Inter-doubt dialogue in Slimane Benaïssa’s Prophètes sans dieu

Slimane Benaïssa is a Franco-Algerian playwright and novelist of Ibadi Muslim and Chaoui Amazigh (Berber) heritage. In his play Prophètes sans dieu (1998), written and staged in France during the 1990s conflict in Algeria, Benaïssa provides a platform for an imaginary dialogue between an actor playing Moses, an actor playing Jesus, and the author who refuses to represent the prophet Mohammed, out of reverence for sacred texts and respect for (fellow) Muslims. In this way, Benaïssa attempts to straddle the sacrilegious and the sublime through a philosophical, quasi-theological debate interrogating the potential of the Abrahamic connection to both unify and divide. Through an analysis of counterfactual mise-en-scène, role play, and word play, this article reveals that, behind the apparent humor in Benaïssa’s play, there is a sharp indictment of the instrumentalization of religion, an openness to (self-)questioning, and a sensibility to doubt. The playwright challenges assumptions and invites interfaith dialogue, while remaining wary of organized religion and advocating an inclusive laïcité. Moreover, Benaïssa poses a double critique of French colonization and theocratic dictatorship, arguing that with independence must come freedom of conscience alongside freedom of speech. In this way, the stage becomes a site of inter-doubt dialogue, questioning the limits of representation, faith, and freedom.