Al-Islah (Yemen)

Yemeni Congregation for Reform
التجمع اليمني للإصلاح
ChairpersonMohammed al-Yadoumi
Deputy ChairpersonAbdul Wahab al-Ansi
FoundersAbdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar[1]
Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar[2]
Abdul Majeed al-Zindani[1]
Mohammed al-Yadumi[3]
Founded13 September 1990
(34 years ago) (1990-09-13)
HeadquartersSana'a
IdeologyIslamic fundamentalism[4]
Sunni Islamism[1]
Tribalism[1]
Yemeni nationalism[5]
Sectarianism[6]
Anti-Shia sentiment[7][8][6]
Anti-communism[9][10]
Anti-Zionism
Political positionRight-wing
ReligionSunni Islam (Salafism)[1]
International affiliationMuslim Brotherhood
Colours  Blue
House of Representatives
44 / 301
Website
alislah-ye.net
Al-Islah militia
ميليشيا الإصلاح
Foundation1990
Dates of operation1990-present
Active regionsYemen
StatusActive
SizeUnknown
AlliesState allies:

Non-state allies:

OpponentsState opponents:

Non-State opponents:

Battles and warsYemeni Civil War (2015-present)

The Yemeni Congregation for Reform, frequently called al-Islah (pronounced [alʔisˤlaːħ]; Arabic: التجمع اليمني للإصلاح, romanized: at-Tajammu’u al-Yamanī lil-Iṣlāḥ), is a Yemeni Sunni Islamist movement established in 1990 by Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar, Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, Abdul Majeed al-Zindani, with Ali Saleh's blessing.[23] The first article of Islah basic law defines it as "a popular political organization that seeks reform of all aspects of life on the basis of Islamic principles and teachings".[24]

Islah is more of a loose coalition of tribal and religious elements than a political party.[25] Its origins are in the Islamic Front, a Muslim Brotherhood affiliated militia supported by Saudi Arabia to combat the Marxist National Democratic Front during the Cold War.[9][10] The Islamic Front regrouped after the unification of Yemen in 1990 under the banner of the Islah Party with considerable financial backing from Saudi Arabia.[9] Islah has long been identified as a client of Saudi Arabia.[26][27] On its official website, Islah summarizes its foreign policy agenda; one of five major goals is "strengthening our country’s relations with sister Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council."[28]

Islah differs from most other Arab Islamists. The party combines tribal influences along with those of the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood. As a result, it faces deep internal divisions on key issues. Its fractious composition prevents it from developing a clear parliamentary platform, forcing it instead to balance tribal and political interests, differing interpretations of the party's Islamist platform, and both loyalist and opposition constituencies.[29] Given its origin as an alliance, Islah's ideology remains vague and its political platform ambiguous. Islah could be best described as a conservative party that promotes tribal and religious values.[24]

The Joint Meeting Parties came into existence in 2003 when Islah and the Socialist Party joined three other smaller parties to establish a joint opposition to the ruling General People's Congress.[30] At the last legislative elections on 27 April 2003, the party won 22.6% of the popular vote and 46 out of 301 seats.

