Al-Islah (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][24]

Yemeni Congregation for Reform التجمع اليمني للإصلاح
Chairperson	Mohammed al-Yadoumi
Deputy Chairperson	Abdul Wahab al-Ansi
Founders	Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar[1] Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar[2] Abdul Majeed al-Zindani[1] Mohammed al-Yadumi[3]
Founded	13 September 1990 (35 years, 94 days)
Headquarters	Sanaa
Ideology	Islamic fundamentalism[4] Sunni Islamism[1] Conservatism[5] Anti-communism[6][7] Factions: Anti-Shia sentiment[8][9][10] Tribalism[1]
Political position	Right-wing
Religion	Sunni Islam (Salafism)[1]
International affiliation	Muslim Brotherhood
Colours	Blue
House of Representatives	44 / 301
Party flag
Website
alislah-ye.net
Politics of Yemen Political parties Elections

Al-Islah militia
ميليشيا الإصلاح
Foundation	1990
Dates of operation	1990-present
Active regions	Yemen
Status	Active
Size	Unknown
Allies	State allies:  Saudi Arabia Qatar United Arab Emirates (Sometimes, Until 2018)[11] Non-state allies: Presidential Leadership Council[12][13] General People's Congress (Anti-Houthi faction)[14] Muslim Brotherhood[15] Al-Qaeda (Alleged)[16][17][18]
Opponents	State opponents:  Iran  Israel United States[16][17][18] United Arab Emirates (2018-Present)[19] Non-State opponents: Houthi Movement Supreme Political Council General People's Congress (Pro-Houthi faction)[20][14] Islamic State[21] Southern Transitional Council[22]
Battles and wars	Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen Yemeni Civil War (2015-present)

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.^[6][7] 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.^[6] It has been identified as a client of Saudi Arabia,^[26][27] and since the civil war in Yemen, Saudi Arabia has forged even closer relations with the group.^[13]

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.^[28] At the last legislative elections on 27 April 2003, the party won 22.6% of the popular vote and 46 out of 301 seats.

Foundation

The party was created on 13 September 1990 in Sana'a, Yemen, by the tribal sheikh Abdullah Al Ahmar.^[29]

General structure, leadership

Al-Islah has been described as consisting of three components. The first is the political faction, Yemen's Muslim Brotherhood, led by Mohammed Qahtan. The second is the tribal confederacy which was led by top tribal chief Abdullah Al Ahmar until his death in 2007 at which time he was succeeded by his son Sadeq.^[30] The third is the Salafi movement, led by the country's most prominent Sunni religious scholar, Abdul Majeed al-Zindani.^[1][31] Muhammad Al-Yadomi succeeded Al Ahmar as the head of the party following his death on 28 December 2007.^[29]

In the 2003 parliamentary election, Al-Islah won 46 seats. As of 2010^[update], 13 of Al-Islah's parliament members were women, including human rights activist and Nobel laureate Tawakel Karman,^[32][33] who created the activist group Women Journalists Without Chains in 2005^[34] and became the first Yemeni and Arab woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011. On 5 February 2018, she was suspended from the party.^[35]

As of 2014 the party was the second biggest political party after the General People's Congress (GPC).^[29]

Publications

The party has two major media outlets, Al Sahwa, an Arabic daily newspaper, and Suhail TV.^[36] The latter is owned by Hamid al-Ahmar, a relative of the party's founder.^[36]

Relations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE

The party was blacklisted by Saudi Arabia in March 2014 due to its ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.^[29] Since the death of former King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia has repaired relations with Al-Islah, due to their role in fighting the Houthis during the Yemeni Civil War.^[13] In December 2017, Islah leaders Al-Yidoumi and Al-Anisi met with the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi (part of the UAE) in the Saudi capital Riyadh to discuss the Yemeni war.^[11] Before that, the UAE had publicly opposed Al-Islah,^[37] and it was later claimed that the UAE hired American mercenaries to assassinate people like Al-Islah leader Mayo.^[38][39] In December 2018, it was reported that Islamist political parties like Al-Islah and jihadi militant groups like Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIS) were the main targets of the UAE, with the Houthis no longer being regarded as the greatest enemy of the UAE, and the Saudis being unable to do anything about it.^[19]

Electoral history

House of Representatives elections

Election	Party leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position
1993	Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar	382,545	17.14%	62 / 301	62	2nd
1997		637,728	23.4%	53 / 301	9	2nd
2003		1,333,394	22.55%	46 / 301	7	2nd

See also

• Houthi movement
• List of political parties in Yemen
• Southern Movement
• Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)
• List of Islamic political parties