The Independent Moslem League, sometimes referred to as the Independent Moslem League of Massawa, was a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

. It was formed through a split in the

Moslem League Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, founded by Moslem League members from the central and eastern provinces of Eritrea. Mohammed Omer Cadi was the president of the party.

Formation

IML was initially a constituent of the

Independence Bloc Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

. However, the IML began to see the Bloc as dominated by Italian interests, and by 1949 it had broken away from it.Spencer, John H.
Ethiopia at Bay: A Personal Account of the Haile Selassie Years
'. .l. Tsehai Pub, 2006. pp. 230-231 The IML was the first of various Independence Bloc factions to desert the Bloc.

Political activities

At the time of the split from the Moslem League, the IML held negotiations with representatives of the

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

n government. The Ethiopians offered the IML assurances that if Eritrea enter into union with Ethiopia,

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

ic traditions would be respected and schools would teach in

Arabic language Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

alongside

Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...

. After receiving these assurances the IML opted for support of a union between Eritrea and Ethiopia, fearing that an independent Eritrean state could be dominated by Italian settlers.Venosa, Joseph L.
Faith in the nation: examining the contributions of Eritrean Muslims in the nationalist movement, 1946-1961
'. p. 63 In areas like Keren and around Massawa, the IML was able to mobilize significant sectors in support of the unionist cause. In mid-October 1953, the IML, Moslem League and the National Party sent a joint

telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. The telegram was significant as it marked the beginning of protests against Tedla Bairu's cabinet. Furthermore, it was notable that, for the first time in the telegram the Muslim political parties argued in favour of rights for the Muslim population on the basis of their religious identity.Negash, Tekeste.
Eritrea and Ethiopia: The Federal Experience
'. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1997. p. 86

References

Political parties in Eritrea Islamic political parties {{Eritrea-stub