The Jihad and Reform Front, or Reformation and Jihad Front, is a
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
insurgent
An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric warfare, asymmetric na ...
coalition that announced its formation on May 2, 2007.Jihad Organizations in Iraq Establish New Front
MEMRI
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI; officially the "Middle East Media and Research Institute") is a nonprofit press monitoring and analysis organization co-founded by former Israeli military intelligence officer Yigal Carmon and ...
, May 4, 2007 The announcement was posted on several jihadist websites.
The Front is officially opposed to and critical of
Al-Qaida in Iraq
Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI; ar, القاعدة في العراق, al-Qā'idah fī al-ʿIrāq) or Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia ( ar, القاعدة في بلاد الرافدين, al-Qā'idah fī Bilād ar-Rāfidayn), officially known as ''Tanzim Qaidat a ...
, and comprises three groups: the
Islamic Army in Iraq
The Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI) ( ar, الجيش الإسلامي في العراق ''al jaysh al islāmi fī'l-`irāq'') was one of a number of underground Islamist militant (or ''mujahideen'') organizations formed in Iraq following the 2003 invas ...
, the
Mujahideen Army
The Jaish al-Mujahideen (or Army of the Holy Warrior) is a Sunni militant group in Iraq. The group first emerged in late 2004.Sharia Commission of Ansar al-Sunnah, according to the Front's founding notice. Leaflets recently plastered on walls in the western city of
Fallujah
Fallujah ( ar, ٱلْفَلُّوجَة, al-Fallūjah, Iraqi pronunciation: ) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jew ...
According to Newsvine.com, its announced goals are as follows: "expelling the occupiers, establishing religion, government by
Sharia
Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...
, and a moderate approach to Islamic doctrine (i.e. against strict enforcement and
Takfiri
''Takfiri'' ( ar, تَكْفِيرِيّ, ' lit. "excommunicational") is an Arabic and Islamic term denoting a Muslim who excommunicates one of his/her coreligionists, i.e. who accuses another Muslim of being an apostate. Since according to t ...
practices). It rejects the legitimacy of the
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
, 'sectarian elections', and the al-
Maliki
The ( ar, مَالِكِي) school is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. It was founded by Malik ibn Anas in the 8th century. The Maliki school of jurisprudence relies on the Quran and hadiths as primary ...
government. It calls on all factions of the
Iraqi insurgency Iraqi insurgency may refer to:
* Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011), part of the Iraq War
** Iraqi insurgency (2003–2006), 2003–2006 phase of the Iraqi insurgency
** Iraqi civil war (2006–2008), multi-sided civil war in Iraq
* Iraqi insurgency (20 ...
to join with it, and specifically invites the 1920 Revolution Brigade, and urges all to avoid side battles at the expense of the main battle against the American occupation.
Member Groups
Army of Jihad
Army of the Tabieen
Muhammad al-Fatah Battalion
Upright Battalion 1920 Revolution Brigade
Dawa and Frontier Companies
Soldiers of the Most Merciful Companies
Jaish al-Rashideen
The Jaish al-Rashideen (English: "Army of the Guides") group is a Sunni Iraqi insurgent group taking part in many guerrilla attacks against U.S.-led Coalition forces using IEDs, sniping soldiers off from a distance, and firing rockets and morta ...
Army of the Muslims
Iraqi Islamic Jihad Movementhttp://www.islamtoday.net/media_bank/image/1.jpg
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was estab ...
NEFA Foundation
The Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation (NEFA Foundation) was a tax exempt, 501(c)(3) organization, nonprofit, charitable organization engaged in terrorism research and analysis. Although NEFA lists a New York address for its headquarters on ...