Hizb ut-Tahrir
Encyclopedia
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state
or caliphate
ruled by Islamic law
and with a caliph
head of state elected by Muslims.
The organization was founded in 1953 in Jerusalem by Taqiuddin al-Nabhani
, an Islamic scholar and appeals court judge (Qadi
) from the Palestinian
village of Ijzim
. Since then Hizb ut-Tahrir has spread to more than 40 countries, and by one estimate has about one million members. Hizb ut-Tahrir is very active in the west
, particularly in the United Kingdom
, and is also active in several Arab
and Central Asian countries, despite being banned by some governments.
Hizb ut-Tahrir believes a caliphate would provide stability and security to both Muslims and Non-Muslims in the predominantly Muslim regions of the world. The party promotes a detailed program for institution of a caliphate that would establish Shariah and carry "the Da'wah of Islam" to the world. It believes this political transformation would provide honest leadership, protecting and caring for its citizens, and fighting against the "colonial foreign policies" of the United States and other Western nations that have led to "U.S. interventions, energy inspired wars, puppet
(Muslim) governments and western values forced by the barrel of a gun." Hizb ut-Tahrir is also strongly anti-Zionist
and calls for Israel, which it calls an "illegal entity," to be dismantled.
Some observers believe Hizb ut-Tahrir is the victim of false allegations of connections to terrorism, pointing out that the organization explicitly commits itself to non-violence. Other right wing thinkers postulate that the group's opposition to violence is tactical and temporary, and that it works to create a politically charged atmosphere possiby conducive to violence.
or caliphate, headed by an elected caliph. This, it holds, is a religious duty, "an obligation that Allah has decreed for the Muslims and commanded them to fulfill. He warned of the punishment awaiting those who neglect this duty." One analyst, however, quotes the work of Hizb ut-Tahrir founder Taqiuddin al-Nabhani to suggest that once Hizb ut-Tahrir has succeeded in creating a unified, transnational Islamic state it should press on to expand the state into non-Muslim areas. According to al-Nabhani's work The Islamic State, Muslims abroad `should work towards turning their land where Islam is not implemented, and which [thus] considered as Dar al-Kufr into Dar al-Islam".
Although hizb means party in Arabic, according to Zeyno Baran of the Washington, D.C.
-based Nixon Center
think tank, Hizb ut-Tahrir hasn't registered as a political party nor attempted to elect candidates to political office in the countries where it is active. This is not true in all countries or throughout Hizb ut-Tahrir's history, however. For example, Hizb ut-Tahrir ran for office in Jordan
in the 1950s when it was first formed, according to Suha Taji-Farouki
, but was banned by the regime later.
Kyrgyz Hizb ut-Tahrir members campaigned unsuccessfully for an affiliated candidate in Kyrgyzstan
's national presidential election in July 2005, and have participated in municipal elections where their followers have won in a number of regions.
According to an analyst of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Kazakhstan, where the group is outlawed, Hizb ut-Tahrir plans its political progress in three stages: "First they convert new members. Secondly, they establish a network of secret cells, and finally, they try to infiltrate the government to work to legalize their party and its aims." A more sympathetic description of this strategy is that Hizb ut-Tahrir works to:
According to a BBC program on the group's activities in Indonesia, "unlike many other Islamist movements here, Hizb ut-Tahrir seems less interested in a broad mass following than a smaller more committed core of members, many of them drawn from Indonesia's educated middle classes." Zeyno Baran
describes the party as a "vanguard party
" because he states it is interested in achieving power through "hundreds of supporters in critical positions" rather than "thousands of foot soldiers." However, at least one of its leaders in Indonesia, Jalaluddin Patel, states that that is an untrue characterization of the group.
In countries where the party is outlawed, Hizb ut-Tahrir's organisation is said to be strongly centralized, with its central leadership based in the Palestinian Territories. Underneath its center are "national organisations or wilayas, usually headed by a group of 12, control networks of local committees and cells." The basic unit of the party is a cell of five members, the leader of which is called a mushrif. Only the mushrif knows the names of members of other cells.
conscription
as a compulsory individual duty, for all citizens. "Every male Muslim, fifteen years and over, is obliged to undergo military training in readiness for jihad." Responsibility for defense in the state would go to the Amir al-Jihad. In Hizb ut-Tahrir's vision of the caliphate, the Amir al-Jihad "is the supervisor and director" of four departments comprising "the army, the police, equipment, tasks, armament supplies," internal security, foreign affairs, and finally industry — since "all factories of whatever type should be established on the basis of the military policy." However, the Khaleefah [Caliph], not the Amir al-Jihad, is the leader of the army, he appoints the commander-in-chief, a general for each brigade and a commander for each division."
However, Hizb ut-Tahrir believes the Caliph
, i.e., the head of the Caliphate
state, should be elected and should be accountable to those who have appointed him. The position should not be inherited through blood lines, or imposed on Muslims, but elected by them, contrary to the principles of Shia Islam. Muslims should then pledge their loyalty to the Caliph. The Caliph
Hizb ut-Tahrir favor a system of elections for Muslims to choose the Caliph.
Also part of the Hizb ut-Tahrir proposed draft constitution is a Majlis
al-Umma for the Caliph, an institution for consultation and accountability of political rulers.
The founder of Hizb ut-Tahrir, Taqiuddin an-Nabhani, is careful to note that Shura
differs from Western representative democracy in that while part of "the ruling structure" of the Islamic caliphate, it's "not one of its pillars."
In another book Nabhani elaborates further, stating that when the Majlis
makes a decision after the Caliph consults them it is binding on the Caliph to accept the decision; the Caliph's powers outlined in the draft proposed constitution refer only to foreign affairs when in a state of war that he considered existent during his life.
). However, it calls for use of the Gold Standard
, gold and silver coinage. The draft constitution gives quite specific instructions for the gold and silver weight of the coins, arguing
Hizb ut-Tahrir claims the
In regards to foreign policy, Article 186 of the draft constitution states: "The State is forbidden to belong to any organisation that is based on something other than Islam or that applies non-Islamic rules". This includes organizations such as the UN, the World Bank
, and the International Monetary Fund
and the Arab League
. Article 185 of the draft constitution states: "It is permitted to conclude good neighbouring, economic, commercial, financial, cultural and armistice treaties."
[and] are to be executed."
David Commins of Department of History at Dickinson College, writes that according to Hizb ut-Tahrir, "individuals do not have absolute freedom as in capitalism: Apostasy, adultery, alcohol, and certain economic practices are forbidden. But within well-recognized bounds, the Muslim enjoys much freedom.
Many freedoms are included in the Hizb ut-Tahrir party's draft constitution., It argues that "there is no such thing as a clergy
in Islam", that "every Muslim has the right to perform ijtihad
", (personal exertion to derive hold opinions in Islamic law), and that "every thing or object is permitted, unless there is an evidence of prohibition" in the Qur'an
,. It is incumbent on Muslims to implement the hudud
law, divinely ordained capital punishment for certain crimes. Hizb ut-Tahrir's constitution states that "every individual is innocent until proven guilty", "no person shall be punished without a court sentence
" and that "torture is absolutely forbidden and whoever inflicts torture on anyone shall be punished." Article 7 of the constitution institutes capital punishment for ridda (see ridda article for various definitions). It maintains that under the caliphate, "Arabic is the language of Islam and the sole language of the state."
The only sources of legislation to be considered divine
and statutory, and therefore to be accepted without debate, according to Article 12, are those based upon fair interpretations of the Qur'an
, the Sunnah
, consensus of the companions (Ijma al-Sahaba), and legitimate analogies (Qiyas
) from the previous three.
According to the same book, the Muslim world has not lagged behind the West, East Asia, the Hindu or any other non-Muslim society because it has failed to borrow some political, cultural or social concepts of the West, but rather:
Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia
spokesperson, Ismail Yusanto said to Nikolaos van Dam
, the Dutch
ambassador for Indonesia that the Dutch government is responsible for the Fitna (film)
of Geert Wilders and said aslim taslam
.
or right to vote (i.e., Muslim women, as only Muslims have the right to vote for the Caliph), the right of Muslim women to choose a Muslim partner freely (Muslim women are not allowed to marry non-Muslim men), right to seek employment, serve in the military, have custody of children after divorce even if she is not Muslim, and run in elections.
However, Hizb ut-Tahrir believe Islam forbids women from ruling positions such as caliph, Chief Justice, provincial governor
, or mayor citing Prophetic traditions. Article 109 of the party's draft constitution prescribes segregation of the sexes
in public activities such as school, sporting activities, etc. Muslim women would be required to hide “their charms,” i.e. their body with the exception of hands and face, so dress in accordance with khimar and jilbab
, although not necessarily with the niqab
favoured by more fundamentalist movements. Article 114 of the constitution specifies that women should not be allowed to be in private with men other than their husband or members of their immediate family (father, brother, son). Article 116 stipulates that once married a woman is obliged to obey her husband.
While opponents may consider this unequal status, Hizb ut-Tahrir maintains
), but rather, making Palestine part of the united Islamic caliphate state where everyone, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, follow statutory shariah Islamic law.
Other statements by Hizb ut-Tahrir and officials have been less temperate. A 2001 statement removed from the Hizb ut-Tahrir website includes the statement, "In origin, no one likes the Jews except the Jews. Even they themselves rarely like each other" (see below). Global head of HT, Ata Abu-Rishta is reported to have "whipped the 100,000-strong crowd" at the Hizb ut-Tahrir August 2007 annual conference in Jakarta, Indonesia "into a frenzy ... by calling for a war on Jews."
:
In October 2002, a court in Denmark
handed down a 60-day suspended sentence to Fadi Abdelatif, Hizb ut-Tahrir's spokesman in Denmark, after he was found guilty of distributing racist propaganda. The title of a leaflet he distributed was a quote from the Quran: "And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out," followed by a passage stating: "the Jews are a people of slander... a treacherous people."
In January 2003, Hizb ut-Tahrir was barred from public activity in Germany
, German Interior Minister Otto Schily
stating that the group was spreading violence and hate and had called for the killing of Jews. Membership in the party is still permitted. The charges originate from a conference at the Technical University of Berlin
, organized by a student society allegedly affiliated with Hizb ut-Tahrir. The furor was caused because the conference was attended by members of the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party of Germany
(NPD), which allegedly sparked fears of an alliance between neo-Nazi groups and Islamists. Schily banned Hizb ut-Tahrir three months later, for going "against the concept of international understanding" contained in the German constitution, a charge that has been used in the past against neo-Nazi groups. Party spokesperson Assem Shaker responded that the group was not anti-Semitic. He added, "We do not call to kill Jews. Our call is addressed to the Muslim people to defend themselves against the Zionist aggression in Palestine. And they have the right to do so."
