Hizb ut-Tahrir America: The Growing Threat

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I wanted to talk today about a group that you probably haven’t heard about, Hizb ut-Tahrir. This group is raising eyebrows, specifically in the US, as it grows and emerges into the public spotlight. Before I highlight Hizb ut-Tahrir America, I wanted to give you a brief overview of the international group as a whole.

Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islamiyya (HT), also known as the Party of Islamic Liberation, combines Marxist- Leninist methodology and Western slogans with reactionary Islamic ideology to shape the internal debate within Islam. HT was founded in East Jerusalem in 1953, and over the subsequent half century has become a global network with headquarters in Jordan and London. It spreads a radical Islamist ideology that is fueling anti-American and anti-Semitic sentiments. While HT as an organization does not engage in terrorist activities, it has become the vanguard of the radical Islamist ideology that encourages its followers to commit terrorist acts.

While HT is active in most parts of the Muslim world (where it aims to overthrow governments) and in the West (where it aims to unite the Muslims around their Islamic identity and thus prevent their assimilation), its most significant operations take place in the strategically vital region of Central Asia. Which, historically, the US has avoided. (1)

According to the New York Times, HT “explicitly condemns violence” (2). On the other hand, both the BBC and the Guardian have cited evidence that HT members view Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel legitimate acts of resistance (3, 4).

Tom Harper in the Daily Telegraph quotes Hizb ut-Tahrir pamphlets as saying:

“Your forefathers destroyed the first crusader campaigns. Should you not proceed like them and destroy the new crusaders? … “Let the armies move to help the Muslims in Iraq, for they seek your help.” (5)

Authors from some conservative American think-tanks have argued that although HT may 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 HT to join more extreme groups that may advocate violence(6). Shiv Malik says Hizb ut-Tahrir “has never been directly implicated in an act of violence” (7) but he argues the idea that HT members may leave the party and move on to violent organizations “is not without foundation.” He quotes unnamed intelligence sources saying, “Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaeda’s man in Iraq, is a former member of the Jordanian branch of Hizb. … the al-Qaeda commander Khalid Sheikh Mohammed also spent time with the party”.

The Terrorism Research Centre complains that the initial response to the London 7/7 bombings by the website HT 1924.org was not to condemn the killing of civilians, “but to urge British Muslims to be strong in the face of an anticipated backlash. The letter [on 1924.org] accuses [G-8] world leaders of taking advantage of the London attacks “to justify their ‘war on terror.’” (8) The full statement quoted below however does show a condemnation of the terrorist attacks.

The Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, a terrorist organization affiliated with Al Qaeda, issued a press release (No. 5) with a photocopy of a book written by Al Qaeda members entitled “A New Insight Into Weak and Moderate (Muslims)” listing HT’s stance against violence as weak, and accusing it of being moderate, rather than strictly religious (9).

Hizb ut-Tahrir issued a leaflet on September 18, 2001 after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York stating:

“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.” (10)

The party also issued a leaflet the day after the 7 July 2005 London bombings in London that said:

“At a time when fingers will be pointed at us from the wider community we need to come together as a community with one voice. Yes, the rules of Islam do not allow the harming of innocent civilians.” (11, 12).

In the month of Rajab, on the anniversary of the destruction of the Khilafah, Hizb ut-Tahrir organised political activities.

Dr. Imran Waheed, spokesman for Hizb ut-Tahrir, said after the July 2005 London bombings that he would “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.” (13)

This July 6th report out of Lahore, Pakistan seems to contradict the non-violent statements, however.

Loyalists of the HT political movement are calling for a coup in Islamabad to establish an Islamic caliphate, by force if necessary.

Imran Yousafzai, a spokesman for the group, claims to have organized mass demonstrations insisting the people in the tribal regions of Pakistan favor Islamic law.

Though the group claims to favor peaceful opposition over militancy, members of its ranks say jihad is justified to oppose foreign occupation, noting only an Islamic army can wage a necessary holy war.

Members of the group based in Lahore told The Times of London newspaper that Hizb ut-Tahrir was preparing for a “bloodless military coup” in order to indoctrinate the region by “military means” if necessary.

