The Kabyle smile () was a method of killing used by elements of the FLN during the Algerian War, consisting of slitting the victim's throat,James Minahan, Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: S-Z, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, , often with the added sadism of severed genitals stuffed in the victims mouth. The method was widespread among the fighters of Kabylia, which was then one of the main areas of conflict. Harkis, French soldiers in Algeria, and European civilians were victims of this.Moi, Hassan, harki, enrôlé, déraciné, Éditions du Masque d’Or, mars 2013 This practice was also applied by the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) during the Algerian Civil War in the 1990s.La blessure - La tragédie des harkis, Daniel Costelle, Isabelle Clarke, 2010
According to Jacques Duquesne, a journalist at La Croix in Algiers in the late 1950s:
History Notably during the Palestro ambush in 1956, this practice was applied to corpses, with evisceration added to it.Toussaint sanglante : début de la guerre d’Algérie
In 2026, Leftist French politician, Sophia Chikirou made a joke using the phrase; Sophia Chikirou came on stage and joked, "We're waiting for you at the exit, Adele." Before adding, "I gave her a Kabyle smile." While receptive to the first joke, the audience didn't react to the second . The performer then asked the audience, "Who here knows what a Kabyle smile is?" One spectator replied, "That's not good."
See also
Colombian necktie Glasgow smile
References