In July 2005 Dilpazier Aslam
, a 27-year-old British Muslim and trainee journalist with The Guardian
, lost his position with the newspaper when it was exposed he was a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Citing the antisemitic statement discovered on the party's website, Guardian executives decided that membership of Hizb ut-Tahrir was not compatible with membership of the newspaper's trainee scheme. Aslam refused to leave the group, saying he was not an antisemite and did not consider Hizb ut-Tahrir's website to be antisemitic. Dilpazier later sued for unfair dismissal and there was an out-of-court settlement.
After allegations that party members had spread antisemitic propaganda, in 2004 the British National Union of Students imposed a No Platform order. The party then resumed recruiting at British universities under the name "Stop Islamophobia."
on New York
Hizb ut-Tahrir issued a statement that "The rules of this Message forbids any aggression against civilian non-combatants. They forbid killing of children, the elderly and non-combatant women even in the battlefield. They forbid the hijacking of civilian aeroplanes carrying innocent civilians and forbid the destruction of homes and offices that contain innocent civilians. All of these actions are types of aggression that Islam forbids and Muslims should not undertake such actions." The U.S. government, according to the Global Security thinktank, "has found no clear ties between Hizb ut-Tahrir and terrorist activity. Hizb ut-Tahrir has not been proven to have involvement in or direct links to any recent acts of violence or terrorism. Nor has it been proven to give financial support to other groups engaged in terrorism."
The British branch of Hizb ut-Tahrir immediately condemned the 7 July 2005 London bombings
. Imran Waheed, the group's spokesperson in Great Britain, however, stated just after the bombings that "When Westerners get killed, the world cries. But if Muslims get killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, it's the smallest of news. I will condemn what happened in London only after there is the promise from Western leaders to condemn what they have done in Falluja and other parts of Iraq and in Afghanistan." Waheed later stated that "The entire Muslim community has made its position on the London bombings clear — these actions have no justification as far as Islam is concerned." The spokesperson of the Danish branch of Hizb-ut-Tahrir echoed Waheed's comments, calling the attacks un-Islamic but refraining from directly condemning them as long as the occupation of Iraq continued.
Hizb ut-Tahrir’s opposition to violence has been questioned. For example, the think tank Globalsecurity.org
states that Hizb ut-Tahrir "is not against violence as such. It is just against the use of violence now." Similarly, in 2007 "senior members" of Hizb ut-Tahrir are quoted condemning Hamas
on the grounds that sending poorly-armed Palestinians now against the Israeli army is "fruitless," and that military operations against Israel and its occupation of Palestinian lands should await a united Caliphate and the combined armies of Islam. Writer and broadcaster Ziauddin Sardar
wrote in 2005 that Hizb ut-Tahrir's intolerance of any compromise with its goals was "a natural precursor of, and invitation to, violence." He added that, in the long run, “violence is central” to the goal of an Islamic Caliphate.
Zeyno Baran
of the Nixon Center
and Ariel Cohen of the Heritage Foundation
have argued that although Hizb ut-Tahrir does not promote or engage in violence, it acts as a "conveyor belt" for young Muslims, using its legal status to indoctrinate them before they leave the group to join more extreme groups that may engage in violence. An investigative journalist specialising in British terrorism, Shiv Malik sympathizes with the position, stating that it "is not without foundation."." In support of this perspective, Malik quotes unnamed intelligence sources stating that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
, a leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and al-Qaeda leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed are both former members of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Omar Sharif, who attempted a suicide bombing in Israel in 2003, is also alleged to have been affililated with Hizb ut-Tahrir, but the group denies this, stating that "despite extensive investigations by the police and security services, including legal proceedings against members of the Sharif family, no link to Hizb ut-Tahrir has ever been proven." The British government, in a classified report, discounted the conveyor belt theory, stating "We do not believe that it is accurate to regard radicalisation in this country as a linear 'conveyor belt’ moving from grievance, through radicalisation, to violence … This thesis seems to both misread the radicalisation process and to give undue weight to ideological factors."
Britain’s National Union of Students has asked universities to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir from campuses, accusing the group of “supporting terrorism and publishing material that incites racial hatred."
The Panorama
programme on the BBC showed an August 2006 speech by Ata Abu-Rishta
, the global leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir, in which he called for the "destruction" of Hindus living in Kashmir, Russians in Chechnya and Jews in Israel.
in the US reports the organization is active in 40 countries, with 5,000 to 10,000 "hardcore" members and tens of thousands of followers. Shiv Malik in the New Statesmen magazine estimates Hizb ut-Tahrir has about one million members.
It is proscribed in Russia,
and in some Arab countries.
It had a ban lifted on it by the Lahore High Court in Pakistan,
and it survived proposed bans in Australia and the UK after clearance from the intelligence services and police.
, Lebanon
and Yemen
.
Throughout 2006 a spate of Hizb ut-Tahrir campaigns and related arrests took place throughout the Arab world
. There were arrests in Jordan
, Morocco
, Tunisia
, and visible public activities in the Palestinian territories
, Zanzibar
, and Lebanon
, enjoying growing support among senior army staff, government officials, and the intelligentsia
.
for suspected affiliation with Hizb ut-Tahrir. Eventually 26 were put on trial for what observers in Egypt considered "contradictory" and "weak" charges.
The Egyptian government banned Hizb ut-Tahrir in 1974 after an alleged coup attempt.
Muhsin al-Hakim was arrested and allegedly tortured, during widespread persecution of Shia, ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Badri, a Sunni Islamic lawyer (Alim) and local Hizb ut-Tahrir leader, criticised the regime, and was killed under torture. A Sunni member of Hizb ut-Tahrir is thus seen as the first martyr for the rights of Shia in Iraq, against the old Baathist regime. The party has called for Sunni, Shia, Arab and Kurd
ish citizens to unite in Iraq. Some of the party's prominent members have been murdered there, the bodies showing signs of torture. Regarding the hanging of former president of Iraq Saddam Hussain, Ismail Yusanto, spokesman of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Indonesia, said: "The punishment should have been given to Saddam, because Saddam killed many Iraqi people and also members of Hizb ut-Tahrir there," and that President Bush and Tony Blair "deserved no better.".
reporter Mark MacKinnon, Hizb ut-Tahrir has been "capitalizing on public unhappiness with the recent bloodshed between the mainstream Hamas
and Fatah
movements that has split the Palestinian cause in two. A recent rally in the West Bank drew a crowd estimated in the tens of thousands." He quotes Hizb ut-Tahrir Sheik Abu Abdullah as preaching to Muslims
n journalist and announcer at the BBC's Arabic section in London, was a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir and opposed to the regime of Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi
. He was assassinated on 11 April 1980 by Libyan operatives outside London's Regent's Park Mosque. Several other members were killed in extrajudicial detention
in Libya during the 1980s. According to
Hizb ut-Tahrir along with the Muslim Brotherhood
are the "important organizations causing anxiety" for the Libyan regime with Hizb ut-Tahrir endorsing "armed resistance" and successfully recruiting "students from the universities and military academies." As of 2003, Amnesty International
reported that while Libya report that "five prisoners of conscience ... who had been imprisoned for almost three decades for their peaceful involvement with the prohibited Islamic Liberation Party, Hizb al-Tahrir" were released, but that many more remained in prison.
, party members, along with their relatives and acquaintances, have been subject to repeated extrajudicial arrest. The Middle East Intelligence Bulletin issue July 2000 and the Syrian Human Rights Committee quoted on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
website, in its annual report of June 2006 reported that the Syrian authorities began its clampdown on Hizb ut-Tahrir in 1998-1999 with hundreds of members being arrested in a nationwide manhunt led by Air Force Intelligence (Mukhabarat
). The MEIB issue of December 2000 states that "Representatives of the group have said that 1,200 of its members were arrested by Syrian security forces in December 1999 and January 2000." In its 2005 report Amnesty International stated that in 2004 dozens of Islamist students and clerics were arrested, many with links to Hizb ut-Tahrir and tried before military courts.
Syrian ex-member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, Omar Bakri notorious for his activity in the UK, claims that a significant number of members primarily in Jordan split from the original body of Hizb ut-Tahrir members and formed another Hizb ut-Tahrir known abusively as Nakithoun
'Renegades' by the organisation under the leadership of Abdul Qadeem Zallum. This led to a further two minor splits of no significant membership. He attempts to partly attribute this to himself while simultaneously denying self aggrandization.
are ethnic Uzbeks. Hizb ut-Tahrir has been accused by the governments of Central Asia of terrorist activity or illegal importation of arms into their countries. According to globalsecurity.org, the group "is believed by some to clandestinely fund and provide logistical support to a wide range of terrorist operations in Central Asia, and elsewhere, although attacks may be carried out in the names of local groups." Human rights organizations and a former British Ambassador have accused central Asian governments of torturing Hizb ut-Tahrir members and violating international law in their campaigns against the group.
. Dozens of its members have been arrested.
capital, Tashkent
." The Uzbek government reportedly withdrew its accusation of terrorism and blamed the IMU
for terrorist attacks. Amnesty has accused the Government of Uzbekistan
of giving Hizb ut-Tahrir members unfair trials, saying members are convicted on little evidence and given heavy sentences. Craig Murray
, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan
, has made many claims about Uzbek President Islam Karimov and his alleged dictatorial practices, specifically against Hizb ut-Tahrir. He alleged that members were tortured into signing renunciations of their faith, to stop praying the five daily prayers of Islam (Salah), and that two members who refused to do so;
Human rights groups have complained that authorities are increasingly becoming repressive and have planted evidence on Muslims to justify charges.
In 2006 the global leader of Hizb ut Tahrir urged his follewers to kill ethnic Russians in Chechnya.
. Home Minister Sahara Khatun told AFP that Hizb ut Tahrir Bangladesh has been banned for "unleashing destructive activities" and work that goes against the "laws of the land". The party started its activities in Bangladesh in 2000.
, Hizb ut-Tahrir was proscribed by Pakistani President General Musharraf in 2004, although it had the ban on it lifted after a legal challenge against its proscription in the Lahore
High Court
.
According to "a senior Obama Administration official" interviewed by journalist Seymour Hersch in 2009, "HT has "penetrated the Pakistani military and now have cells in the Army." Hersch reports that the Pakistan Army denies this.
About Hizb ut-Tahrir's activities in Pakistan and subsequent political crackdown Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court said in March 2005 : "Hizb ut-Tahrir has shown dissatisfaction on the policies of the [Pakistan] government that is the right of each and every citizen ... I am unable to understand as to how distribution of these pamphlets in the general public was termed as terrorism or sectarianism."
Pakistani author Ahmed Rashid
writes in Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia, that there are "strong links and cooperation between the rank and file" of Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
especially when they are from the same village or town. However, according to Jean-François Mayer of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
; the insinuation ‘that the party will turn violent and has links with the IMU’ is inaccurate: the comments attributed to a member ‘contradicted the party’s ideas’. Representatives of Hizb ut-Tahrir report that they have repeatedly attempted to contact Ahmed Rashid in order to make their views known, but say they have not succeeded. They are even considering writing a rebuttal of his book.
