Berber Ibāḍism: political, religious legitimacy and definition of a Specific Identity, in Reinhard Eisener (ed. by). Studies on Ibadism and Oman. Today's Perspectives on Ibadi History. Fourth Conference on Ibadism and Oman Corpus Christi College Cambridge June 16 to June 18 -2014. 2017. ISBN 978 3 487 15152 6, pp. 185-196.

In the countries of North Africa, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, more than 95 percent of the population of the region is Sunni Muslim, although there are wide variations in belief and practice. Sufi traditions and saints are a prominent feature of the Maghrib, as are syncretic and mystical interpretations of Islam. Culturally, the countries of North Africa are distinguished by their significant Berber populations, and this heritage exerts a strong influence on their linguistic traditions and political organization. Concerning the Khārijites, today they are minorities in North Africa. The Ibāḍīsm is rooted primarily in Jabal Nafūsa and Zuwāra in Libya as well as in Jerba Island in Tunisia and Mzab in Algeria, where it has managed, somehow, to persist since its introduction in the 8th century. For the Berbers, Ṣufrism and Ibāḍism were accepted for their stress on the essential equality of all Muslims regardless of ethnic origin. Berbers adopted the new doctrines not only against injustices of orthodox governments, but in order to maintain their political autonomy in the Maghribian areas and affirm and strengthen Berber cultural identity. On the other hand, as regards their contribution to the diffusion of the doctrine, the Berbers not only played an important role in Ibāḍī theology, but they integrated the practice of Islam in many aspects of the local culture and developed a rich literature, creating a distinctly North African Ibāḍī identity. In this context the sources which shed light on the life and ideas of these Berber peoples are sundry date and a varied provenance. Ibāḍī Berber writings form a rich field of Berber literary tradition, though there is still known about them. In this contribution I have given priority to some of the early Arabic sources of the Berber history written by the Berbers themselves. This paper starts with an outline survey of the early Arab sources and the expansion of the Ibāḍīyya in North Africa, followed by a brief overview of some aspects and information in what way the Berbers have legitimized this doctrine reconciling their culture with the new faith that they have adopted.