (Aḥmad Miṣālī al-Ḥājj, 1898–1974) was an Algerian politician and leader of Algerian nationalism. He was born in Tlemcen, in western Algeria, to a family earning their livelihood from agriculture and temporary jobs in the city. Messali studied in a French primary school in Tlemcen, although his education was interspersed with professional apprenticeships. According to family tradition, he also received a religious education in the Darqāwī Ṣūfī order. After serving in Bordeaux dur…