Umma Islamic Party
Encyclopedia
The Umma Islamic Party is a political party in Saudi Arabia
that was formed on February 10, 2011 in response to the 2010-2011 Middle East and North Africa protests. Formed by a collective of opposition members including Islamists and intellectuals, the party is pro-reform and demands representation and an end to absolute monarchy
in the country. The party is run by a ten member coordination committee and requested official recognition from the government as an official party. On February 18, the leaders of the party were arrested by Saudi authorities. The arrested leaders were told they would be released only if they signed a pledge to stop advocating for political reform. All refused to sign.
stated that the five "appear to have been detained solely for trying to create a party whose professed aims included greater democracy and protection for human rights." Prior to his own arrest, al-Khadhar stated that his colleagues were apparently held in the Mabahith
's `Ulaysha Prison
.
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
that was formed on February 10, 2011 in response to the 2010-2011 Middle East and North Africa protests. Formed by a collective of opposition members including Islamists and intellectuals, the party is pro-reform and demands representation and an end to absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
in the country. The party is run by a ten member coordination committee and requested official recognition from the government as an official party. On February 18, the leaders of the party were arrested by Saudi authorities. The arrested leaders were told they would be released only if they signed a pledge to stop advocating for political reform. All refused to sign.
Creation in 2011
Five founding members of the Umma Islamic Party, Dr. Ahmad bin Sa'd al-Ghamidi, Professor Sa'ud al-Dughaithir, Shaikh Abd al-`Aziz al-Wuhaibi, Shaikh Muhammad bin Husain al-Qahtani, Professor Muhammad bin Nasir al-Ghamidi, Walid al-Majid and Professor Abd al-Karim al-Khadhar, were detained on 17 February 2011. Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
stated that the five "appear to have been detained solely for trying to create a party whose professed aims included greater democracy and protection for human rights." Prior to his own arrest, al-Khadhar stated that his colleagues were apparently held in the Mabahith
Mabahith
The Mabahith , also spelled Mabaheth, is the secret police agency of the Ministry of Interior in Saudi Arabia.According to Human Rights Watch, the Mabahith "monitors suspected political opponents and others, targets individuals for arrest, and interrogates detainees...
's `Ulaysha Prison
`Ulaysha Prison
`Ulaysha Prison is a prison in Riyadh run by the Saudi Arabian secret police agency Mabahith for arbitrary detention...
.
See also
- Hizb ut-TahrirHizb ut-TahrirHizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph...
- Muslim BrotherhoodMuslim BrotherhoodThe Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
- Movement for Islamic Reform in ArabiaMovement for Islamic Reform in ArabiaThe Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia , a U.K.-based Saudi oppositionist organization headed by Dr. Sa'ad Al-Faqih, who has been a key figure in the reform movement in Saudi Arabia since the Persian Gulf War. According to Dr...