Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia
Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA; Arabic الحركة الإسلامية للإصلاح, DMG al-Ḥaraka al-islāmiyya lil-iṣlāḥ ) is an Islamist political movement from Saudi Arabia based in London , founded in 1996 , which works towards the overthrow of the Saudi royal family . Its leader is Sa'ad al-Faqih , a Saudi doctor and dissident. MIRA calls for a consultative council for Saudi Arabia , which is directly elected by the people and is empowered to set up the government.
Sa'ad al-Faqih had originally worked with Muhammad al-Mas'ari on the Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights (CDLR), but separated from him in 1996 and founded his own organization. The reason he gave in an interview was that Muhammad al-Mas'ari no longer adhered to the four original principles of the CDLR. These are: 1. Concentration of political work on Saudi Arabia, 2. No alliances with other groups, 3. Internal decision-making in the form of consultation, 4. Concentration on media work.
MIRA achieved notoriety above all when it called for a mass demonstration against the government in Saudi Arabia via satellite communication in 2003. Over 350 people were arrested as a result of the demonstration, some of whom were held in detention for a long time , according to Amnesty International . MIRA was accused by the Saudi regime in 2003 of supporting terrorist activities in Saudi Arabia, but MIRA denied this.
In 2005 the US government put the group on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons sanctions list as Specially Designated Global Terrorists .
literature
- John Calvert: Islamism: a documentary and reference guide . Westport, Conn .: Greenwood Press, 2008. pp. 181-191.
- Mamoun Fandy: Saudi Arabia and the politics of dissent . Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1999.
supporting documents
- ↑ See Calvert 187.
- ↑ See Calvert 189.
- ↑ See Calvert 188.
- ↑ http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2005/fil6705.html