Islamic Constitutional Movement
الحركة الدستورية الإسلامية
Other names: ICM/حدس
Type: Political party
Country: Kuwait
Founded: 1991
Organisation Ideology: Muslim Brotherhood/Political Islamism
Online Resources
Official website: Islamic Constitutional Movement
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Overview
Founded in 1991, the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) is the political wing of Kuwait’s Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Although there are no official political parties in Kuwait, the ICM, alongside the MB does not exist in any legal framework, but is rather recognised as a manifestation of the charitable nongovernmental organisation - the Social Reform Society. The ICM seeks to instate Sharia as a primary source of legislation in Kuwait, despite Sharia being used as a law to settle civil matters in the Gulf country. Despite being tolerated and accepted by the Kuwait government, the ICM has invited wider government criticism that has led to tension over the former’s support for the MB government of Mohammed Morsi in Egypt in 2012-13.
On its webpage, the ICM states that it seeks to implement a tolerant version of Sharia law as a comprehensive system for all aspects of a Muslim’s life.
Ties to Extremism
In June 2019, Egypt’s General Intelligence Service Director Major-General Abbas Kamel visited Kuwait and provided Kuwaiti authorities with a list of an extremist cell operating in Kuwait, and run by a political group in Turkey. The cell was accused of transferring messages and sending funds to suspects wanted by Egypt that were based in Turkey and Qatar.
During Mohammad Morsi’s ascension to power in Egypt in 2012, and his roughly year-long tenure, the ICM criticised the Kuwaiti government’s anti-MB messaging and rhetoric. The Kuwaiti government has also accused the ICM of taking orders from the Morsi government during his short tenure as President of Egypt. Those accusations included terrorism, money laundering and planning a coup to overthrow the Kuwaiti government.
In 2005, Kuwaiti teachers expressed concern that religious currricula was being used by the MB and its local affiliates to spread extremist thoughts, radical discourse and was playing a fundamental role in fomenting terrorism.
In 2006, Kazakhstan and Russia both declared the Social Reform Society, the charity that the ICM maintains strong ties with, as a terrorist organisation.
In a social media post in October 2020, the ICM issued a press release denouncing the rhetoric of French President Emmanuel Macron, and while this cannot be be classified as a form of hate speech, the ICM described the events in France as the “ugly face of secularism” - a term classified as incitement.