Al-Islah (Yemen)

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 (33 years ago) (1990-09-13)
Headquarters	Sana'a, Yemen
Ideology	Majority: Islamic fundamentalism[4] Sunni Islamism[1] Tribalism[1] Yemeni nationalism[5] Sectarianism[6] Anti-Shi'a sentiment[7][8][6] Anti-Communism[9][10] Anti-Zionism
Religion	Sunni Islam (Salafism)[1]
International affiliation	Muslim Brotherhood
Colours	Blue
House of Representatives	44 / 301
Website
alislah-ye.net
Politics of Yemen Political parties Elections

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]