On May 6, 2011, Brigadier Ali Khan of Pakistan Army was detained, just four days after the US-led Abbottabad Operation; for his alleged links with Hizb-ut-Tahrir, official military sources said.
, lieutenant Mehmet Ali Çelebi, detained in the Ergenekon investigations
in 2008, had links with Hizb ut-Tahrir. Çelebi was allegedly the key that made possible the arrest of five Hizb ut-Tahrir members in September 2008.
On 24 July 2009, Turkish police arrested almost 200 people suspected of being members of Hizb ut-Tahrir.
.
The party planned its first Khilafah conference in Sydney
for 27 January 2007. The planned conference led to allegations in newspaper reports that the party was linked to the July 2005 London bombings. Opposition politicians called on the local and federal governments not to grant visas to foreign speakers attending, and to re-consider proscribing Hizb ut-Tahrir. The demands for a ban were rejected by Attorney General
Philip Ruddock
, on the grounds there was insufficient evidence to warrant banning the group. Radical clerics from the group demanded the establishment of a Muslim superstate, and warned Muslims they must be prepared to kill anyone who threatened its existence.
Hizb ut-Tahrir members originally planned to hold the conference in the town hall of Bankstown Bankstown, New South Wales
, a satellite city of Sydney which with adjacent Lakemba is Australia's biggest Muslim electorate, but the Sydney council cancelled it. Hizb ut-Tahrir secured another location the next day on 28 January. According to the Herald Sun, he also stated, "if you people are united and a third person comes along and tries to incite disunity ... kill him..., Muslims are not unique in doing so, as most nations kill those charged with treason...."
Conference spokesman Wassim Doureihi said the work of Hizb ut-Tahrir was not to change the political landscape in Australia. He added, "It is because of Islam and my allegiance to Islam that I am responsible for ensuring to do what I can to protect the safety and security of all peoples in this country and beyond."
Morris Iemma
Premier of New South Wales and MP for Lakemba, which with adjacent Bankstown has Australia's largest Muslim community, stated around the time of the conference that Hizb ut-Tahrir "is an organisation that is basically saying that it desires to declare war on Australia, our values and our people." even though according to Sydney Morning Herald, the speakers at the Khilafah Conference "made it clear they did not see Australia as part of their fundamentalist society" Attorney General
Philip Ruddock
responded that the local government of Iemma should "stop playing politics and if it had any evidence helpful to the security agencies, it should give it to them."
One opponent of a ban on Hizb ut-Tahrir, Irfan Yusuf, writing in the on-line publication Crikey
, stating in No need to be alarmed about Hizb ut-Tahrir that the opposition Australian Labor Party
"clearly wants to look tougher than the government on national security. But it risks alienating much of its support base in some Muslim circles by picking on a group many Muslims regard as harmless." Ban supporter Rebecca Weisser, however, alleged in The Australian
that former members of Hizb ut-Tahrir include Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Omar Bakri Mohammed "four of the seven suspects in the failed terror attacks on London on June 29
and in Glasgow on July 1." In Australia, writer Thomas Lehmann criticized the party and its former media representative, Wassim Doureihi, because they "openly flout our hospitality and tolerance while advocating the replacement of our democratic system with theocratic fascism," and for refusing "to condemn the September 11, Bali or London terror attacks."
Hizb ut-Tahrir is legal in Denmark but ran into controversy in 2002, when it distributed leaflets in Copenhagen that a Danish court determined were racist propaganda. Imran Khan of the BBC program "Newsnight" described the leaflet as follows:
. The court rejected his claims that he was just quoting from the Koran, that it was an act of free speech and that it was aimed only at the Israeli state and not Jews.
In 2007 Berlingske Tidende
reported that a kindergarten in Copenhagen
was being run in line with the ideology of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Also that year, several well known imams in Copenhagen attended a convention of Hizb ut-Tahrir and announced that they were willing to work together towards mutual goals. This move attracted criticism from a variety of Muslim and non-Muslim voices.
, Hizb ut-Tahrir grew from a very small organization in Britain to a one of the most active Islamic organizations in the country. In 1996 Bakri split with Hizb ut-Tahrir over disagreements on policy, style and methods, and focused on another organization Al-Muhajiroun
.
A report in Foreign Affairs Journal claims that Hizb ut-Tahrir "dominates" the British Islamist "scene" with some 8,500 members in the United Kingdom
, compared to only 1,000 for a rival, Muslim Association of Britain
.
According to ex-Hizb ut-Tahrir member Ed Husain, "Britain remains vital to the Hizb, for it gives the group access to the global media and provides a fertile recruiting ground at mosques and universities."
Hizb ut-Tahrir in Britain emphasized the importance of Muslims choosing loyalty to their religion above loyalty to Britain or any other country. In Hizb ut-Tahrir's view, Islam is anti-nationalist
, transnational
and pan-Islamic in nature. In a promotional video shown on BBC News a party representative asked:
Following the 7 July 2005 London bombings
the British government announced its intention to ban the organization but abandoned the ban. According to The Independent
Blair "shelved the ban after warnings from police, intelligence chiefs, and civil liberties groups that it is a non-violent group, and driving it underground could backfire." and according to the Observer because the Home Office
believed a legal ban would not stick.
In July 2007, Leader of the Opposition David Cameron
asked the new Prime Minister
Gordon Brown
why the organisation had not been banned from the United Kingdom, arguing it was an extremist group. Gordon Brown responded that more evidence would be needed before banning a group and, when pressed further, John Reid
the previous home secretary stepped in arguing that there had already been two reviews of the group with insufficient evidence to justify a ban.
In November 2009, Mr Cameron again questioned the Government over Hizb ut-Tahrir, claiming that government Pathfinder fund aimed at combating violent extremism was being used to fund schools run by an organisation with links to extremism. He later acknowledged that this statement was an error as another government fund was perceived.
In November 2006, the BBC reported that a street gang in South London
, which claimed to be Hizb ut-Tahrir, encouraged an undercover reporter
to rob another gang to "prove his loyalty". The short documentary ended with the reporter claiming that the gang maybe a lone out-of-control group simply influenced by Hizb ut-Tahrir's notoriety. Dr Abdul Wahid when questioned on the program condemned the behaviour, asked the BBC to hand over all material to the police, said he would be extremely surprised if any of the gang were members of his organisation, and that if they were, he would have them removed.
Islamic State
An Islamic state is a type of government, in which the primary basis for government is Islamic religious law...
or caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
ruled by Islamic law
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
and with a caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
head of state elected by Muslims.
The organization was founded in 1953 in Jerusalem by Taqiuddin al-Nabhani
Taqiuddin al-Nabhani
Taqiuddin al-Nabhani was the founder of the Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir.He died aged 68 in 1977.- Philosophy and Theology :Nabhani in his books 'Thought' and 'System of Islam' placed...
, an Islamic scholar and appeals court judge (Qadi
Qadi
Qadi is a judge ruling in accordance with Islamic religious law appointed by the ruler of a Muslim country. Because Islam makes no distinction between religious and secular domains, qadis traditionally have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims...
) from the Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
village of Ijzim
Ijzim
Ijzim was a Palestinian village located in the Haifa district of British Mandate Palestine, 19.5 kilometers south of the city, that was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war...
. Since then Hizb ut-Tahrir has spread to more than 40 countries, and by one estimate has about one million members. Hizb ut-Tahrir is very active in the west
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
, particularly in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and is also active in several Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
and Central Asian countries, despite being banned by some governments.
Hizb ut-Tahrir believes a caliphate would provide stability and security to both Muslims and Non-Muslims in the predominantly Muslim regions of the world. The party promotes a detailed program for institution of a caliphate that would establish Shariah and carry "the Da'wah of Islam" to the world. It believes this political transformation would provide honest leadership, protecting and caring for its citizens, and fighting against the "colonial foreign policies" of the United States and other Western nations that have led to "U.S. interventions, energy inspired wars, puppet
Puppet state
A puppet state is a nominal sovereign of a state who is de facto controlled by a foreign power. The term refers to a government controlled by the government of another country like a puppeteer controls the strings of a marionette...
(Muslim) governments and western values forced by the barrel of a gun." Hizb ut-Tahrir is also strongly anti-Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
and calls for Israel, which it calls an "illegal entity," to be dismantled.
Some observers believe Hizb ut-Tahrir is the victim of false allegations of connections to terrorism, pointing out that the organization explicitly commits itself to non-violence. Other right wing thinkers postulate that the group's opposition to violence is tactical and temporary, and that it works to create a politically charged atmosphere possiby conducive to violence.
Goals, methods, and organization
Hizb ut-Tahrir states its aim as unification of all Muslim nations over time in a unitary Islamic stateIslamic State
An Islamic state is a type of government, in which the primary basis for government is Islamic religious law...
or caliphate, headed by an elected caliph. This, it holds, is a religious duty, "an obligation that Allah has decreed for the Muslims and commanded them to fulfill. He warned of the punishment awaiting those who neglect this duty." One analyst, however, quotes the work of Hizb ut-Tahrir founder Taqiuddin al-Nabhani to suggest that once Hizb ut-Tahrir has succeeded in creating a unified, transnational Islamic state it should press on to expand the state into non-Muslim areas. According to al-Nabhani's work The Islamic State, Muslims abroad `should work towards turning their land where Islam is not implemented, and which [thus] considered as Dar al-Kufr into Dar al-Islam".
Although hizb means party in Arabic, according to Zeyno Baran of the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based Nixon Center
Nixon Center
The Nixon Center was a Washington, D.C.-based public policy think tank. On March 9, 2011 it was renamed The Center for the National Interest....
think tank, Hizb ut-Tahrir hasn't registered as a political party nor attempted to elect candidates to political office in the countries where it is active. This is not true in all countries or throughout Hizb ut-Tahrir's history, however. For example, Hizb ut-Tahrir ran for office in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
in the 1950s when it was first formed, according to Suha Taji-Farouki
Suha Taji-Farouki
-Academic career:She obtained her PhD in Islamic Studies and Middle Eastern Politics from the University of Exeter in 1993. She is presently Lecturer in Modern Islam at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, and a Research Associate at The Institute of Ismaili Studies,...
, but was banned by the regime later.
Kyrgyz Hizb ut-Tahrir members campaigned unsuccessfully for an affiliated candidate in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
's national presidential election in July 2005, and have participated in municipal elections where their followers have won in a number of regions.