Tayyib Muqeem, who the Times reports is a Hizb ut-Tahrir leader in Lahore, said the group was prepared to bring the Islamic caliphate to power by “waging war.”

He said the group sought to influence Pakistani military officials to push the movement forward, adding it was the Pakistani armed forces who held power in Islamabad, not the Western-backed government. (14)

All of this begs the question, is HT, or HTA, a threat? It asks us to draw the line between violent statements and violent acts. Would we rather have a group that only talks about how much they hate the West, or a group that acts out on those beliefs? The conveyer belt is a very apt description. The US cannot allow a group, especially within its own borders, to advocate radical Islamist views. Which raises the next statement…you can’t censor their freedom of speech. The arguments can easily go both ways with this group, however, if they are radicalization the minds of Muslim Americans, and if that leads to violence, the group must be targeted.

Madeleine Gruen wrote on article for Jamestown.org a few years back highlighting Hizb ut-Tahrir America (HTA).

In its first 13 years of development, HTA was perceived as being too small and ineffective to present any kind of serious threat (Orange County Register, August 25, 2005). Its founders, most of who immigrated to the United States from the Middle East as adults in the early 1980s, had a hard time overcoming cultural differences with their young American target audience, and they were sometimes unable to compete with other extremist groups with more money, more aggressive strategies and better established operations. However, the HTA founders managed to bring in enough committed members during the first 10 years to secure the party’s future. HTA has continued to evolve, using the same methodology as its other branches and is now exhibiting signs of vitality.

Chief among them HTA’s founding fathers were Palestinian-Jordanian Iyad Hilal, an Orange County, California-based grocer, who was most actively engaged in HTA’s development from the late 1980s to the beginning of 2000, and Mohammed Malkawi, a computer engineer based in the Chicago area (Spotlight on Terror, March 23, 2004). Both had been long-time members of HT in their home countries. Hilal and his associates initiated HT activities in New York and in Orange County simultaneously, while Malkawi and his associates established party roots in Wisconsin and Chicago.

HTA’s growth has been comparatively slow to other countries; however, what may have been counted as impediments to their growth initially have either been overcome or may now be considered assets. The first obstacle was the mentality of its founders, who were accustomed to conditions in the Middle East, where HT is banned in most countries

Another contributing factor to HTA’s slow growth may have been the founders’ reluctance to allow their students and new recruits to interact on the internet. They feared the free interaction between members in cyberspace would compromise HTA’s covert development of a party apparatus.

The younger generation’s pioneering spirit has made HTA one of the most innovative extremist groups in terms of its use of new media as a means of marketing its ideology. Some of their marketing schemes have included hip hop fashion boutiques, hip hop bands, use of online social networks, and use of video sharing networks, chat forums and blogs [7]. Their ability to stay one step ahead of the trend curve has ensured their efforts endure, and their ever-changing tactics make adversarial scrutiny more difficult.

Turf battles have been an ongoing issue throughout HTA’s development. Sometimes HTA wins control over the mosque, Islamic community center, or student association it has set its sights on, other times it has been stymied by its inability to compete for recruits with better-funded organizations that have had a long-term presence in the United States, such as the Muslim Brotherhood. HT is a self-funded organization that only has its ideology and inexpensive propaganda campaigns with which to compete.

HTA’s presence in the United States was not limited to the two coasts. Some of HTA’s most influential members are in the Midwest, including Palestinian-Jordanian Mohammed Malkawi (also known as Abu Talha), formerly a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin, and Muslim convert Jaleel Abdul-Adil, currently a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Abdul-Adil is perhaps the most charismatic of the identified members of HTA. He has spoken at major HT conferences in Britain, and was featured in a July 2007 video produced by members of HT Britain to promote their 2007 Khilafah Conference, making Abdul-Adil the first representative of HTA to be publicly identified as such. (15)

