->PrimeBOT: Task 24: template update following a TFD

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Task 24: template update following a TFD

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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox political party
| colorcode = {{party color|Al-Islah (Yemen)}}
| name = Yemeni Congregation for Reform
| native_name = التجمع اليمني للإصلاح
| logo = Logo of the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (al-Islah).svg
| leader1_title = Chairperson
| leader1_name = Mohammed al-Yadumi
| leader2_title = Deputy Chairperson
| leader2_name = Abdul Wahab al-Ansi
| leader3_title = Founders
| leader3_name = [[Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar]]<ref name="Yemen: The Tribal Islamists"/> [[Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar]]<ref>{{cite book|author =Sarah Phillips|title=Yemen's Democracy Experiment in Regional Perspective|url =https://archive.org/details/yemensdemocracye00phil|url-access =limited|date=2008|page=[https://archive.org/details/yemensdemocracye00phil/page/n60 52]|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=9780230616486}}</ref> [[Abdul Majeed al-Zindani]]<ref name="Yemen: The Tribal Islamists">{{cite web|title=Yemen: The Tribal Islamists |url=http://www.wilsoncenter.org/islamists/yemen-the-tribal-islamists |date=2015 |access-date=3 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211073653/http://www.wilsoncenter.org/islamists/yemen-the-tribal-islamists |archive-date=11 February 2015 }}</ref> Mohammed al-Yadumi<ref>{{cite book|author =Stephen W. Day|title=Regionalism and Rebellion in Yemen: A Troubled National Union|date=2012|page=134|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781107379909}}</ref>
| foundation = {{Start date and age|1990|9|13|df=yes|p=yes|br=yes}}
| headquarters = [[Sana'a]], [[Yemen]]
| ideology = [[Islamism|Sunni Islamism]]<ref name="Yemen: The Tribal Islamists"/> [[Salafi movement|Salafism]]<ref name="Yemen: The Tribal Islamists"/> [[Tribalism]]<ref name="Yemen: The Tribal Islamists"/>
| position =
| international = [[Muslim Brotherhood]]
| seats1_title = [[House of Representatives (Yemen)|House of Representatives]]
| seats1 = {{Composition bar|44|301|hex={{party color|Al-Islah (Yemen)}}}}
| colours = {{Color box|{{party color|Al-Islah (Yemen)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Blue]]
| native_name_lang = ar
| flag =
| website = {{URL|http://alislah-ye.net}}
| country = Yemen
}}

{{Infobox war faction
| name = Al-Islah militia
| native_name = ميليشيا الإصلاح
| native_name_lang = ar
| war = [[Yemeni Civil War (2015-present)]]
| ideology =
| position =
| leaders =
| clans =
| area = Yemen
| size =
| allies = {{KSA}} {{flagdeco|Yemen}} [[Cabinet of Yemen]]
| opponents = {{IRN}} {{flagdeco|North Yemen}} [[Supreme Political Council]] {{flagicon image|Ansarullah Flag Vector.svg}} [[Houthis]] {{flag|United Arab Emirates}} (2018-Present)
| battles = [[Yemeni Civil War (2015-present)]]
}}

The '''Yemeni Congregation for Reform''', frequently called '''al-Islah''' ({{IPA-ar|alʔisˤlaːħ|pron}}; {{lang-ar|التجمع اليمني للإصلاح|at-Tajammu’u al-Yamanī lil-Iṣlāḥ}}), is a [[Yemen]]i [[Islamism|Islamist]] party founded in 1990 by [[Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar]], [[Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar]], [[Abdul Majeed al-Zindani]], with [[Ali Abdullah Saleh|Ali Saleh]]'s blessing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.net/news/reportsandinterviews/2014/9/24/قيادي-بحزب-التجمع-صنعاء-لم-تسقط-بل-سُلمت-للحوثيين|title=قيادي بالإصلاح: صنعاء لم تسقط بل سُلمت للحوثيين|website=www.aljazeera.net|language=ar|access-date=2019-10-12}}</ref> 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 [[Islam]]ic principles and teachings".<ref name="Between Religion and Politics">{{cite book|author1=Nathan J. Brown |author2=Amr Hamzawy |date=2010|title=Between Religion and Politics|page=137|publisher=Carnegie Endowment|isbn=9780870032974}}</ref>

