Yemeni_Congregation_for_Reform
Al-Islah (Yemen)
Political party in Yemen
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] In 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]