Then, on 17 November 2008, HTA re-emerged. A leaflet credited to HTA was posted to Khalifah.com, one of the few official Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) web sites. The leaflet, originally dated October 28, 2008, is titled “Cooperate in Piety or Sin? Participation in the American Election.” It calls for American Muslims not to participate in the U.S. presidential election. This is the first time that the global organization has formally acknowledged the existence of HTA. (16)

Hizb ut-Tahrir America (HTA) has indicated that it has transitioned from its covert status to a public phase of operations by issuing an announcement, signed in its own name, that it will host a conference in July 2009 to support the establishment of a Caliphate. The promotional video can be viewed on YouTube. The event, titled “The Fall of Capitalism and Rise of Islam,” is scheduled for Sunday, July 19th, 2009, at the Aqsa School in Bridgeview, Illinois.

Bridgeview is a suburb of Chicago. Chicago has been a major hub of HTA’s activities for the past ten years, approximately. According to information available on the internet, the Aqsa School is a private Islamic primary and secondary school. Although HTA’s Khilafah conference will be held at the school, there is no public indication that the school, its staff, or its board members are directly involved with HTA.

According to party doctrine, Hizb ut Tahrir (HT) implements its strategy in three stages–The first stage is the covert level of development in which members are recruited and trained. In the second stage, members promote the party’s methods and objectives publicly in order to win the support of the Muslim population. The final stage is the establishment of an Islamic government and military, in order to carry HT’s “message to the world.”

Indeed, HTA’s announcement that it will host the Khilafah conference in July indicates that the U.S.-based branch now perceives itself as solidly prepared to emerge from its covert status into the second stage. HTA has held Khilafah conferences, and other major conferences, in the past, but has only done so from behind fronts and covers.

The conference promotional video does not provide a list of speakers or an agenda for the conference. However, Khilafah conferences hosted by branches of HT in other countries most often include prominent HT members invited from overseas. It is likely members of HT will travel from abroad to the conference in Bridgeview, Illinois, to enhance the credibility of HTA and to solidify the commitment of its members.

Although HTA appears to have transitioned to the second stage of development, it is important to note that aspects of HTA’s activities will continue to be conducted covertly, such as recruitment and ideological training.

HT is not designated as a terrorist organization in the United States, however many consider it to be a stepping stone to more militant organizations. (17)

HTA launched a Web Site to promote its July 19th, 2009 Khilafah Conference in Bridgeview, Illinois. (18)

A Hizb ut-Tahrir rally in Indonesia.

The site provides an agenda for the conference, but does not provide a list of invited speakers or any contact information for the organizers. The well-designed site indicates that HTA is taking steps to create an impression with the public and with its target audience that it is a solidly established institution.
Most likely, HTA’s membership and support base in the United States numbers only in the hundreds. Due to the fact that HTA’s operations have been largely clandestine until now, it has been difficult to determine the size of its ranks. However, several known members have status and influence in universities and in their communities. (19)

The Aqsa School is now unwilling to play host to HTA Khilafah Conference, according to an announcement that has been posted on HTA’s Khilafah Conference 2009 web site. The event was scheduled for Sunday, July 19th. The HTA conference web site provides no further explanation for the cancellation. The Aqsa School web site does not mention the Khilfafah Conference– officially titled “Fall of Capitalism and Rise of Islam”– or the subsequent cancellation.

It is possible that the school did not welcome the association with HTA. It is also possible that the board and administrators of the school anticipated unwelcome attention from the public and government officials as a result of hosting the conference. HTA intends to find a new venue in which to hold the conference, according to the conference web site. Now that HTA has come out publicly, and is thus openly linked to the Khilafah Conference concept, it may be difficult for it to find a venue willing to host the event.

The Aqsa School’s business manager later told a CBS News reporter that the representatives of HTA had “misrepresented themselves and the event” and the school did not “want to be in the middle of something like that.” (20)

HTA has booked the Hilton in Oak Lawn, IL for the “Fall of Capitalism & Rise of Islam” conference, according to an update on their Khilafah Conference web site.

According to the announcement on the HTA conference web site, the conference will still be held on July 19th, from 11 am to 5 pm, as originally planned.

