Hizb Ut Tahrir recently canceled their planned conference in Canada. This was presumably in response to a statement by Public Safety Minister David McGuinty, where he said that Hizb ut-Tahrir’s history of “glorifying violence and promoting antisemitism and extremist ideology” and supporting terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah “are entirely contrary to Canadian values.”
He also “asked them to scrap their conference, scheduled for this weekend, while security and intelligence agencies assessed whether the group should be listed as an official terrorist entity.”
While the conference is no longer officially on, the dangers presented by Hizb Ut Tahrir remain.
Hizb Ut Tahrir al-Islami (the party of Islamic liberation in Arabic) was formed in 1953 as a radical, secretive splinter group from the Islamic Brotherhood by Taqiuddin al-Nabhani, a Palestinian Islamic scholar. Its aim was to re-establish the Islamic Caliphate (Khilafah) with global rule by Islamic Sharia law. The group vehemently opposes democracy and capitalism.
Hizb Ut Tahrir is no fringe group; it is thought to have as many as one million members worldwide.
It is already recognized as a terrorist organization by more than a dozen counties, including a number of Muslim countries.
There are several dangerous components to the group.
Hizb Ut Tahrir rejects other Islamist organizations that call themselves democratic, such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Hamas in the Middle East. Only a radical Islamic Caliphate, ruled strictly by Sharia law, is tolerated.
In order to achieve these ends, Hizb Ut Tahrir promotes and supports violence and terrorism.
While the group attempts to portray itself as non-violent in achieving its aims, their actions indicate otherwise. Abdul Qadeem Zallum, the leader of Hizb Ut Tahrir who succeeded al-Nahbani, stated in an official text that if necessary millions of Muslims and non-Muslims will be killed. In November 1990, Sheikh Omar Bakri, leader of the British branch of the group, publicly called for the assassination of Prime Minister John Major.
The group does more than just talk; there are a string of violent actions of individuals and cells and its splinter group Al-Muhajiroun who have perpetrated terrorist attacks across Europe and beyond.
As is common with many radical Islamic groups, there is a special animosity towards Jews, and Hizb Ut Tahrir is no different.
Hizb Ut Tahrir documentation found in Denmark urged Muslims to murder Jews, “wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have been [sic] turned you out.”.
Hizb Ut Tahrir also supports jihad in Israel as a means to return so-called “occupied Islamic lands.” They view violent acts against Israel as valid political protest. Their literature supports Islamist suicide bombings in Israel.
The group’s current leader, Ata Abu Rashta, has called for all Jews of fighting age in Israel to be “killed until none survive”.
The United Kingdom has recognized the organization as antisemitic, with its former home secretary, James Cleverly, stating, “Hizb ut-Tahrir is an antisemitic organization that actively promotes and encourages terrorism, including praising and celebrating the appalling 7 October attacks.” Additionally, the British Security Minister Tom Tugendhat pointed out that “Hizb ut-Tahrir clearly encourages and promotes terrorism.”
Hizb Ut Tahrir targets young Muslims, often between 17-21, vulnerable to their message who may not perceive their radical agenda in the beginning. The group is extremely homophobic and dictates that women are subservient to their husbands.
Hizb ut Tahrir is dangerous to Canada and Canadians of all stripes. Canada should follow the lead of the United Kingdom and Germany, among others, and should immediately recognize it as a terror organization, thereby safeguarding Canadians from terror. Although Hizb Ut Tahrir has officially cancelled its conference, news media outlets must call upon the federal government and relevant authorities to declare the group a terrorist organization.