Islah is more of a loose coalition of tribal and religious elements than a political party.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Daniel Brumberg |author2=Dina Shehata |date=209|title=Conflict, Identity, and Reform in the Muslim World: Challenges for U.S. Engagement|page=431|publisher=US Institute of Peace Press|isbn=9781601270207}}</ref> Its origins are in the Islamic Front, a [[Muslim Brotherhood]] affiliated [[militia]] funded by [[Saudi Arabia]] to combat the [[Marxist]] [[National Democratic Front (Yemen)|National Democratic Front]].<ref name="Sarah Phillips 2008 138">{{cite book|author =Sarah Phillips|date=2008|title=Yemen's Democracy Experiment in Regional Perspective|url =https://archive.org/details/yemensdemocracye00phil|url-access =limited|page=[https://archive.org/details/yemensdemocracye00phil/page/n146 138]|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=9780230616486}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author =Stephen W. Day|title=Regionalism and Rebellion in Yemen, A Troubled National Union|date=2012|page=133|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781107606593}}</ref> 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]].<ref name="Sarah Phillips 2008 138"/> Islah has long been identified as a [[Clientelism|client]] of [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/68298/letta-tayler/yemens-hijacked-revolution|author =Letta Tayler|title=Yemen's Hijacked Revolution|date=2011|website=Foreign Affairs|access-date=11 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author =Sheila Carapico|date=2007|title=Civil Society in Yemen: The Political Economy of Activism in Modern Arabia|page=143|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521034821}}</ref> 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]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.islamopediaonline.org/country-profile/yemen/political-landscape/islah-party|title=The Islah Party|date=2012|website=[[Islamopedia Online]]|access-date=11 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407021704/http://www.islamopediaonline.org/country-profile/yemen/political-landscape/islah-party#|archive-date=7 April 2015|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Islah differs from most other Arab [[Islamist]]s. 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://carnegieendowment.org/files/yemeni_congragation_reform.pdf|author =Amr Hamzawy|title=Between Government and Opposition: The Case of the Yemeni Congregation for Reform|date=2009|website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|access-date=11 February 2015}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Between Religion and Politics"/>

The Joint Meeting Parties came into existence in 2003 when Islah and the [[Yemeni Socialist Party|socialist party]] joined three other smaller parties to establish a joint opposition to the ruling [[General People's Congress (Yemen)|general people's congress]].<ref>{{cite book|author =Francesco Cavatorta|date=2012|title=Civil Society Activism under Authoritarian Rule: A Comparative Perspective|page=146|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781136207815}}</ref> At the last [[legislative]] [[elections in Yemen|elections]], 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]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/609752|title=Bahrain News Agency - Bahrain backs Saudi Arabia, UAE, Foreign Minister says|access-date=3 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/304220--bahrain-fm-reiterates-stance-on-muslim-brotherhood|title=Bahrain FM reiterates stance on Muslim Brotherhood|author =Anadolu Ajansı (c) 2011|access-date=3 November 2014}}</ref> [[Egypt]], [[Russia]], [[Syria]], [[Saudi Arabia]] and [[United Arab Emirates]].<ref name="EgyptGovtDeclaresTerrorist">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25515932|title=Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood declared 'terrorist group'|publisher=Bbc.co.uk|date=25 December 2013|access-date=18 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="base.consultant.ru">{{cite web|url=http://base.consultant.ru/cons/cgi/online.cgi?req=doc;base=EXP;n=257852 |title=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 |publisher=[[Consultant Plus]] |language=ru |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101081242/http://base.consultant.ru/cons/cgi/online.cgi?req=doc%3Bbase%3DEXP%3Bn%3D257852 |archive-date=1 January 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26487092?print=true|title=Saudi Arabia declares Muslim Brotherhood 'terrorist group'| access-date=7 March 2014| publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref name="Alaa Shahine and Glen Carey, Bloomberg News">{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-09/u-a-e-supports-saudi-arabia-against-qatar-backed-brotherhood.html|author =Alaa Shahine and Glen Carey, Bloomberg News|publisher=Bloomberg News|title=U.A.E. Supports Saudi Arabia Against Qatar-Backed Brotherhood|access-date=9 March 2014|date=9 March 2014}}</ref> However, since the [[Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)|civil war in Yemen]], Saudi Arabia has forged closer relations with Al-Islah.<ref name="thecairoreview.com">{{cite web| title = Saudi Arabia's Problematic Allies against the Houthis| url = http://www.thecairoreview.com/tahrir-forum/saudi-arabias-problematic-allies-against-the-houthis/| website = The Cairo Review of Global Affairs | date = 14 February 2016| access-date = 15 February 2016}}</ref>

