Hizb ut-Tahrir, Hizb Waed, and al-Muhajiroun

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I wanted to add a little to my last post about Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) because their reach and influence is much greater than I originally thought.

HT has called for a jihad against the U.S., its allies, and moderate Muslim states. The purpose of the jihad is “to find and kill the Kufar (non-believers),” in fact rejecting the Islamic notion of Greater Jihad against one’s own as a sin.

In documents drafted before 9/11, HT leaders accused the United States of imposing hegemony on the world. After 9/11, HT claimed that the U.S. had declared war against the global Muslim community, had established an international alliance under the “pretext” of fighting terrorism, and was reinforcing its grip on the countries of Central Asia. HT further claimed that the U.S. accused Osama bin Laden of being responsible for the 9/11 attacks “without any evidence or proof.”  The party called for expulsion of U.S. and Western citizens, including Western diplomats, from countries in which it will take power and shredding diplomatic treaties and agreements with Western governments. It further declared:

Muslims! You are religiously obliged to reject this American question which takes you lightly and despises you. America does not have the sublime values that entitle it to tell you what to support and whom to fight against. You possess a divine mission. You are the ones to bring guidance and light to mankind. God described you with the following words: “You are the best people brought forth for the benefit of mankind. You enjoin good and forbid evil. And you believe in God.”

As for Jihad…it is legal, in fact it is an obligation, it is the apex of Islamic ethics, as Almighty God says, “Keep in store for them whatever you are capable of, force and equipment with which you can frighten those who are enemies of God and enemies of yourselves….” God’s Messenger (Mohammed) said, “Islam is the head, prayer is the backbone and Jihad is the perfection.”

Muslims! The law of religion does not allow you to give to America what it is trying to impose upon you. You are not allowed to follow its orders or to provide it with any assistance whatsoever, no matter whether it be intelligence or facilities of using your territory, your air space or your territorial waters. It is not permissible to cede military bases to the Americans, nor it is allowed to coordinate any military activities with them or to collaborate with them. It is not allowed to enter into an alliance with them or to be loyal to them, because they are enemies of Islam and Muslims. God said, “Believers, Do not befriend my enemy and your enemy…. They have rejected the truth that has come to you.”

In a June 2001 article published in the party’s journal, HT ideologists claim that all methods are justified in the struggle against the unbelievers, including murder. They specifically mention that a pilot’s diving a plane hit by enemy fire into a crowd of unbelievers without bailing out with a parachute is a legitimate form of armed struggle. HT also demands that Muslims come to the support of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

According to HT, the main targets of jihad–in addition to moderate Muslim regimes such as Jordan, Pakistan, Egypt, and Uzbekistan–are America and the Jews.

[T]he war waged by America, the head of Kufr, and Britain and their allies from the Kafir states on Afghanistan is a crusade…. What America and Britain are doing is displaying their enmity for the Islamic Ummah. They are enemies; a state of war exists between them and all the Muslims that necessitates adopting an actual state of war as a basis for dealing with them according to the dictates of the Shari’ah rules. That position should be adopted with them and all those who ally themselves with them in their war against the Muslims.

The war of America and her allies against Islam and the Muslims has shown the corrupt nature of her civilization and her colonial world-view. The War on Iraq…has demonstrated that America and her allies only strive to colonize and plunder the resources of the Islamic world, not to bring about justice and security…. America is intending to deceive you…. [S]he is inherently weak as her ideology is false and corrupt…. The time has come for Islam not just in Iraq but in this entire Ummah. It is time for the Islamic State (Khilafah) to lead the world and save the world from the crimes and oppression of the capitalist system.

According to one of the HT Central Asian leaders, “we are very much opposed to the Jews and Israel…. Jews must leave Central Asia. The United States is the enemy of Islam with the Jews.”

Anti-Americanism, extremism, and preaching the violent overthrow of existing regimes make HT a prime suspect in the next wave of violent political action in Central Asia and other Muslim countries with relatively weak regimes, such as Pakistan and Indonesia. (1)

In its self-description, Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT) declares: “Its work is not educational, as it is not a school, nor is its work concerned with giving sermons and preaching. Rather its work is political, in which the thoughts and laws of Islam are presented in order to act upon them and to carry them so as to establish them in life’s affairs and in the State.” Moreover, the organization professes a devotion to “the struggle against the disbelieving imperialists, to deliver the Ummah from their domination and to liberate her from their influence by uprooting their intellectual, cultural, political, economic and military roots from all of the Muslim countries.”

