Mulai Ahmed er Raisuni

Mulai Ahmed er Raisuni
مولاي أحمد الريسوني
Mulai Ahmed er Raisuli
General Emir of the Jebala Tribal Confederacy
Personal details
Born1871
Zinat
DiedApril 1925 (aged 53–54)
Prison in Tamasint (near Al Hoceima)

Mulai Ahmed er Raisuni (Arabic: "مولاي أحمد الريسوني", known as Raisuli to most English speakers, also Raissoulli, Rais Uli, and Raysuni; 1871[1] – April 1925[2]) was a Sharif (descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad), and a leader of the Jebala tribal confederacy in Morocco at the turn of the 20th century.

While he was regarded by foreigners and the Moroccan government as a brigand, some Moroccans, especially among the Jebala, considered him a heroic figure, fighting a repressive, corrupt government, while others considered him a thief. Historian David S. Woolman referred to Raisuni as "a combination Robin Hood, feudal baron, and tyrannical bandit."[3] He was considered by many as "the last of the Barbary Pirates" though Barbary Coast piracy had ended by the middle of the 19th century. On the other hand, according to Douglas Porch, an American historian, Raisuni was part of the rule rather than the exception in that every successful Moroccan politician at the time combined villainy with sainthood.[4]

He died in April 1925 after having been captured and imprisoned by his rival Abd el Krim.

  1. ^ Forbes 1924, p. 29
  2. ^ TIME 1925a
  3. ^ Woolman 1968, p. 46
  4. ^ Porch 2005, p. 104