==Foundation==
The party was created on 13 September 1990 in [[Sana'a]], Yemen, by the tribal sheikh [[Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar|Abdullah Al Ahmar]].<ref name=ytim>{{cite news|author=Ali Ibrahim Al Moshki|title=Saudi Arabia blacklists Yemeni groups|url=http://www.yementimes.com/en/1763/news/3590/Saudi-Arabia-blacklists-Yemeni-groups.htm|access-date=12 September 2014|work=Yemen Times|date=13 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023144933/http://www.yementimes.com/en/1763/news/3590/Saudi-Arabia-blacklists-Yemeni-groups.htm|archive-date=23 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==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 [[Hashid|tribal confederacy]] which was led by top tribal chief [[Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar|Abdullah Al Ahmar]] until his death in 2007 at which time he was succeeded by his son [[Sadiq al-Ahmar|Sadeq]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.yementimes.com/defaultdet.aspx?SUB_ID=33126 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405191505/http://www.yementimes.com/defaultdet.aspx?SUB_ID=33126|archive-date=5 April 2011|title=Ruling party defies Al-Ahmar family, threatens unity of Hashid tribe|work=Elaf|date=17 November 2009}}</ref> The third is the [[Salafi movement]], led by the country’s most prominent Sunni religious scholar, [[Abdul Majeed al-Zindani]].<ref name="Yemen: The Tribal Islamists"/><ref>[http://www.stratfor.com/yemen_election_realignment Yemen: An Election Realignment] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307204624/http://www.stratfor.com/yemen_election_realignment |date=7 March 2012 }} STRATFOR, 20 September 2006</ref> Muhammad Al-Yadomi succeeded Al Ahmar as the head of the party following his death on 28 December 2007.<ref name=ytim/>

In the [[2003 Yemeni parliamentary election|2003 parliamentary election]], Al-Islah won 46 seats. {{As of|2010}}, 13 of Al-Islah's [[Assembly of Representatives (Yemen)|parliament]] members were women, including human rights activist and Nobel laureate [[Tawakel Karman]],<ref name="Feb3_DayRage_aljaz">{{cite news|title=New protests erupt in Yemen |date=29 January 2011 |work=Al Jazeera |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/2011129112626339573.html |access-date=30 January 2011 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5w8S9MZ1r?url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/2011129112626339573.html |archive-date=31 January 2011 |url-status=live |df=dmy }}</ref><ref name="brechtforum_Karman">{{cite web |title=The United States & Yemen – Destroying Lives in the Name of National Security |publisher=Brecht Forum |year=2010 |url=http://brechtforum.org/civicrm/event/info?id=11729 |access-date=1 February 2011 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5wBGBE8nf?url=http://brechtforum.org/civicrm/event/info?id=11729 |archive-date=1 February 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> who created the activist group Women Journalists Without Chains in 2005<ref name="T_Karman_Jun2010_interview">{{cite web|last=Al-Sakkaf |first=Nadia |author-link=Nadia Al-Sakkaf |title=Renowned activist and press freedom advocate Tawakul Karman to the Yemen Times: "A day will come when all human rights violators pay for what they did to Yemen" |publisher=Women Journalists Without Chains |date=17 June 2010 |url=http://womenpress.org/articles.php?id=309 |access-date=30 January 2011 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5w8NYbYFU?url=http://womenpress.org/articles.php?id=309 |archive-date=30 January 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yemen Islamist party suspends membership of Nobel laureate Karman |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-islamist/yemen-islamist-party-suspends-membership-of-nobel-laureate-karman-idUSKBN1FO0DB |date=5 February 2018 |access-date=8 May 2020 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>

As of 2014 the party was the second biggest political party after the [[General People's Congress (Yemen)|General People’s Congress]] (GPC).<ref name=ytim/>

==Publications==
The party has two major media outlets, ''[[Al Sahwa]]'', an [[Arabic]] daily newspaper, and [[Suhail TV]].<ref name=ypost>{{cite news|title=Government Raids Suhail TV Station and Newspaper|url=http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=3601|access-date=12 September 2014|work=Yemen Post|date=26 May 2011}}</ref> The latter is owned by [[Hamid al-Ahmar]], a relative of the party's founder.<ref name=ypost/>

