The Al-Menber National Islamic Society ( ar, جمعية المنبر الوطني الإسلامي, ) is the political wing of the
Sunni Islamist Al Eslah Society in
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an a ...
and Bahrain's branch of the
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers ( ar, جماعة الإخوان المسلمين'' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan ...
.
The president and patron of the Al Eslah Society is Shaikh
Isa bin Mohammed Al Khalifa
Isa bin Muhammad Al Khalifa ( ar, عيسى بن محمد آل خليفة; November 25, 1938, in Muharraq – August 13, 2015) was an Bahraini lawyer, judge, and minister. An uncle of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Isa bin Muhammad directed the ...
, a member of the
Al Khalifa
The House of Khalifa ( ar, آل خليفة, translit=Āl Khalīfah) is the ruling family of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Al Khalifas profess Sunni Islam and belong to the Anizah tribe, some members of this tribe joined the Utub alliance which m ...
royal family and former labor minister of Bahrain. Prominent members of Al-Menber include Salah Abdulrahman, Salah Al Jowder, and outspoken MP
Mohammed Khalid
Sheikh Mohammed Khalid Ibrahim ( ar, محمد خالد إبراهيم , born 2 November 1964) is a Bahraini Islamist politician and a member of the Al-Menbar Islamic Society in Bahrain. He was an MP in the lower house of the Bahraini parliament, ...
. The party has generally backed government-sponsored legislation on economic issues, but has sought a clampdown on pop concerts, sorcery and soothsayers. Additionally, it has strongly opposed the government's accession to the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
A Sunni Islamic party, it is well organised through a network of mosques and seek to promote a conservative social agenda while not directly challenging the Kingdom's government. It became a political society in 2006. Bahrain does not allow political parties by traditional definition. Before that it was merely a
think tank and public affair society.
The group often cooperates with the
salafi
The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generati ...
political bloc
Asalah
The Al-Asalah Islamic Society ( ar, جمعية الأصالة الإسلامية) is the main Sunni Salafist political party in Bahrain. The party is the political wing of the Islamic Education Society (''Al-Tarbiya Al-Islamiya'') which funds ...
, especially on issues involving religious affairs and morals. Minbar seeks a personal status law that conforms to Sharia and is acceptable to both sects.
[ At times, Al-Menber has seemed significantly more liberal than either the pro-business Independent Bloc and Asalah, particularly in its opposition to proposed legislation that it argues would restrict freedom of assembly. In February 2006, Al-Menber led parliament's refusal to ratify the government's signature of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, with the party's president, Dr Salah Alli, explaining, "]he Convention
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
means that Muslims could convert to another religion, something against the Islamic law."[http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=136119&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28339&date=2-22-2006] In the 2006 election they have worked out a deal with Asalah to avoid splitting the Sunni Islamist vote.
On the issue of women's political rights in Bahrain
Women's rights have been a cornerstone of the political reforms initiated by King Hamad, with women gaining the right to vote and stand as candidates in national elections for the first time after the constitution was amended in 2002. The exte ...
, Al-Menber MP Ali Ahmed told the Bahrain Tribune (26 January 2006):
In 2006's general election, the party promised to field several female candidates, with eye specialist Dr Haifa Al Mahmood apparently selected; however after an electoral pact was worked out with Asalah
The Al-Asalah Islamic Society ( ar, جمعية الأصالة الإسلامية) is the main Sunni Salafist political party in Bahrain. The party is the political wing of the Islamic Education Society (''Al-Tarbiya Al-Islamiya'') which funds ...
, which opposes women candidates, Al-Menber produced an all-male list of candidates. The party has though backed women's rights activists' campaign for the introduction of a unified personal status law, which was vehemently opposed by Shia Islamists.
Electoral history
The group won three seats in the Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an a ...
i Council of Representatives
The Council of Representatives (''Majlis an-nuwab''), sometimes translated as the "Chamber of Deputies", is the name given to the lower house of the Bahraini National Assembly, the national legislative body of Bahrain.
The council was created ...
(parliament) in the 2002 election, seven seats at the 2006 election, but only two seats at the 2010 election and one seat at the 2014 election. It did not win any seats at the 2018 election.
Council of Representatives elections
See also
* Mohammed Khalid
Sheikh Mohammed Khalid Ibrahim ( ar, محمد خالد إبراهيم , born 2 November 1964) is a Bahraini Islamist politician and a member of the Al-Menbar Islamic Society in Bahrain. He was an MP in the lower house of the Bahraini parliament, ...
References
External links
Al-Menber official website
Al-Eslah Society
(parent organization)
{{Bahraini political parties
Political parties in Bahrain
Sunni Islamic political parties
Politics of Bahrain
Muslim Brotherhood
Political parties with year of establishment missing