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17-01-2024
LONDON: Hizb ut-Tahrir will be banned from organizing in the UK after claims by the British government that the group is antisemitic and promotes hatred of Jews.
James Cleverly, the home secretary has announced that the group, which is already banned in countries including Pakistan, Germany, and Indonesia, will no longer be allowed to recruit or hold protests and meetings across the UK.
If agreed by parliament, a draft order that was laid on Monday will come into force on 19 January. This means that belonging to, inviting support for, and displaying articles in a public place in a way that arouses suspicion of membership or support for the group will be a criminal offence.
Hizb ut-Tahrir was banned in Pakistan under Pervez Musharraf’s government when the group called for his overthrow and campaigned against him in the UK, including trying to recruit from within the military.
In the UK, Hizb ut-Tahrir has thousands of followers from the middle class. Its current leader is British-Pakistani Dr Wahid Asif Shaida who has been practising in West London as a family doctor for 25 years.
James Cleverly, the home secretary, said: “Hizb ut-Tahrir is an antisemitic organization that actively promotes and encourages terrorism, including praising and celebrating the appalling 7 October attacks. Proscribing this terrorist group will ensure that anyone who belongs to and invites support for them will face consequences. It will curb Hizb ut-Tahrir’s ability to operate as it currently does.”
Certain prescription offences can be punishable by up to 14 years in prison, which can be handed down by a court alongside, or in place of, a fine.
Since the October 7 attacks by Hamas and the subsequent military response by Israel, Hizb ut-Tahrir has not condemned Hamas, a group already proscribed in the UK, rather hailing the attacks on Israeli citizens by saying “if this can be done by a resistance group, imagine what a unified response from the Muslim world could achieve”. It has called on Muslim countries to “get your armies and go and remove the Zionist occupiers”.
Dr Wahid has said the HT is not “extremist”, saying the word was “pejorative” and did not have an agreed meaning. He added: “For reasons of professional probity I keep a very clear line between my professional and political life.”
With headquarters in Lebanon, the group operates in at least 32 countries including the US, Canada, and Australia, with a “long-term goal of establishing a caliphate ruled under Islamic law”, the Home Office said.
The group has denied it was antisemitic, saying: “We do not support the Hamas group, but support the people of Palestine. We do not encourage people to do similar actions but instead want a political change so that the resources of Muslim countries are used to liberate and rescue the beleaguered people of Palestine. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