==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]].<ref name=ytim/> Since the death of former King [[Abdullah of Saudi Arabia|Abdullah bin Abdulaziz]], Saudi Arabia has repaired relations with Al-Islah, due to their role in fighting the [[Houthis]] during the [[Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)|Yemeni Civil War]].<ref name="thecairoreview.com"/> In December 2017, Islah leaders Al-Yidoumi and Al-Anisi met with the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and [[Abu Dhabi (Emirate)|Abu Dhabi]] (part of the UAE) in the Saudi capital [[Riyadh]] to discuss the Yemeni war.<ref name="SaudiUAEIslah_Dec2017">{{cite news|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2017/12/14/Saudi-and-UAE-leaders-meet-Yemen-Islah-party-chairman-.html|title=Saudi and UAE leaders meet Yemen Islah party chairman|publisher=alarabiya.net|date=17 December 2017|access-date=7 October 2018}}</ref> Before that, the UAE had publicly opposed Al-Islah,<ref name="SaudiUAEOverture_Dec2017">{{cite news|url=http://www.arabiafoundation.org/arabia-comment/saudi-emirati-overture-on-yemen-deepens-houthi-isolation/|title=Saudi-Emirati overture on Yemen deepens Houthi isolation|publisher=arabiafoundation.org|date=15 December 2017|access-date=7 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327135929/https://www.arabiafoundation.org/arabia-comment/saudi-emirati-overture-on-yemen-deepens-houthi-isolation/|archive-date=27 March 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> and it was later claimed that the UAE hired American mercenaries to assassinate people like Al-Islah leader Mayo.<ref name="TOI_Mercenary_Oct2018">{{cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-rival-hired-israeli-mercenary-to-assassinate-uaes-enemies-in-yemen/|title=Abbas rival 'hired Israeli mercenary to assassinate UAE's enemies in Yemen'|publisher=timesofisrael.com|date=17 October 2017|access-date=18 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Roston |first1=Aram |title=A Middle East Monarchy Hired American Ex-Soldiers To Kill Its Political Enemies. This Could Be The Future Of War. |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/aramroston/mercenaries-assassination-us-yemen-uae-spear-golan-dahlan |access-date=18 October 2018 |work=Buzzfeed News |date=16 October 2018}}</ref> In December 2018, it was reported that Islamist political parties like Al-Islah and jihadi militant groups like [[Al-Qaeda]] and [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|Islamic State (ISIS)]] were the main targets of the UAE, with the [[Houthis]] no longer being regarded as the greatest enemy of the UAE, with the Saudis being unable to do anything about it.<ref name="Guradian_Dec2018">{{cite news |title=Yemen on the brink: how the UAE is profiting from the chaos of civil war |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/dec/21/yemen-uae-united-arab-emirates-profiting-from-chaos-of-civil-war |access-date=31 December 2018 |work=The Guardian |date=21 December 2018}}</ref>

== Electoral history ==

=== House of Representatives elections ===
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
!'''Election'''
!'''Party leader'''
!'''Votes'''
!'''%'''
!'''Seats'''
!+/–
!'''Position'''
|-
|[[1993 Yemeni parliamentary election|1993]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar]]
|382,545
|17.14%
|{{Composition bar|62|301|hex={{party color|Al-Islah (Yemen)}}}}
|{{increase}} 62
|{{increase}} 2nd
|-
|[[1997 Yemeni parliamentary election|1997]]
|637,728
|23.4%
|{{Composition bar|53|301|hex={{party color|Al-Islah (Yemen)}}}}
|{{decrease}} 9
|{{steady}} 2nd
|-
|[[2003 Yemeni parliamentary election|2003]]
|1,333,394
|22.55%
|{{Composition bar|46|301|hex={{party color|Al-Islah (Yemen)}}}}
|{{decrease}} 7
|{{steady}} 2nd
|}

==See also==
*[[Houthi movement]]
*[[Southern Movement]]
*[[Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://alislah-ye.net/ Official web site] {{in lang|ar}}

{{Yemeni Civil War (2015)}}
{{Arab Spring}}
{{Yemeni political parties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1990 establishments in Yemen]]
[[Category:Islamic political parties in Yemen]]
[[Category:Islamism in Yemen]]
[[Category:Muslim Brotherhood]]
[[Category:Organizations of the Arab Spring]]
[[Category:Organizations of the Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1990]]
[[Category:Political parties in Yemen]]
[[Category:Salafi groups]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabia–Yemen relations]]
[[Category:Sunni Islamic political parties]]
[[Category:Yemeni Revolution]]

Al-Islah (Yemen) - Revision history

->PrimeBOT: Task 24: template update following a TFD