According to an analyst of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Kazakhstan, where the group is outlawed, Hizb ut-Tahrir plans its political progress in three stages: "First they convert new members. Secondly, they establish a network of secret cells, and finally, they try to infiltrate the government to work to legalize their party and its aims." A more sympathetic description of this strategy is that Hizb ut-Tahrir works to:
- Establish a community of Hizb ut-Tahrir members who work together in the same way as the companions of MuhammadSahabaIn Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
. Members should accept the goals and methods of the organization as their own and be ready to work to fulfill these goals. - Build public opinion among the Muslim masses for the caliphate and the other Islamic concepts that will lead to a revival of Islamic thought.
- Once public opinion is achieved in a target country through debate and persuasion, the group hopes to obtain support from army generals, leaders, and other influential figures or bodies to facilitate the change of the government. The government would be replaced by one that implements Islam "generally and comprehensively", carrying Islamic thought to people throughout the world.
According to a BBC program on the group's activities in Indonesia, "unlike many other Islamist movements here, Hizb ut-Tahrir seems less interested in a broad mass following than a smaller more committed core of members, many of them drawn from Indonesia's educated middle classes." Zeyno Baran
Zeyno Baran
Zeyno Baran is a Turkish American scholar on issues ranging from US-Turkey relations to Islamist ideology to energy security in Europe and Asia. She is the Director of the Center for Eurasian Policy and a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, a think tank located in Washington D.C....
describes the party as a "vanguard party
Vanguard party
A vanguard party is a political party at the forefront of a mass action, movement, or revolution. The idea of a vanguard party has its origins in the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels...
" because he states it is interested in achieving power through "hundreds of supporters in critical positions" rather than "thousands of foot soldiers." However, at least one of its leaders in Indonesia, Jalaluddin Patel, states that that is an untrue characterization of the group.
In countries where the party is outlawed, Hizb ut-Tahrir's organisation is said to be strongly centralized, with its central leadership based in the Palestinian Territories. Underneath its center are "national organisations or wilayas, usually headed by a group of 12, control networks of local committees and cells." The basic unit of the party is a cell of five members, the leader of which is called a mushrif. Only the mushrif knows the names of members of other cells.
Timeline
This is a partial annotated timeline of Hizb ut-Tahrir actions relating to their adopted method to fulfil the party's original raison d'etre by assuming authority and implementing Islamic law.| Year | Snapshot of status |
|---|---|
| 1953 | Party founded by Taqiuddin al-Nabhani in Jerusalem. |
| 1956 | Party yet to decide how it would assume authority |
| 1960 | Interaction Stage begins in Jordan, and society is unresponsive. Party revises its method. |
| 1961 | Party adopts the method of seeking support from the influential faction(s) to assume power. |
| 1964 | Party announces that society in Jordan had responded positively to its call, forcing it to attempt to take power in Jordan. |
| 1968/69 | Party allegedly involved in two (failed) coup attempts in Jordan and Syria. |
| 1974 | Party allegedly involved in (failed) coup attempt in Egypt. |
| 1977 | Party founder and leader Taqiuddin al-Nabhani Taqiuddin al-Nabhani Taqiuddin al-Nabhani was the founder of the Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir.He died aged 68 in 1977.- Philosophy and Theology :Nabhani in his books 'Thought' and 'System of Islam' placed... dies in Lebanon, succeeded by Abd al-Qadim Zallum, a Palestinian cleric. |
| 1978 | Party acknowledges that the Muslims had reached a state of total surrender and despair and was not responding to anything. Party acknowledges that this had caused the level of activity to decline almost to standstill, mainly due to misconceptions. |
| 1998 | Party indicates that the Caliphate is now the wish of all the Muslims. |
| 2003 | Party leader Abd al-Qadim Zallum dies in Lebanon, succeeded (earlier that year) by Ata Khalil Abu-Rashta, a Palestinian civil engineer. |
Defence
Article 56 of the draft constitution of the proposed state describes they areconscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
as a compulsory individual duty, for all citizens. "Every male Muslim, fifteen years and over, is obliged to undergo military training in readiness for jihad." Responsibility for defense in the state would go to the Amir al-Jihad. In Hizb ut-Tahrir's vision of the caliphate, the Amir al-Jihad "is the supervisor and director" of four departments comprising "the army, the police, equipment, tasks, armament supplies," internal security, foreign affairs, and finally industry — since "all factories of whatever type should be established on the basis of the military policy." However, the Khaleefah [Caliph], not the Amir al-Jihad, is the leader of the army, he appoints the commander-in-chief, a general for each brigade and a commander for each division."
Democracy
Hizb ut-Tahrir rejects democracy as a western system and un-Islamic despite aspects of it such as elections existing in the Islamic political system. Hizb ut-Tahrir argues democracy as a system isthe rule of people, for the people, by the people. The basis of the democratic system is that people possess the right of sovereignty, choice and implementation. ... it is a KufrKUFRKUFR is a radio station broadcasting a Christian radio format. Licensed to Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, the station serves the Salt Lake City area. The station is currently owned by Family Stations, Inc....
system because it is laid down by man and it is not from the Shari'ah Laws.
However, Hizb ut-Tahrir believes the Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
, i.e., the head of the Caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
state, should be elected and should be accountable to those who have appointed him. The position should not be inherited through blood lines, or imposed on Muslims, but elected by them, contrary to the principles of Shia Islam. Muslims should then pledge their loyalty to the Caliph. The Caliph
"is the head of state in the Khilafah. He is not a king or dictator but an elected leader whose authority to rule must be given willingly by the Muslims through a special ruling contact called bayaBay'ahBay'ah , in Islamic terminology, is an oath of allegiance to a leader. It is known to have been practiced by the Islamic prophet Muhammad...
. Without this baya he cannot be the head of state. This is completely opposite to a king or dictator who imposes his authority through coercion and force. It argues the tyrant kings and dictators in the Muslim world are examples of this, imprisoning and torturing their populations and stealing their wealth and resources."
Hizb ut-Tahrir favor a system of elections for Muslims to choose the Caliph.
Also part of the Hizb ut-Tahrir proposed draft constitution is a Majlis
Majlis
' , is an Arabic term meaning "a place of sitting", used in the context of "council", to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups be it administrative, social or religious in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to Islamic countries...
al-Umma for the Caliph, an institution for consultation and accountability of political rulers.
The founder of Hizb ut-Tahrir, Taqiuddin an-Nabhani, is careful to note that Shura
Shura
Shura is an Arabic word for "consultation". The Quran and Muhammad encourage Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with those who will be affected by that decision....
differs from Western representative democracy in that while part of "the ruling structure" of the Islamic caliphate, it's "not one of its pillars."
This is because the shuraShuraShura is an Arabic word for "consultation". The Quran and Muhammad encourage Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with those who will be affected by that decision....
(consultation) in Islam is for seeking the opinion and not for ruling. This is contrary to the parliamentary system in democracy.
In another book Nabhani elaborates further, stating that when the Majlis
Majlis
' , is an Arabic term meaning "a place of sitting", used in the context of "council", to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups be it administrative, social or religious in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to Islamic countries...
makes a decision after the Caliph consults them it is binding on the Caliph to accept the decision; the Caliph's powers outlined in the draft proposed constitution refer only to foreign affairs when in a state of war that he considered existent during his life.
Economy
The draft constitution also details an economic system that allows private enterprise, but reserves public ownership of utilities, public transport, health care, energy resources such as oil, and unused farm land (similar to communitarianismCommunitarianism
Communitarianism is an ideology that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. That community may be the family unit, but it can also be understood in a far wider sense of personal interaction, of geographical location, or of shared history.-Terminology:Though the term...
). However, it calls for use of the Gold Standard
Gold standard
The gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is a fixed mass of gold. There are distinct kinds of gold standard...
, gold and silver coinage. The draft constitution gives quite specific instructions for the gold and silver weight of the coins, arguing
... it is the duty of the Khilafah State to make its currency in gold and silver and to work on the basis of gold and silver as it was during the time of the Messenger of Allah and his Khulafa'a after him... to fix the weight of dinars equal to the Shari'ah dinar or 4.25 grams (of Gold) for one dinar... the dirham has the weight of 2.975 grams (of Silver). The basis of gold and silver as currency is the only way to solve currency related economic problems and the high inflation rates that are common in the world, and to produce currency stability for rates of exchange and progress in international trade.... Only by taking gold and silver as the standard, can the American control and the control of the dollar as an international currency, be demolished in international trade and world economies.
Non-Muslims
In Hizb ut-Tahrir's draft constitution for its unified Islamic state, any non-Muslims living in the state may not serve in any of the ruling offices, such as the position of caliph, nor vote for these officials, as these positions require those who fulfil them to believe in the system. Muslims have "the right to participate in the election of the Khaleefah [head of state] and in giving him the pledge (ba'iah). Non-Muslims have no right in this regard." However non-Muslims may voice "complaints in respect to unjust acts performed by the rulers or the misapplication of Islam upon them."Hizb ut-Tahrir claims the
rights of Jews and other non-Muslims are enshrined within statuary Islamic Law (Sharia). These were laid down by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) when he established the first Islamic State in MedinaMedinaMedina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
in the 7th century. He said, "Whoever harms a dhimmiDhimmiA , is a non-Muslim subject of a state governed in accordance with sharia law. Linguistically, the word means "one whose responsibility has been taken". This has to be understood in the context of the definition of state in Islam...
(non-Muslim citizen) has harmed me.... Non-Muslims in the khilafah (caliphate) will have established channels to air any grievances or denial of their rights. All citizens will be empowered with the right to speak out where necessary."
In regards to foreign policy, Article 186 of the draft constitution states: "The State is forbidden to belong to any organisation that is based on something other than Islam or that applies non-Islamic rules". This includes organizations such as the UN, the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, and the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
and the Arab League
Arab League
The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...
. Article 185 of the draft constitution states: "It is permitted to conclude good neighbouring, economic, commercial, financial, cultural and armistice treaties."
Rights or freedoms
Two areas in which Hizb ut-Tahrir rejects the notion of freedom are religion and economics. Article 7 of its Draft Constitution declares that Muslims who "have by themselves renounced Islam... are guilty of apostasy (murtadd) from IslamApostasy in Islam
Apostasy in Islam is commonly defined in Islam as the rejection in word or deed of one's former religion by a person who was previously a follower of Islam...
[and] are to be executed."
David Commins of Department of History at Dickinson College, writes that according to Hizb ut-Tahrir, "individuals do not have absolute freedom as in capitalism: Apostasy, adultery, alcohol, and certain economic practices are forbidden. But within well-recognized bounds, the Muslim enjoys much freedom.
Many freedoms are included in the Hizb ut-Tahrir party's draft constitution., It argues that "there is no such thing as a clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
in Islam", that "every Muslim has the right to perform ijtihad
Ijtihad
Ijtihad is the making of a decision in Islamic law by personal effort , independently of any school of jurisprudence . as opposed to taqlid, copying or obeying without question....
