Al-Islah (Yemen)
Political party in Yemen
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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.[24][25] Islah is more of a loose coalition of tribal and religious elements than a political party.[26] 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]
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Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar[2]
Abdul Majeed al-Zindani[1]
Mohammed al-Yadumi[3]
(35 years, 233 days)
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, 233 days) |
| Headquarters | Sanaa |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Religion | Sunni Islam (Salafism)[1] |
| International affiliation | Muslim Brotherhood (denied) |
| Colours | Blue |
| House of Representatives | 44 / 301 |
| Party flag | |
.svg) | |
| Website | |
| alislah-ye | |
| Al-Islah militia | |
|---|---|
| ميليشيا الإصلاح | |
| Foundation | 1990 |
| Dates of operation | 1990-present |
| Active regions | Yemen |
| Status | Active |
| Size | Unknown |
| Allies | State allies:
Non-state allies:
|
| Opponents | State opponents:
Non-State opponents:
|
| Battles and wars | Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen Yemeni Civil War (2015-present) |
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,[27][28] and since the civil war in Yemen, Saudi Arabia has forged even closer relations with the group.[14]
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.[29] At the last legislative elections on 27 April 2003, the party won 22.6% of the popular vote and 46 out of 301 seats.
As of late 2025, Islah had begun denying any formal affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood.[30][31]
Foundation
The party was created on 13 September 1990 in Sana'a, Yemen, by the tribal sheikh Abdullah Al Ahmar.[32]
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.[33] The third is the Salafi movement, led by the country's most prominent Sunni religious scholar, Abdul Majeed al-Zindani.[1][34] Muhammad Al-Yadomi succeeded Al Ahmar as the head of the party following his death on 28 December 2007.[32]
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,[35][36] who created the activist group Women Journalists Without Chains in 2005[37] 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.[38]
As of 2014 the party was the second biggest political party after the General People's Congress (GPC).[32]
Publications
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.[32] 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.[14] 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.[12] Before that, the UAE had publicly opposed Al-Islah,[40] and it was later claimed that the UAE hired American mercenaries to assassinate people like Al-Islah leader Mayo.[41][42] 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.[20]
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 |