HT asserts that while it “does not use material power to defend itself or as a weapon against the rulers,” nevertheless “jihad has to continue till the Day of Judgement.” “So whenever the disbelieving enemies attack an Islamic country,” says HT, “it becomes compulsory on its Muslim citizens to repel the enemy. The members of HT in that country are a part of the Muslims and it is obligatory upon them … to fight the enemy and repel them.”

Former HT member Ed Husain, who left the organization and denounced it in his 2007 book The Islamist, says: “The only difference between Islamists from HT and jihadists, is that the former are waiting for their state and caliph before they commence jihad, while the latter believes the time for jihad is now.” (2)

HT has split into numerous factions since its creation. Including Hizb Waed and al-Muhajiroun

The aim of Hizb Waed, which is led by Muhammad Showeiki, is to replace all existing governments with a global Islamic government under a single ruler. According to Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, who in 1986 established HT in the United Kingdom, Hizb Waed currently “is only present in Jerusalem.” (3)

The same Omar Bakri Mohammed, who founded HT, also created al-Muhajiround.

Established on February 16, 1996, Al-Muhajiroun (Arabic for “The Emigrants,” a name its founder says “refers to the early followers of the Prophet Muhammad”) was a radical Muslim organization based in England that also had branches in many other nations. The group’s disbandment was announced on October 13, 2004, though it is now believed to be operating as several splinter groups, among which are The Savior Sect, the Islamic Thinkers Society, and the Salafi Youth Movement. According to Islam scholar Daniel Pipes, Al-Muhajiroun was “the most extreme Islamist group operating in the West.”

Al-Muhajiroun described itself as “not a group or a political party,” but as a Jama’ah (collective body) within Ahl us-Sunnah wal Jama’ah (The minority saviour sect) working towards the world-wide domination of Islam.” Closely allied to Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, Al-Muhajiroun taught its recruits that Israel, the Jews and the West are evil and that it is their Muslim duty to fight them. The organization referred to the 9/11 hijackers as “the Magnificent 19.”

The avowed aim of Al-Muhajiroun was to restore and expand the Caliphate, or Muslim empire, which would operate according to the principles of divinely-given Islamic Sharia law. The new Caliph, called Al-Khalifah or “leader” on Al-Muhajiroun’s website, was to be one “whose foreign policy is to conquer the whole world by Jihad.”

Under this coming worldwide “Domination of Islam,” people would not necessarily be forced to become Muslims, implied the Al-Muhajiroun website, but they would be taught “to accept it as a political way of life and a solution for their [and society's] problems.” Al-Muhajiroun said that its organizational tactics were “[t]o formulate a fifth column as a community pressure group which is well equipped with the Islamic culture e.g. ruling, social, economic, judicial, penal [sic] and ritual systems in order to become capable of implementing Islam fully and comprehensively in society.” The weapons to be used to establish global Islamic political power ranged from debate, to media appearances and the law, to the funding of Jihadists and the recruiting of suicide bombers. (4)

This statement was release on an HT website (5):

In late 2004, due to significant circumstances (post 9/11), Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad dissolved Al-Muhajiroun and consequently this highly influential organisation was unfortunately disbanded.

However, we would like to declare that after almost 15 years since the establishment of Al-Muhajiroun, and 5 years since its disbandment, Al-Muhajiroun is to be re-launched in the United Kingdom and to resume its activities as normal.

We would also like to stress particularly to the British public that Al-Muhajiroun is a completely legal organisation and hence the recommencement of its structure, activities and projects should be seen in this light.

We understand and appreciate that there may be many questions and queries regarding the re-establishment of Al-Muhajiroun as an organisation and we kindly request all such queries to be forwarded to the former Ameer of Al-Muhajiroun Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad on 00961 7095 7759.

Based on the experience of other countries with HT, the US should be very wary about Hizb ut-Tahrir America (HTA).  While the group may not be doing any physical harm, they certainly aren’t doing the US any favors.  Allowing this group to run wild in the country would be a grave mistake.

Sources:

(1) http://www.heritage.org/Research/RussiaandEurasia/BG1656.cfm

(2) http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6219

(3) http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6293

(4) http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6240

(5) http://www.islam4uk.com/current-affairs/uk-news/46-uk/298–newsflash-al-muhajiroun-to-be-re-launched