The Hilton Oak Lawn reservations department does not have any record of guest rooms held under the name “Hizb ut-Tahrir,” or “Khilafah Conference,” or “Fall of Capitalism & Rise of Islam.” The Hilton’s catering department, which keeps a record of the organizations that have booked event spaces at the hotel, was not open at the time of the publication of this article; therefore, it cannot be determined at this time whether HTA booked under its own name or if it has used a cover name to reserve the Grand Ballroom. *** UPDATE: 7/2/09 – Hizb ut-Tahrir reserved the banquet space at the hotel under its own name and apparently did not find it necessary to use a cover name. *** (21)

There are some small but visible signs of prospective conference attendance. In the last two weeks, three Facebook pages have been created to promote HTA’s Khilafah Conference. More than 100 of those invited on the Facebook pages have indicated that they may attend, and approximately 40 have confirmed that they will definitely attend.

The Facebook page with the largest number of invitees to the conference (more than 1000) is administered by Abdur Rafay. Rafay belongs to the “Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science Grad Student ‘12″ and the “N. Illinois Alum ‘06″ networks on Facebook. The second Khilafah Conference page is administered by Meenara Jamal Khan, who is part of the “Chicago” network on Facebook. The third page, and the least popular of the three, is administered by someone who uses the name Kalifat Hamza.

If conferences held by young branches of HT in other countries are any indication of prospective turnout in Oak Lawn, the attendance for HTA’s first publicly promoted conference will be relatively small. Also, as the United States is a large country, HTA’s membership is scattered from coast to coast, and some may find it difficult to travel to Chicago for a one-day conference. Chicago appears to be the most active chapter of HTA, however, even some members and supporters in the immediate area may be reluctant to appear in person at an event that would publicly reveal their affiliation.

Older, well-established branches of HT, such as Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, attract several hundred attendees to most of their events. Generally speaking, however, most branches in western democracies do not attract as many supporters to rallies and conferences. By contract, the Indonesian branch of HT held its Khilafah conference in a sports stadium in August 2007. The conference was attended by tens of thousands of members and supporters. Smaller branches are able to fill a large hotel conference room. In HTA’s case, it anticipates hosting enough attendees to fill the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Oak Lawn. (22)

If this conference does take place, or if any announcements happen after today, I will do an update post when it happens. I am interested to see how this group evolves and whether or not they will be tagged as a terrorist group.

(1) http://www.nixoncenter.org/Monographs/HizbutahrirIslamsPoliticalInsurgency.pdf
(2) http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/world/europe/12britain.html
(3) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/3182271.stm
(4) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/dec/24/religion.uk
(5) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1564616/Islamists-urge-young-Muslims-to-use-violence.html
(6) http://www.newstatesman.com/200409130018
(7) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070822.whizb22/BNStory/International/home
(8) http://www.terrorism.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Intel&file=index&view=649
(9) http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lagazettedumaroc.com%2Farticles.php%3Fid_artl%3D3532%26n%3D339%26r%3D2%26sr%3D715&langpair=fr%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8
(10) http://www.newstatesman.com/200511140010
(11) http://www.hizb-ut-tahrir.org/PDF/EN/en_books_pdf/IslamicState.pdf
(12) http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2006/03/14/kurt_met_police_trust_feature.shtml
(13) http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/10/international/europe/10qaeda.html?ex=1171342800&en=9e77274863ef7360&ei=5070
(14) http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2009/07/06/Hizb-ut-Tahrir-set-for-coup-in-Pakistan/UPI-29551246906267/
(15) http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4377
(16) http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/11/hizb_uttahrir_america_may_be_r.php
(17) http://counterterrorismblog.org/2009/06/hizb_ut-tahrir_america_enters.php
(18) http://www.khilafahconference2009.com/
(19) http://counterterrorismblog.org/2009/06/hizb_ut-tahrir_america_launche.php
(20) http://counterterrorismblog.org/2009/06/hizb_ut-tahrir_america_confere.php
(21) http://counterterrorismblog.org/2009/07/hizb_ut-tahrir_america_confere_1.php
(22) http://counterterrorismblog.org/2009/07/support_for_hizb_ut-tahrir_ame.php