Notwithstanding these demographics, Elkader is named after an Islamic hero. In fact, it’s the only U.S. town named after an Arab Jihadist — a 19th century Algerian Muslim, Abd el-Kader. It was from the 1860s that el-Kader attracted the world but before he became an international hero, the people of Iowa had already named their new town after him. Students compete for scholarships in the Abdelkader Global Leadership Prize while exploring the legacy of the Algerian freedom fighter. Today, tiny Elkader is a sister city to Mascara, in northwestern Algeria, where el-Kader was born in 1808.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 05, 2020 12:56 UTC