Fundamental
Quest: Hizbut Tahrir and the Search for the
Islamic Caliphate remains the standard
academic text on HT, and Jean-Francois Mayer, a
former Swiss civil servant and historian. Mayer
wrote a lengthy research paper entitled "Hizbut
Tahrir - The Next al-Qaeda, Really?" I should also
add that in respect of Uzbekistan, HT was able to
convince many people who wanted to challenge the
Uzbek regime through violence to abandon their
plans and instead work through politics to change
their society. Consequently many of these people
joined HT.
MA: But from an
American point of view, in some cases
the
rhetoric and propaganda of HT
converge with al-Qaeda's. What is your position on
organizations that challenge American hegemony
through terrorism? Do you condemn September 11
without hesitation?
TM: Our
position on 9/11, 7/7 [bombings in London on July
7, 2005] and the Madrid bombings [2004] are very
clear. Islam does not sanction such attacks. But
there is a distinction between these events and
resistance to occupation in the Muslim world. In
the case of Iraq and Afghanistan, foreign
occupiers have illegally invaded Muslim lands and
people living under occupation have the right to
resist and expel the occupiers.
'Serving the state' MA:
The British government wants Muslims to cooperate
in the fight against terrorism by supplying
intelligence. Would you advise Muslims to provide
information to the police?
TM:
The terrorism threat in the UK has been
hyped for political reasons. The main political
parties use this issue as a political weapon and
each one likes to present itself as being more
capable in meeting the threat than the others.
This country faced a much more serious threat when
the IRA [Irish Republican Army] was active. After
all, the IRA was targeting the very essence of the
British state and eliminating specific politicians
and security officers. But nobody back then
characterized the threat as posing an existential
threat to the UK, whereas now we are being told
that the UK is faced with an existential threat
from so-called Islamic terrorists. Furthermore,
the Muslim community cannot be held accountable
for the actions of four people on the 7th of July,
2005.
MA: But if you concede
there is a terrorism threat (no matter how serious
it is), do you also accept that as British
citizens Muslims are duty-bound to cooperate with
the competent authorities in dealing with that
threat?
TM: Muslims are not
the police and the security service. It is the job
of the police and the security service to deal
with terrorism. Muslims are being asked to do much
more than other citizens. We have been told that
Muslims in universities are being approached by
Special Branch to spy on their peers. We are told
that Muslim parents are being encouraged to spy on
their children. This is unacceptable.
MA: Would you advise Muslims
to cooperate with the police, especially if they
come across information that can be potentially
helpful in foiling a terrorist plot?
TM: But what is the job of
the security service?
MA:
Their job is to recruit spies.
TM: Let's be very clear.
Muslims have a duty to prevent harm falling on
their community and they have a duty to look after
the people who live around them. But in this
so-called "war on terror" much of the intelligence
has proved to be false and led to fiascoes like
Forest Gate [abortive raid on two terror suspects
in London last June 2] and the so-called ricin
plot [in 2003 in which a number of suspects were
released with no evidence of planning a chemical
attack].
'Us and
them' MA: Some people claim that HT
has an anti-integration message and is trying to
divide Muslims from wider British society. Is this
true?
TM: I would refute
this charge. The main force behind the development
of the "us" and "them" society is the British
government. Through its vilification and
demonization of the Muslim community, the
government has sought to deflect attention from
its foreign policy. It is this foreign policy -
namely the daily killings of Muslims in Iraq -
that has created widespread resentment in society
and alienated a vast number of Muslims.
That is what drives the "us" and "them"
society. Far from dividing British society, HT is
working with Muslims to bridge this divide. We
teach people to combat the propaganda and
misinformation about Islam and convey the true
nature and meaning of Islam to their fellow
citizens. We also teach people to convey
legitimate Muslim grievances in a correct and
effective manner. This is the most effective way
of promoting community cohesion in the UK.
MA: Why have some student
unions banned HT activity in the past?
TM: HT has never been banned
by any student union. However, a particular
lobbying group within the National Union of
Students led it to adopt a "no platform policy" of
denying HT - and other Muslim groups - access to
student-union events. This particular lobby did
not like HT's exposure of the brutal crimes of the
State of Israel. But on the ground, many
individual student unions have ignored this "no
platform policy", since they are well aware that
pro-Israel sympathies influenced that decision.
Consequently, HT members are regularly
invited to be part of panels discussing different
aspects of Islam, the work for the caliphate in
the Muslim world, the "war on terror" and other
local and global issues on university campuses up
and down the country.
MA:
Finally, how close are you in achieving your
ultimate objective, namely the re-creation of the
Islamic caliphate?
TM:
Numerous signs indicate that in the Muslim world,
people desire a fundamental change in the
political order and that they are fed up with
their regimes. Furthermore, when given a chance to
express their opinion, Muslims increasingly
express a desire for Islamic governance. Egypt is
a good example. So the political work for the
Islamic caliphate is unstoppable, and its return
is only a matter of time.
MA: But how close are you?
Will it take another generation?
TM: We feel it will happen
sooner rather than later, InshaAllah [God
willing].
(This article first appeared in
SaudiDebate.com.
Published with permission.)
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
