Islah denies al-Mouyad links with al-Qaeda [Archives:2003/02/Front Page]

A leading member of the Islah party denounced the arrest of the party’s members in Germany
The leading member, requested not to be identified, told The Yemen Times that Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Mouyad and Saeed Mohammed Mohsen do not have any sort of connection with al-Qaeda.
A Yemeni source said that if the US has any evidence of the involvement of the two in any terrorist acts, they should be presented to the Yemeni authorities.
The source pointed out that Yemen’s constitution forbids the extradition of any Yemeni citizen to any country.
He expressed anticipation that the German government will fulfill Yemen’s request and stressed Yemen’s full support for the war on terrorism.
Al-Mouyad’s son, Ibrahim, told the Yemen Times that his family received that news of the arrest through the media and that Islah party is following up the case, for he is a leading member in the party and member of the Islah’s Shura Council headed by Abdulmajeed al-Zindani.
He ran unsuccessfully for parliamentary election in 1993 and 1997.
Al-Mouyad, 58, father of seven children, established al-Ehsan charitable center four years ago. The center contains a mosque and clinic, and a second clinic that teaches the Quran.
It provides assistance to around 8,000 persons and takes care of some orphans. About 40 people work in the center that provides help around the clock.
Sources at the Islah party claimed al-Mouyad is a moderate preacher and a leading member of the Islamic movement in Yemen.
A source at the Yemen Congregation for Reform Party (Islah) said his party’s leadership was following up the news on the arrest of al-Mouyad and his companions in Germany and had retained a lawyer to follow up case there.
The source added that the party leadership was in contact with Yemen’s foreign ministry and political leadership about the issue, saying the event might be unintentioned mistake.
Residents of al-Qadessiya quarter had collected more than one thousand signatures on a letter to the president and parliament speaker in an appeal for following up the question of al-Mouyad arrest.


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