", (personal exertion to derive hold opinions in Islamic law), and that "every thing or object is permitted, unless there is an evidence of prohibition" in the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
,. It is incumbent on Muslims to implement the hudud
Hudud
Hudud is the word often used in Islamic literature for the bounds of acceptable behaviour and the punishments for serious crimes...
law, divinely ordained capital punishment for certain crimes. Hizb ut-Tahrir's constitution states that "every individual is innocent until proven guilty", "no person shall be punished without a court sentence
Due process
Due process is the legal code that the state must venerate all of the legal rights that are owed to a person under the principle. Due process balances the power of the state law of the land and thus protects individual persons from it...
" and that "torture is absolutely forbidden and whoever inflicts torture on anyone shall be punished." Article 7 of the constitution institutes capital punishment for ridda (see ridda article for various definitions). It maintains that under the caliphate, "Arabic is the language of Islam and the sole language of the state."
The only sources of legislation to be considered divine
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
and statutory, and therefore to be accepted without debate, according to Article 12, are those based upon fair interpretations of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, the Sunnah
Sunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
, consensus of the companions (Ijma al-Sahaba), and legitimate analogies (Qiyas
Qiyas
In Islamic jurisprudence, qiyās is the process of deductive analogy in which the teachings of the Hadith are compared and contrasted with those of the Qur'an, in order to apply a known injunction to a new circumstance and create a new injunction...
) from the previous three.
The West
Hizb ut-Tahrir opposes any Western influence in the Muslim world. Its founder, Nabhani, has been described as preaching that "British plots in particular and western imperialist conspiracies in general pervade the modern history of the Muslim world and ultimately explain its main lines of political evolution." In his book, The System of Islam, which is studied by all Hizb ut-Tahrir members, Nabhani states:If not for the influence of the deceptive Western culture and the oppression of its agents that will soon vanish, then the return to the domain of Islam in its ideology and system would be quicker than the blink of an eye.
According to the same book, the Muslim world has not lagged behind the West, East Asia, the Hindu or any other non-Muslim society because it has failed to borrow some political, cultural or social concepts of the West, but rather:
Muslim stagnation commenced the day they abandoned this adherence to Islam and ... allowed the foreign culture to enter their lands and the Western concepts to occupy their minds.
Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
spokesperson, Ismail Yusanto said to Nikolaos van Dam
Nikolaos van Dam
Nikolaos van Dam is a Middle East scholar, former Dutch Ambassador to Iraq, Egypt, and Indonesia, and author....
, the Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
ambassador for Indonesia that the Dutch government is responsible for the Fitna (film)
Fitna (film)
Fitna is a 2008 short political, propaganda film by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders with his view on the religion of the Islam. Approximately 17 minutes in length, the movie shows selected excerpts from Suras of the Qur'an, interspersed with media clips and newspaper cuttings showing or...
of Geert Wilders and said aslim taslam
Aslim Taslam
Aslim Taslam is a phrase meaning "submit and you will get salvation", taken from the letters sent by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad to various kings and rulers in which he urged them to convert to Islam.-Letters of Muhammad:...
.
Women
The Hizb ut-Tahrir draft constitution states, "the primary role of a woman is that of a mother and wife. She is an honour ('ird) that must be protected.". Unlike some Muslim traditionalists, Hizb ut-Tahrir, advocates women's suffrageSuffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
or right to vote (i.e., Muslim women, as only Muslims have the right to vote for the Caliph), the right of Muslim women to choose a Muslim partner freely (Muslim women are not allowed to marry non-Muslim men), right to seek employment, serve in the military, have custody of children after divorce even if she is not Muslim, and run in elections.
However, Hizb ut-Tahrir believe Islam forbids women from ruling positions such as caliph, Chief Justice, provincial governor
Wali
Walī , is an Arabic word meaning "custodian", "protector", "sponsor", or authority as denoted by its definition "crown". "Wali" is someone who has "Walayah" over somebody else. For example, in Fiqh the father is wali of his children. In Islam, the phrase ولي الله walīyu 'llāh...
, or mayor citing Prophetic traditions. Article 109 of the party's draft constitution prescribes segregation of the sexes
Sex segregation in Islam
Islam discourages free mixing between men and women when they are alone but not all interaction between men and women. Interaction between men and women is prescribed to be maintained at a healthy and modest level, to the extent where they can socialize in order to know each other as ordained by...
in public activities such as school, sporting activities, etc. Muslim women would be required to hide “their charms,” i.e. their body with the exception of hands and face, so dress in accordance with khimar and jilbab
Jilbab
The term jilbāb or jilbaab is the plural of the word jilaabah which refers to any long and loose-fit coat or garment worn by some Muslim women. They believe that this definition of jilbab fulfills the Quranic demand for a Hijab...
, although not necessarily with the niqab
Niqab
A niqab is a cloth which covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijāb...
favoured by more fundamentalist movements. Article 114 of the constitution specifies that women should not be allowed to be in private with men other than their husband or members of their immediate family (father, brother, son). Article 116 stipulates that once married a woman is obliged to obey her husband.
While opponents may consider this unequal status, Hizb ut-Tahrir maintains
Women in the Khilafah are not regarded as inferior or second class citizens. Islam gave women the right to wealth, property rights, rights over marriage and divorce as well as a place in society. Islam established a public dress code for women – the Khimar and Jilbab in order to establish a productive society free from the type of negative and harmful relationships prevalent in the west.
Zionism
Hizb ut-Tahrir strongly opposes Zionism and the state of Israel. Statements by Hizb ut-Tahrir differ on what its position toward Israel and the Jews. "Palestine – why only a one state solution will work," pledges Hizb ut-Tahrir support for a "one state solution" for Israel and the Palestinians. However, by the phrase "one state solution" Hizb ut-Tahrir does not mean a united secular state (see: Binational solutionBinational solution
The one-state solution and the similar binational solution are proposed approaches to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Proponents of a binational solution to the conflict advocate either a single state in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, or a single state in Israel and the West...
), but rather, making Palestine part of the united Islamic caliphate state where everyone, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, follow statutory shariah Islamic law.
Other statements by Hizb ut-Tahrir and officials have been less temperate. A 2001 statement removed from the Hizb ut-Tahrir website includes the statement, "In origin, no one likes the Jews except the Jews. Even they themselves rarely like each other" (see below). Global head of HT, Ata Abu-Rishta is reported to have "whipped the 100,000-strong crowd" at the Hizb ut-Tahrir August 2007 annual conference in Jakarta, Indonesia "into a frenzy ... by calling for a war on Jews."
Charges of anti-semitism
In a 2000 article entitled "The Muslim Ummah will never submit to the Jews", Hizb ut-Tahrir lamented what it saw as the innate behavior of JewsJews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
:
... In origin, no one likes the Jews except the Jews. Even they themselves rarely like each other.... The AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
people do not like the Jews nor do the Europeans, because the Jews by their very nature do not like anyone else. Rather they look at other people as wild animals that have to be tamed to serve them. So, how can we imagine it being possible for any ArabArabArab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
or Muslim to like the Jews whose character is such?... Know that the Jews and their usurping state in Palestine will, by the Help and Mercy of Allah, be destroyed "until the stones and trees will say: O Muslim, O Slave of Allah. Here is a Jew behind me so come and kill him."
In October 2002, a court in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
handed down a 60-day suspended sentence to Fadi Abdelatif, Hizb ut-Tahrir's spokesman in Denmark, after he was found guilty of distributing racist propaganda. The title of a leaflet he distributed was a quote from the Quran: "And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out," followed by a passage stating: "the Jews are a people of slander... a treacherous people."
In January 2003, Hizb ut-Tahrir was barred from public activity in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, German Interior Minister Otto Schily
Otto Schily
Otto Georg Schily was Federal Minister of the Interior of Germany from 1998 to 2005, in the cabinet of former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany .-Biography:...
stating that the group was spreading violence and hate and had called for the killing of Jews. Membership in the party is still permitted. The charges originate from a conference at the Technical University of Berlin
Technical University of Berlin
The Technische Universität Berlin is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. Translating the name into English is discouraged by the university, however paraphrasing as Berlin Institute of Technology is recommended by the university if necessary .The TU Berlin was founded...
, organized by a student society allegedly affiliated with Hizb ut-Tahrir. The furor was caused because the conference was attended by members of the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party of Germany
National Democratic Party of Germany
The National Democratic Party of Germany – The People's Union , is a far right German nationalist party. It was founded in 1964 a successor to the German Reich Party . Party statements self-identify as Germany's "only significant patriotic force"...
(NPD), which allegedly sparked fears of an alliance between neo-Nazi groups and Islamists. Schily banned Hizb ut-Tahrir three months later, for going "against the concept of international understanding" contained in the German constitution, a charge that has been used in the past against neo-Nazi groups. Party spokesperson Assem Shaker responded that the group was not anti-Semitic. He added, "We do not call to kill Jews. Our call is addressed to the Muslim people to defend themselves against the Zionist aggression in Palestine. And they have the right to do so."
In July 2005 Dilpazier Aslam
Dilpazier Aslam
Dilpazie/r Aslam is a former trainee journalist with The Guardian. He came to public attention in July 2005 when he lost his position with the newspaper after being named as a member of the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. The Guardian was alerted to Aslam's membership in the group by bloggers who...
, a 27-year-old British Muslim and trainee journalist with The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, lost his position with the newspaper when it was exposed he was a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Citing the antisemitic statement discovered on the party's website, Guardian executives decided that membership of Hizb ut-Tahrir was not compatible with membership of the newspaper's trainee scheme. Aslam refused to leave the group, saying he was not an antisemite and did not consider Hizb ut-Tahrir's website to be antisemitic. Dilpazier later sued for unfair dismissal and there was an out-of-court settlement.
After allegations that party members had spread antisemitic propaganda, in 2004 the British National Union of Students imposed a No Platform order. The party then resumed recruiting at British universities under the name "Stop Islamophobia."
Position on violence
Hizb ut-Tahrir states on its British website that it adopts the methods "employed by the Prophet Muhammad [who] limited his struggle for the establishment of the Islamic State to intellectual and political work. He established this Islamic state without resorting to violence." In addition, seven days after the September 11, 2001 attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
on New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Hizb ut-Tahrir issued a statement that "The rules of this Message forbids any aggression against civilian non-combatants. They forbid killing of children, the elderly and non-combatant women even in the battlefield. They forbid the hijacking of civilian aeroplanes carrying innocent civilians and forbid the destruction of homes and offices that contain innocent civilians. All of these actions are types of aggression that Islam forbids and Muslims should not undertake such actions." The U.S. government, according to the Global Security thinktank, "has found no clear ties between Hizb ut-Tahrir and terrorist activity. Hizb ut-Tahrir has not been proven to have involvement in or direct links to any recent acts of violence or terrorism. Nor has it been proven to give financial support to other groups engaged in terrorism."