The party is a part of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is considered a terrorist organization by the governments of Bahrain,[31][32] Egypt, Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.[12][33][34][35] However, since the civil war in Yemen, Saudi Arabia has forged closer relations with Al-Islah.[13]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Yemen: The Tribal Islamists". 2015. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  2. ^ Sarah Phillips (2008). Yemen's Democracy Experiment in Regional Perspective. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 52. ISBN 9780230616486.
  3. ^ Stephen W. Day (2012). Regionalism and Rebellion in Yemen: A Troubled National Union. Cambridge University Press. p. 134. ISBN 9781107379909.
  4. ^ Islamic fundamentalism in Yemen. Westview Press. 1996. p. 218. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  5. ^ "Yemeni Sheikh al-Zindani's New Role as a Healer". Jamestown.
  6. ^ a b "How Sunni-Shia Sectarianism is Poisoning Yemen". Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Yemeni Sheikh of Hate". National Review. Archived from the original on 31 October 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2007.
  8. ^ "Yemen crisis: Why is there a war?". BBC News. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  9. ^ a b c Sarah Phillips (2008). Yemen's Democracy Experiment in Regional Perspective. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 138. ISBN 9780230616486.
  10. ^ a b Stephen W. Day (2012). Regionalism and Rebellion in Yemen, A Troubled National Union. Cambridge University Press. p. 133. ISBN 9781107606593.
  11. ^ "Saudi and UAE leaders meet Yemen Islah party chairman". alarabiya.net. 17 December 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  12. ^ a b Alaa Shahine; Glen Carey (9 March 2014). "U.A.E. Supports Saudi Arabia Against Qatar-Backed Brotherhood". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Saudi Arabia's Problematic Allies against the Houthis". The Cairo Review of Global Affairs. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  14. ^ a b Tawfeek al-Ganad (20 September 2022). "Weak and Divided, the General People's Congress Turns 40". Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies. Sanaa. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Rebels in Yemen abduct Sunni rivals amid Saudi airstrikes". 5 April 2015. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2018 – via The CBS News. Muslim Brotherhood's branch in Yemen and a traditional power player in Yemen, had declared its support for the Saudi-led coalition bombing campaign against the rebels and their allies.
  16. ^ a b "United States Designates bin Laden Loyalist". 24 February 2004. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  17. ^ a b "Microsoft Word - nefabackgrounder_alawlaki.doc" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  18. ^ a b Chucmach, Megan; Ross, Brian (10 November 2009). "Al Qaeda Recruiter New Focus in Fort Hood Killings Investigation Army Major Nidal Hasan Was In Contact With Imam Anwar Awlaki, Officials Say". ABC News. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  19. ^ "Yemen on the brink: how the UAE is profiting from the chaos of civil war". The Guardian. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Yemeni party names new leader after Saleh killed". Reuters. 7 January 2018.
  21. ^ "Islamic State leader urges attacks in Saudi Arabia: speech". Reuters. 13 November 2014. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  22. ^ "Brothers no more: Yemen's Islah party faces collapse of Aden alliances". Middle East Eye. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  23. ^ "قيادي بالإصلاح: صنعاء لم تسقط بل سُلمت للحوثيين". www.aljazeera.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  24. ^ a b Nathan J. Brown; Amr Hamzawy (2010). Between Religion and Politics. Carnegie Endowment. p. 137. ISBN 9780870032974.
  25. ^ Daniel Brumberg; Dina Shehata (209). Conflict, Identity, and Reform in the Muslim World: Challenges for U.S. Engagement. US Institute of Peace Press. p. 431. ISBN 9781601270207.
  26. ^ Letta Tayler (2011). "Yemen's Hijacked Revolution". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  27. ^ Sheila Carapico (2007). Civil Society in Yemen: The Political Economy of Activism in Modern Arabia. Cambridge University Press. p. 143. ISBN 9780521034821.
  28. ^ "The Islah Party". Islamopedia Online. 2012. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  29. ^ Amr Hamzawy (2009). "Between Government and Opposition: The Case of the Yemeni Congregation for Reform" (PDF). Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  30. ^ Francesco Cavatorta (2012). Civil Society Activism under Authoritarian Rule: A Comparative Perspective. Routledge. p. 146. ISBN 9781136207815.
  31. ^ "Bahrain News Agency - Bahrain backs Saudi Arabia, UAE, Foreign Minister says". Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  32. ^ Anadolu Ajansı. "Bahrain FM reiterates stance on Muslim Brotherhood". Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  33. ^ "Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood declared 'terrorist group'". Bbc.co.uk. 25 December 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  34. ^ "Resolution of the State Duma, 2 December 2003 N 3624-III GD "on the Application of the State Duma of the Russian Federation" on the suppression of the activities of terrorist organizations on the territory of the Russian Federation" (in Russian). Consultant Plus. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016.
  35. ^ "Saudi Arabia declares Muslim Brotherhood 'terrorist group'". BBC News. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.