Islamic Action Front changed its name to Hizb Al Umma
Jordan's election commission approves and therefore the party dodged the US bullet
The largest and oldest political party in Jordan has accepted and implemented all the changes required of it by the Independent Elections Commission. The Jordanian Election Commission approved, on Sunday, the change of the name and other clauses in the party’s bylaws, thereby averting the possibility of being declared an illegal party.
The former Islamic Action Front, which was generally known to be affiliated with the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood movement, appears to have avoided any negative action by the Elections Commission. In January 2026, the U.S. Treasury and State Departments designated Muslim Brotherhood branches in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Sudan as terrorist groups, accusing them of fueling violence and destabilization.
In an extraordinary session of the Shura council of what was formerly called the Islamic Action Front held Saturday, an overwhelming majority approved changing the party’s name to “Hizb Al Umma” as part of the changes needed to comply with the Political Parties Law, which prohibits names based on religion. The party also agreed to far-reaching changes to the bylaws, including interparty governance, the establishment of a party court, and full adherence to Jordanian law. Article two of the amended bylaws states clearly that the party will adhere totally to the Jordanian Constitution and the Political Parties law. The term Umma can have a double meaning. It usually refers to the nation, i.e., the country of Jordan, but is also used to refer to the Islamic nation.
Earlier media reports had stated that the party was not willing to make any compromise on its name and some of its leaders were willing to escalate their relations with the Jordanian government, but it appears that the moderate wing won the debate.
Musa al-Wahsh, Acting Chairman of the General Conference, affirmed that these amendments “represent a launch towards broader horizons that serve the supreme national interests and protect the constants of religion and the nation,” stressing that “adopting a new name does not mean abandoning the identity, but rather it strengthens the political presence and keeps pace with the requirements of the current stage.”
While the party polled their members to suggest alternative names, including keeping it just the Action Party, the final decision was made in a small group of the Polit Bureau and was not leaked beforehand in any format.
The decision to accept changing the name and other requirements appears to have settled an internal struggle between hardliners who wanted a confrontation based on the instance of the name and current bylaws and more moderate elements that chose to adhere to the letter of the requirements of the Independent Election Commission. All current political parties in Jordan have adhered to the requirements and have made necessary changes.
Yet despite the apparent victory of the moderate win, some former Muslim Brotherhood activists felt the change was cosmetic and not deep enough. Tareq Dilwani, a Jordanian journalist, wrote on his social media that what happened was a half-step. He asked the question, " Has the Islamic Action Front Party shed its skin or merely changed its color?
“What happened was an escape from the ‘guillotine’ with an ‘outdated mentality,’ because changing a name is not merely a cosmetic procedure or political ‘Photoshop,’ but rather a declaration of the birth of a new, pure ‘national identity.”
Dilwani said he was worried because all the chants reflect the lingo of the Muslim Brotherhood culture. He asked in his post, “Where is Jordan?” in your chants? What happened was a “half step” forward, followed by several steps backward due to a lack of political maturity in the slogans, performance, and messaging.”
Senior members of the party insist that there is real change that will be seen in the coming weeks and months. The changes are substantial, but they are not a total surrender. We wanted to preserve our legacy while moving in solid steps towards progress and openness of the party.
The party is now set to start internal elections, culminating in the elections of a new Shura Council next May, in preparation for electing a new party leadership under its new name and new changes to the bylaws.
The former Islamic Action Front party had won 31 seats in parliament out of 138 in the last elections, surpassing all other participating parties.