The British branch of Hizb ut-Tahrir immediately condemned the 7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
. Imran Waheed, the group's spokesperson in Great Britain, however, stated just after the bombings that "When Westerners get killed, the world cries. But if Muslims get killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, it's the smallest of news. I will condemn what happened in London only after there is the promise from Western leaders to condemn what they have done in Falluja and other parts of Iraq and in Afghanistan." Waheed later stated that "The entire Muslim community has made its position on the London bombings clear — these actions have no justification as far as Islam is concerned." The spokesperson of the Danish branch of Hizb-ut-Tahrir echoed Waheed's comments, calling the attacks un-Islamic but refraining from directly condemning them as long as the occupation of Iraq continued.
Hizb ut-Tahrir’s opposition to violence has been questioned. For example, the think tank Globalsecurity.org
GlobalSecurity.org
GlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
states that Hizb ut-Tahrir "is not against violence as such. It is just against the use of violence now." Similarly, in 2007 "senior members" of Hizb ut-Tahrir are quoted condemning Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
on the grounds that sending poorly-armed Palestinians now against the Israeli army is "fruitless," and that military operations against Israel and its occupation of Palestinian lands should await a united Caliphate and the combined armies of Islam. Writer and broadcaster Ziauddin Sardar
Ziauddin Sardar
Ziauddin Sardar is a London-based scholar, writer and cultural-critic who specialises in Muslim thought, the future of Islam, futures studies and science and cultural relations...
wrote in 2005 that Hizb ut-Tahrir's intolerance of any compromise with its goals was "a natural precursor of, and invitation to, violence." He added that, in the long run, “violence is central” to the goal of an Islamic Caliphate.
Zeyno Baran
Zeyno Baran
Zeyno Baran is a Turkish American scholar on issues ranging from US-Turkey relations to Islamist ideology to energy security in Europe and Asia. She is the Director of the Center for Eurasian Policy and a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, a think tank located in Washington D.C....
of the Nixon Center
Nixon Center
The Nixon Center was a Washington, D.C.-based public policy think tank. On March 9, 2011 it was renamed The Center for the National Interest....
and Ariel Cohen of the Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
have argued that although Hizb ut-Tahrir does not promote or engage in violence, it acts as a "conveyor belt" for young Muslims, using its legal status to indoctrinate them before they leave the group to join more extreme groups that may engage in violence. An investigative journalist specialising in British terrorism, Shiv Malik sympathizes with the position, stating that it "is not without foundation."." In support of this perspective, Malik quotes unnamed intelligence sources stating that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
, a leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and al-Qaeda leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed are both former members of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Omar Sharif, who attempted a suicide bombing in Israel in 2003, is also alleged to have been affililated with Hizb ut-Tahrir, but the group denies this, stating that "despite extensive investigations by the police and security services, including legal proceedings against members of the Sharif family, no link to Hizb ut-Tahrir has ever been proven." The British government, in a classified report, discounted the conveyor belt theory, stating "We do not believe that it is accurate to regard radicalisation in this country as a linear 'conveyor belt’ moving from grievance, through radicalisation, to violence … This thesis seems to both misread the radicalisation process and to give undue weight to ideological factors."
Britain’s National Union of Students has asked universities to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir from campuses, accusing the group of “supporting terrorism and publishing material that incites racial hatred."
The Panorama
Panorama (TV series)
Panorama is a BBC Television current affairs documentary programme, which was first broadcast in 1953, and is the longest-running public affairs television programme in the world. Panorama has been presented by many well known BBC presenters, including Richard Dimbleby, Robin Day, David Dimbleby...
programme on the BBC showed an August 2006 speech by Ata Abu-Rishta
Ata Abu Rashta
Ata Abu Rashta is an Islamic jurist, scholar and writer. He is the global leader of the Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir.-Biography :...
, the global leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir, in which he called for the "destruction" of Hindus living in Kashmir, Russians in Chechnya and Jews in Israel.
Hizb ut-Tahrir by region
The Heritage FoundationHeritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
in the US reports the organization is active in 40 countries, with 5,000 to 10,000 "hardcore" members and tens of thousands of followers. Shiv Malik in the New Statesmen magazine estimates Hizb ut-Tahrir has about one million members.
It is proscribed in Russia,
and in some Arab countries.
It had a ban lifted on it by the Lahore High Court in Pakistan,
and it survived proposed bans in Australia and the UK after clearance from the intelligence services and police.
Africa and the Arab world
Hizb ut-Tahrir is proscribed in many Arab countries, but is permitted to operate in the United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
.
Throughout 2006 a spate of Hizb ut-Tahrir campaigns and related arrests took place throughout the Arab world
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
. There were arrests in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, and visible public activities in the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
, Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
, and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, enjoying growing support among senior army staff, government officials, and the intelligentsia
Intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
.
Egypt
According to Amnesty, four Muslim Britons and several Egyptians were tortured in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
for suspected affiliation with Hizb ut-Tahrir. Eventually 26 were put on trial for what observers in Egypt considered "contradictory" and "weak" charges.
The Egyptian government banned Hizb ut-Tahrir in 1974 after an alleged coup attempt.
Iraq
In 1969 when the son of Iraq's highest Shia AyatollahAyatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
Muhsin al-Hakim was arrested and allegedly tortured, during widespread persecution of Shia, ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Badri, a Sunni Islamic lawyer (Alim) and local Hizb ut-Tahrir leader, criticised the regime, and was killed under torture. A Sunni member of Hizb ut-Tahrir is thus seen as the first martyr for the rights of Shia in Iraq, against the old Baathist regime. The party has called for Sunni, Shia, Arab and Kurd
Kürd
Kürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan...
ish citizens to unite in Iraq. Some of the party's prominent members have been murdered there, the bodies showing signs of torture. Regarding the hanging of former president of Iraq Saddam Hussain, Ismail Yusanto, spokesman of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Indonesia, said: "The punishment should have been given to Saddam, because Saddam killed many Iraqi people and also members of Hizb ut-Tahrir there," and that President Bush and Tony Blair "deserved no better.".
Palestinian Territories
According to a 2007 report by Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
reporter Mark MacKinnon, Hizb ut-Tahrir has been "capitalizing on public unhappiness with the recent bloodshed between the mainstream Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
and Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
movements that has split the Palestinian cause in two. A recent rally in the West Bank drew a crowd estimated in the tens of thousands." He quotes Hizb ut-Tahrir Sheik Abu Abdullah as preaching to Muslims
Why are we watching infidels prosper in this world and not stopping them? ... Muslims in China, Indonesia, Pakistan and everywhere in their thousands are asking for God's government through the Caliphate. They demand the return of God's rule on Earth.
Libya
Mohammed M. Ramadan, a LibyaLibya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n journalist and announcer at the BBC's Arabic section in London, was a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir and opposed to the regime of Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
. He was assassinated on 11 April 1980 by Libyan operatives outside London's Regent's Park Mosque. Several other members were killed in extrajudicial detention
Extrajudicial detention
Arbitrary or extrajudicial detention is the detention of individuals by a state, without ever laying formal charges against them.Although it has a long history of legitimate use in wartime , detention without charge, sometimes in secret, has been one of the hallmarks of totalitarian states...
in Libya during the 1980s. According to
Hizb ut-Tahrir along with the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
are the "important organizations causing anxiety" for the Libyan regime with Hizb ut-Tahrir endorsing "armed resistance" and successfully recruiting "students from the universities and military academies." As of 2003, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
reported that while Libya report that "five prisoners of conscience ... who had been imprisoned for almost three decades for their peaceful involvement with the prohibited Islamic Liberation Party, Hizb al-Tahrir" were released, but that many more remained in prison.
Syria
In SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, party members, along with their relatives and acquaintances, have been subject to repeated extrajudicial arrest. The Middle East Intelligence Bulletin issue July 2000 and the Syrian Human Rights Committee quoted on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
website, in its annual report of June 2006 reported that the Syrian authorities began its clampdown on Hizb ut-Tahrir in 1998-1999 with hundreds of members being arrested in a nationwide manhunt led by Air Force Intelligence (Mukhabarat
Air Force Intelligence Directorate
The Air Force Intelligence is an intelligence service of Syria. Idarat al-Mukhabarat al-Jawiyya is possibly Syria's most powerful intelligence service, owing its importance to Hafez al-Assad's role as the Air Force commander....
). The MEIB issue of December 2000 states that "Representatives of the group have said that 1,200 of its members were arrested by Syrian security forces in December 1999 and January 2000." In its 2005 report Amnesty International stated that in 2004 dozens of Islamist students and clerics were arrested, many with links to Hizb ut-Tahrir and tried before military courts.
Syrian ex-member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, Omar Bakri notorious for his activity in the UK, claims that a significant number of members primarily in Jordan split from the original body of Hizb ut-Tahrir members and formed another Hizb ut-Tahrir known abusively as Nakithoun
Nakithoun
Nakithoun is an Islamist organization led by Abu Rami that split from Hizb ut-Tahrir, another Islamist organization. It is particularly strong in support in Jordan.-External links:*Official Site of...
'Renegades' by the organisation under the leadership of Abdul Qadeem Zallum. This led to a further two minor splits of no significant membership. He attempts to partly attribute this to himself while simultaneously denying self aggrandization.
Central Asia
Most Hizb ut-Tahrir in the former Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
are ethnic Uzbeks. Hizb ut-Tahrir has been accused by the governments of Central Asia of terrorist activity or illegal importation of arms into their countries. According to globalsecurity.org, the group "is believed by some to clandestinely fund and provide logistical support to a wide range of terrorist operations in Central Asia, and elsewhere, although attacks may be carried out in the names of local groups." Human rights organizations and a former British Ambassador have accused central Asian governments of torturing Hizb ut-Tahrir members and violating international law in their campaigns against the group.
Azerbaijan
Hizb ut-Tahrir is also suspected of having several hundred members in AzerbaijanAzerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. Dozens of its members have been arrested.
Uzbekistan
In 1999, Hizb ut-Tahrir "was blamed for a series of bomb attacks in the UzbekistanUzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
capital, Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
." The Uzbek government reportedly withdrew its accusation of terrorism and blamed the IMU
IMU
IMU may refer to:*Inertial measurement unit*Initial markup*Interactive Member Universal*Interactive Marketing Unit*International Mathematical Union*International Medical University*Interurban Multiple Units used by Citytrain...
for terrorist attacks. Amnesty has accused the Government of Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
of giving Hizb ut-Tahrir members unfair trials, saying members are convicted on little evidence and given heavy sentences. Craig Murray
Craig Murray
Craig John Murray is a British political activist, former ambassador to Uzbekistan and former Rector of the University of Dundee....
, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, has made many claims about Uzbek President Islam Karimov and his alleged dictatorial practices, specifically against Hizb ut-Tahrir. He alleged that members were tortured into signing renunciations of their faith, to stop praying the five daily prayers of Islam (Salah), and that two members who refused to do so;
...had been plunged into a vat of boiling water and had died both of them as a result. I didn’t know that at the time, I just saw the photographs of this body in this appalling state; I couldn’t work out what could account for it. I sent it to the pathology department of the University of Glasgow; there were a lot of photographs. The chief pathologist of the University of Glasgow, who is now chief pathologist of the United Kingdom, wrote that the only explanation for this was “immersion in boiling water”.
Russia
In February 2003, the Russian Supreme Court put "Hizb ut-Tahrir and 14 other groups on a list of banned terrorist organizations." In June 2003 Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested 121 illegal immigrants suspected of having ties with Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami. "Moscow media reports said hand grenades, explosives, and ammunition ... as well as Islamic propaganda leaflets" were found on two of immigrants, Alisher Musayev of Kyrgyzstan and Akram Jalolov of Tajikistan.Human rights groups have complained that authorities are increasingly becoming repressive and have planted evidence on Muslims to justify charges.
In 2006 the global leader of Hizb ut Tahrir urged his follewers to kill ethnic Russians in Chechnya.
Indonesia and Malaysia
Hizb ut-Tahrir also works openly in Malaysia and Indonesia and has never been banned in these two Muslim countries. It held an international khilafah conference in Indonesia on August 12, 2007 at the Bung Karno Stadium, which has a capacity of 100,000 people and thus has the joint 10th largest capacity for any stadium worldwide. The event was attended by around 100,000 people.Bangladesh
Bangladesh banned Hizb ut-Tahrir on 22 October 2009, for "destabilizing" the country, a day after a bomb attack targeting a ruling party lawmaker, and a relative of the prime minister, Sheikh HasinaSheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party, since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh and widow of a reputed nuclear...
. Home Minister Sahara Khatun told AFP that Hizb ut Tahrir Bangladesh has been banned for "unleashing destructive activities" and work that goes against the "laws of the land". The party started its activities in Bangladesh in 2000.
Pakistan
In PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Hizb ut-Tahrir was proscribed by Pakistani President General Musharraf in 2004, although it had the ban on it lifted after a legal challenge against its proscription in the Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
High Court
High Courts of Pakistan
There are five High Courts of Pakistan, each of four based in the capital city of one of the four provinces. The government has proposed a fifth high court to cover the Islamabad Capital Territory. This proposal was blocked by the Lahore High Court but that decision was overturned by the Supreme...
.
According to "a senior Obama Administration official" interviewed by journalist Seymour Hersch in 2009, "HT has "penetrated the Pakistani military and now have cells in the Army." Hersch reports that the Pakistan Army denies this.
About Hizb ut-Tahrir's activities in Pakistan and subsequent political crackdown Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court said in March 2005 : "Hizb ut-Tahrir has shown dissatisfaction on the policies of the [Pakistan] government that is the right of each and every citizen ... I am unable to understand as to how distribution of these pamphlets in the general public was termed as terrorism or sectarianism."
Pakistani author Ahmed Rashid
Ahmed Rashid
Ahmed Rashid is a former Pakistani revolutionary, a journalist and best-selling author of several books about Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia.-Biography:...
writes in Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia, that there are "strong links and cooperation between the rank and file" of Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is a militant Islamist group formed in 1991 by the Islamic ideologue Tahir Yuldashev, and former Soviet paratrooper Juma Namangani—both ethnic Uzbeks from the Fergana Valley...
especially when they are from the same village or town. However, according to Jean-François Mayer of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs is a department of the federal administration of Switzerland. It is charged with maintaining the foreign relations of Switzerland and serves as Switzerland's ministry of foreign affairs...
; the insinuation ‘that the party will turn violent and has links with the IMU’ is inaccurate: the comments attributed to a member ‘contradicted the party’s ideas’. Representatives of Hizb ut-Tahrir report that they have repeatedly attempted to contact Ahmed Rashid in order to make their views known, but say they have not succeeded. They are even considering writing a rebuttal of his book.
On May 6, 2011, Brigadier Ali Khan of Pakistan Army was detained, just four days after the US-led Abbottabad Operation; for his alleged links with Hizb-ut-Tahrir, official military sources said.
Turkey
The Hizb ut-Tahrir is outlawed in Turkey, however it is still in operation. According to Today's ZamanToday's Zaman
Today's Zaman is one of two English-language dailies based in Turkey. Established on January 16, 2007, the newspaper's main competitor is the older Hürriyet Daily News....
, lieutenant Mehmet Ali Çelebi, detained in the Ergenekon investigations
Ergenekon network
Ergenekon is the name given to an alleged clandestine, Kemalist ultra-nationalist organization in Turkey with possible ties to members of the country's military and security forces...
in 2008, had links with Hizb ut-Tahrir. Çelebi was allegedly the key that made possible the arrest of five Hizb ut-Tahrir members in September 2008.
On 24 July 2009, Turkish police arrested almost 200 people suspected of being members of Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Australia
In 2005, the party survived a proposed ban in Australia after clearance from the Australian Security Intelligence OrganisationAustralian Security Intelligence Organisation
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is Australia's national security service, which is responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically-motivated violence, attacks on the Australian defence system, and...
.
The party planned its first Khilafah conference in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
for 27 January 2007. The planned conference led to allegations in newspaper reports that the party was linked to the July 2005 London bombings. Opposition politicians called on the local and federal governments not to grant visas to foreign speakers attending, and to re-consider proscribing Hizb ut-Tahrir. The demands for a ban were rejected by Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Philip Ruddock
Philip Ruddock
Philip Maxwell Ruddock is an Australian politician who is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the Division of Berowra, New South Wales, for the Liberal Party of Australia...
, on the grounds there was insufficient evidence to warrant banning the group. Radical clerics from the group demanded the establishment of a Muslim superstate, and warned Muslims they must be prepared to kill anyone who threatened its existence.
Hizb ut-Tahrir members originally planned to hold the conference in the town hall of Bankstown Bankstown, New South Wales
Bankstown, New South Wales
Bankstown is a suburb of south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bankstown is located 20 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Bankstown.-History:Prior to European...
, a satellite city of Sydney which with adjacent Lakemba is Australia's biggest Muslim electorate, but the Sydney council cancelled it. Hizb ut-Tahrir secured another location the next day on 28 January. According to the Herald Sun, he also stated, "if you people are united and a third person comes along and tries to incite disunity ... kill him..., Muslims are not unique in doing so, as most nations kill those charged with treason...."
Conference spokesman Wassim Doureihi said the work of Hizb ut-Tahrir was not to change the political landscape in Australia. He added, "It is because of Islam and my allegiance to Islam that I am responsible for ensuring to do what I can to protect the safety and security of all peoples in this country and beyond."
Morris Iemma
Morris Iemma
Morris Iemma , is a former Australian politician and 40th Premier of New South Wales, succeeding Bob Carr after he resigned on 3 August 2005. Iemma led the Australian Labor Party to victory in the 2007 election before resigning as Premier on 5 September 2008, and as a Member of Parliament on 19...
Premier of New South Wales and MP for Lakemba, which with adjacent Bankstown has Australia's largest Muslim community, stated around the time of the conference that Hizb ut-Tahrir "is an organisation that is basically saying that it desires to declare war on Australia, our values and our people." even though according to Sydney Morning Herald, the speakers at the Khilafah Conference "made it clear they did not see Australia as part of their fundamentalist society" Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Philip Ruddock
Philip Ruddock
Philip Maxwell Ruddock is an Australian politician who is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the Division of Berowra, New South Wales, for the Liberal Party of Australia...
responded that the local government of Iemma should "stop playing politics and if it had any evidence helpful to the security agencies, it should give it to them."
One opponent of a ban on Hizb ut-Tahrir, Irfan Yusuf, writing in the on-line publication Crikey
Crikey
Crikey is an independent Australian electronic magazine comprising an open access website and an email newsletter available to subscribers. Well known in Australian political, media and business circles, Crikey was described by former Federal Opposition Leader Mark Latham as the "most popular...
, stating in No need to be alarmed about Hizb ut-Tahrir that the opposition Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
"clearly wants to look tougher than the government on national security. But it risks alienating much of its support base in some Muslim circles by picking on a group many Muslims regard as harmless." Ban supporter Rebecca Weisser, however, alleged in The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
that former members of Hizb ut-Tahrir include Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Omar Bakri Mohammed "four of the seven suspects in the failed terror attacks on London on June 29
2007 London car bombs
On 29 June 2007, in London, two car bombs were discovered and disabled before they could be detonated. The first device was left near the Tiger Tiger nightclub in Haymarket at around 01:30, and the second was in Cockspur Street, in the same area of the city....
and in Glasgow on July 1." In Australia, writer Thomas Lehmann criticized the party and its former media representative, Wassim Doureihi, because they "openly flout our hospitality and tolerance while advocating the replacement of our democratic system with theocratic fascism," and for refusing "to condemn the September 11, Bali or London terror attacks."
Denmark
In March and April 2002, Hizb Ut Tahrir handed out leaflets in a square in Copenhagen, and at a mosque. The leaflet, which also appeared on the Danish groups internet site, makes threats against Jews, using a quote from the Koran urging Muslims to 'kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have been turned you out.' The leaflet also said, 'The Jews are a people of slander... a treacherous people... they fabricate lies and twist words from their right context.' And the leaflet describes suicide bombings in Israel as "legitimate" acts of "Martyrdom".In August 2006, Fadi Abdelatif, Hizb ut-Tahrir's spokesperson in Denmark, was given a suspended 60-day jail sentence for distributing the leaflet. Abdelatif was also found guilty of threats against the Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a Danish politician, and the 12th and current Secretary General of NATO. Rasmussen served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 27 November 2001 to 5 April 2009....
. The court rejected his claims that he was just quoting from the Koran, that it was an act of free speech and that it was aimed only at the Israeli state and not Jews.
In 2007 Berlingske Tidende
Berlingske Tidende
Berlingske, previously known as Berlingske Tidende , is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen...
reported that a kindergarten in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
was being run in line with the ideology of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Also that year, several well known imams in Copenhagen attended a convention of Hizb ut-Tahrir and announced that they were willing to work together towards mutual goals. This move attracted criticism from a variety of Muslim and non-Muslim voices.
Germany
German police expelled a member of the party from Germany for alleged ties to one of the hijackers involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks. However, German police said the raids and searches in offices and homes revealed little. The German government then banned Hizb ut-Tahrir from public activity after a charge of distributing antisemitic propaganda (see above section on Controversy over anti-Semitism). The anti-semitism charges were not upheld in German courts, but the ban was continued based on the state's finding that the group's activity opposed the idea of understanding among nations and endorsed force as a means towards its political aims. A lawsuit against the ban was rejected on 23 January 2006 by the Federal Administrative Court in Germany. The organization appealed the ban to the European Court, stating in 2008:“We note that the German courts did not uphold any of the German Interior Ministries accusations of anti-Semitism against HT, however, they have now relied on an obscure principle of the ‘idea of international understanding’ to ban all of our activities (speeches, study circles, articles, vigils, political meetings, books, magazines, and debates).”
United Kingdom
From 1986 to 1996, under the leadership of Syrian-born Omar Bakri MuhammadOmar Bakri Muhammad
Omar Bakri Muhammad is an Islamist militant leader who was instrumental in developing Hizb ut-Tahrir into a major organization in the United Kingdom before leaving the group and heading another Islamist organisation, Al-Muhajiroun, until its disbandment in 2004.For several years Bakri was one of...
, Hizb ut-Tahrir grew from a very small organization in Britain to a one of the most active Islamic organizations in the country. In 1996 Bakri split with Hizb ut-Tahrir over disagreements on policy, style and methods, and focused on another organization Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun
Al-Muhajiroun is a banned Islamist organisation that was based in Britain and which has been linked to international terrorism, homophobia and anti-semitism...
.
A report in Foreign Affairs Journal claims that Hizb ut-Tahrir "dominates" the British Islamist "scene" with some 8,500 members in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, compared to only 1,000 for a rival, Muslim Association of Britain
Muslim Association of Britain
The Muslim Association of Britain is an Islamic organisation in the United Kingdom established in 1997.-Anti-war activities:Along with Stop the War Coalition and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, it has co-sponsored various demonstrations against the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq...
.
According to ex-Hizb ut-Tahrir member Ed Husain, "Britain remains vital to the Hizb, for it gives the group access to the global media and provides a fertile recruiting ground at mosques and universities."
Hizb ut-Tahrir in Britain emphasized the importance of Muslims choosing loyalty to their religion above loyalty to Britain or any other country. In Hizb ut-Tahrir's view, Islam is anti-nationalist
Anti-nationalism
Anti-nationalism denotes the sentiments associated with the opposition to nationalism, arguing that it is undesirable or dangerous. Some anti-nationalists are humanitarians or humanists who pursue an idealist form of world community, and self-identify as world citizens. They reject chauvinism,...
, transnational
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
and pan-Islamic in nature. In a promotional video shown on BBC News a party representative asked:
I think Muslims in this country need to take a long, hard look at themselves and decide what is their identity. Are they British or are they Muslim? I am a Muslim. Where I live, is irrelevant.
Following the 7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
the British government announced its intention to ban the organization but abandoned the ban. According to The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
Blair "shelved the ban after warnings from police, intelligence chiefs, and civil liberties groups that it is a non-violent group, and driving it underground could backfire." and according to the Observer because the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
believed a legal ban would not stick.
In July 2007, Leader of the Opposition David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
asked the new Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
why the organisation had not been banned from the United Kingdom, arguing it was an extremist group. Gordon Brown responded that more evidence would be needed before banning a group and, when pressed further, John Reid
John Reid (politician)
John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan, PC is a British politician, who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament and cabinet minister under Tony Blair, most notably as Defence Secretary and then Home Secretary...
the previous home secretary stepped in arguing that there had already been two reviews of the group with insufficient evidence to justify a ban.
In November 2009, Mr Cameron again questioned the Government over Hizb ut-Tahrir, claiming that government Pathfinder fund aimed at combating violent extremism was being used to fund schools run by an organisation with links to extremism. He later acknowledged that this statement was an error as another government fund was perceived.
In November 2006, the BBC reported that a street gang in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, which claimed to be Hizb ut-Tahrir, encouraged an undercover reporter
Undercover journalism
Undercover journalism is a form of journalism in which a reporter tries to infiltrate in a community by posing as somebody friendly to that community. Journalists who are famous for their undercover reports include:*Hunter S...
to rob another gang to "prove his loyalty". The short documentary ended with the reporter claiming that the gang maybe a lone out-of-control group simply influenced by Hizb ut-Tahrir's notoriety. Dr Abdul Wahid when questioned on the program condemned the behaviour, asked the BBC to hand over all material to the police, said he would be extremely surprised if any of the gang were members of his organisation, and that if they were, he would have them removed.
Prominent members
- Shaykh Taqiuddin al-NabhaniTaqiuddin al-NabhaniTaqiuddin al-Nabhani was the founder of the Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir.He died aged 68 in 1977.- Philosophy and Theology :Nabhani in his books 'Thought' and 'System of Islam' placed...
(founder, deceased) - Shaykh Ahmed Dauor (Jordanian parliamentarian 1955-1957, deceased)
- Shaykh Abdul Qadeem Zallum (second leader, deceased)
- Shaykh Ata Abu RashtaAta Abu RashtaAta Abu Rashta is an Islamic jurist, scholar and writer. He is the global leader of the Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir.-Biography :...
(current global leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir) - Osman Bakhach (Central Media Office Spokesman)
- Jamal Harwood (Former Chairman of UK Executive Committee)
- Taji Mustafa (UK spokesman)
- Dr Imran Waheed (former UK spokesman 2001-2006)
- Dr Nazreen Nawaz (UK women's media representative)
- Dr Abdul Wahid (Chairman of UK Executive Committee)
- Shaykh Ali Syed Abul-Hassan (Imam of Masjid as-Sahaba, Khartoum, Sudan spokesman, deceased)
- Mohammad Nafi Abdul-Karim Salih (Jordanian member, deceased)
- Shaykh Mahmoud Abdul-Latif Uweidah — Abu Iyas (prominent Jordanian Member)
- Shaykh Taleb Awadallah (Palestinian member from al-Khalil, Hebron)
- Shaykh Yusuf Ba'darani (Lebanese member)
- Shaykh Abdul-Aziz Badri (Iraqi member, deceased)
- Ashraf Doureihi (a prominent Australia member)
- Wassim DoureihiWassim DoureihiWassim Doureihi is a prominent member of the Sydney chapter of Hizb ut-Tahrir , a global Islamist party calling for the re-establishment of a unitary Islamic state, as well as being its former Australian media representative.-External links:* with Virginia Trioli on the ABC's Lateline* Video &...
(former Australia spokesperson) - Soadad Doureihi (a prominent Australia member)
- Mohammed AbdulWahhab (a prominent Australia member)
- Naveed Butt (Pakistan spokesperson)
- Imran Yousufzai (Pakistan spokesperson)
- Yilmaz Celik (Turkey spokesperson)
- Ridha Belhaj (Tunisia spokesman)
- Ahmad Al-Qasas (Lebanon spokesman)
- Hassan Al-Dahi (Kuwait spokesman)
- Mahmood Tarshooby (Egypt spokesman)
- Maher Al-Jabari (Palestine spokesman)
- Shaker Assem (Germany spokesman)
- Muhammad Ismail Yusanto (Indonesia spokesman)
- Abdul Hakim Othman (Malaysia spokesperson)
- Shaykh Ibrahim Othman — Abu Khalil (Sudan spokesman)
- Mohiuddin Ahmed (Bangladesh Chief Coordinator and Spokesperson)
- Farhad Usmanov (Uzbekistan, deceased in prison)
- Okay Pala (Holland spokesperson)
- Abdul Salam (USA member)
- Hafidz Abdurrahman, (prominent leading member of Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia)
- Shaykh Ahmad al-Qasas (Lebanon Spokesperson)
See also
- Islam in IndonesiaIslam in IndonesiaIslam is the dominant religion in Indonesia, which also has a larger Muslim population than any other country in the world, with approximately 202.9 million identified as Muslim as of 2009....
- Islam in UzbekistanIslam in UzbekistanIslam is by far the dominant religion in Uzbekistan, as Muslims constitute 90% of the population while 5% of the population follow Russian Orthodox Christianity according to a 2009 US State Department release. However, a 2009 Pew Research Center report stated that Uzbekistan's population is 96.3%...
- May 2005 unrest in Uzbekistan
- Islamic democracyIslamic democracyIslamic democracy refers to two kinds of democratic states that can be recognized in the Islamic countries. The basis of this distinction has to do with how comprehensively Islam is incorporated into the affairs of the state....
- List of political parties in the Palestinian National Authority
- Taqiuddin al-NabhaniTaqiuddin al-NabhaniTaqiuddin al-Nabhani was the founder of the Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir.He died aged 68 in 1977.- Philosophy and Theology :Nabhani in his books 'Thought' and 'System of Islam' placed...
- Muslim BrotherhoodMuslim BrotherhoodThe Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
- Islamic terrorism
Further reading
- The System of Islam Book by Founder of Hizb ut-Tahrir, al-Nabhani — in English
- "PM shelves Islamic group ban" by The Guardian Newspaper
- 'Taqi Al-Din Al-Nabhani and the Islamic Liberation Party' by Professor David Commins, Department of History, Dickinson College, Carlisle
- Academic case study on Hizb-ut-Tahrir by the European research consortium Transnational Terrorism, Security and the Rule of Law
- "Tony Blair and Hizb-ut-Tahrir: 'Muslims under the bed' Abdul Wahid, openDemocracy.net, August 9, 2005
- "The Prime Minister's statement on anti-terror measures" The Guardian, August 5, 2005
- Hizb ut-Tahrir's draft constitution
- "Cartoons ignite cultural combat in Denmark", International Herald Tribune, December 31, 2005
- "Fighting the War of Ideas", Foreign Affairs, November/December 2005
- "Hizb ut-Tahrir", BBC Newsnight, August 27, 2003
- Inside ‘Islam’s political insurgency’ in Europe
- Q&A with Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman by MSNBC
- BBC Hardtalk's Tim Sebastian interview with Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman
- BBC Hardtalk's Sarah Montague interview with Maajid Nawaz, who was imprisoned in Egypt for belonging to the political party
- Interview with Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- Recent article in Guardian with interview of female members
- Simon Jones comment, journalist currently based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- 'The West needs to understand it is inevitable: Islam is coming back'
- Hizb ut-Tahrir in Spain
- Q&A: Hizb ut-Tahrir by BBC
- Article in New Statesman
- The Jamestown FoundationThe Jamestown FoundationThe Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based institute for research and analysis, founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet dissidents. Today its stated mission is to "inform and educate" policy makers about events and trends, which it regards as being of current "strategic"...
- Kyrgyzstan: a clash of civilisations Channel 4 News — Video about Hizb ut-Tahrir in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
- Report on a panel discussion with former Hizb ut-Tahrir members at Harvard in the Harvard Law RecordHarvard Law RecordThe Harvard Law Record is an independent, biweekly student-edited newspaper based at Harvard Law School. Founded in 1946, it is the oldest law school newspaper in the United States.-Characteristics:...
- FAQ about Hizb ut-Tahrir by Khilafah.com
- Hizb ut-Tahrir official global website
- Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain