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Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > Al Muhajiroun and Hizb ut Tahrir : Al Qaeda linked groups attract Muslim youth and converts in the UK and USA

Al Muhajiroun and Hizb ut Tahrir : Al Qaeda linked groups attract Muslim youth and converts in the UK and USA

"Soldiers of Allah" in California: Islamist 'rap' is all the "intellectual rage"
August 1, 2004

MIM:Yesterday's suicide attacks on the American and Israeli embassies in Uzbekistan were blamed on the group known as Hizb ut Tahrir :Although the group does not seek the kind of publicity which it's counterpart Al Muhajiroun seeks they do have a small but growing following among young Muslims in the United States in ideology if not in name.

Although both HT and AM have a main base in London, Hizb ut Tahrir does not have a designated leader and is a much older organisation which has it's roots in the Middle East.(see article by Ariel Cohen below)

Two of Hizb ut Tahrir's founders in the UK are Omar Bakri Mohammed and Abu Hamza al Masri. An ideological splilt led to the formation of Al Muhajiroun. Hizb ut Tahrir's base of operations is primarily in Asia and Europe while Al Muhajiroun has a large following in the UK and the U.S. Some of the 9/11 hijackers were linked to Hizb ut Tahrir while they were students in Germany.

Omar Bakri Mohammed, is now regarded as the 'spiritual' head of Al Muhajiroun, Abu Hamza Al Masri, who was also affilitated with both groups, was jailed last month on terrorism charges and his extradition has been requested by the United States.

Adherents of Hizb ut Tahrir in California formed a music group called "Soldiers of Allah" and changed their name to "Muslim Studio" in 2003. The name change and removal of the 'black flag' from their website might have been due in part to an article which came out which named some of the group's members and revealed the groups Islamist affiliations.

One of the group's albums is called 1924 and a second which was renamed "No Compromise" used to have the black flag of Islam on the cover. The groups old website reveals a picture of one of the group's members standing atop a globe waving a black flag leaving no doubt as to their Hizb ut Tahrir /Al Muhajiroun affiliations .

The group' songs 'Bring Islam Back"," Muslim 4 Ever", and 'Sleeping Giant',epitomize the Hizb ut Tahrir / Al Muhajirioun credo.(see below).

One of their manifestations is under the names of 1924 which refers to the end of Muslim rule (the Khalifate) which must be reestablished in the world.

There is a group of 'yuppie' academics in the UK who run a website called www.1924.org.

Their magazine is called 'Khalifate' and can be seen on their site .

Below are several websites from Hizb ut Tahrir, which openly recruit people for Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and global Jihad.

http://www.hizb-ut-tahrir.org/

http://www.khilafah.com.pk/

Hizb ut Tahrir stresses that they are "non violent" while advocating the forced Islamisation of the Western World. It was reported that several of the 9/11 hijackers were connected to the group in Germany . HT was banned due to it's virulent anti semitic rhetoric .

One of the most alarming aspects of both Al Muhajiroun and Hizb ut Tahrir is the attraction which both groups hold for Western converts. MIM will attempt to explore this phenomenon by presenting articles about both groups .their ideologies, and their followers . Most of these groups adherents are young and the emergence of music group in the US which espouses the HT credo and has international followers shows that the movement is gaining in popularity with Muslim youth.

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Abu Hamza

MIM: Abu Hamza Al Masri rabble rousing in front of Finsbury Park mosque before his arrest in 2004.

After the mosque was closed by the government last year Hamza's followers met on the street under the watchful eye of the British police. British taxpayers footed the bill for the police who essentially protected Hamza and his followers.The mosque was reopened and Hamza was jailed. He was subsequently dearrested and is fighting an extradition request from the United States. In the meantime the British government is reluctant to brand Hamza as a terrorist and there is even talk of having him released. Whatever the outcome, the cost to British taxpayers will run run into millions of pounds. Hamza, a naturalized British citizen had been living on British government benefits for years as do many practioners of militant Islam in the UK.

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Essex Boys Sign Up for Holy War



Terrorism crisis - Observer special

Burhan Wazir
Sunday February 24, 2002
The Observer


Khalid Akhtar sounds like a typical fanatic. Standing outside a community centre in southern England last week, he branded Jews as 'devils' and called for a war on the enemies of Islam.

But Akhtar is different in one crucial respect from most of the extremists who gather at certain mosques around Britain and talk of revolution.

Once known as John, 29-year-old Akhtar is one of a new generation of white converts being recruited into British Islamic organisations with links to al-Qaeda. His home, the suburban town of Ilford on the London-Essex border, has become a flashpoint for extremist activity.

On Friday nights members of al-Muhajiroun, a UK-based militant group, gather in Ilford's Eton Road Community Centre to hear the charismatic spiritual leader, Sheikh Omar Bakri, denounce the West. On average, about 70 young British men - including 20 whites - attend.

Not far away, followers of the rival Hizbut-Tahrir meet at Ilford Library. The group rose to notoriety in 1996 when its leaders managed to attract enough support to book a religious demonstration at Wembley Arena. Their weekly sermon attracts a similar number of whites.

Since 11 September, al-Muhajiroun has proved itself to be the most rebellious section of the British Muslim community. The British shoe bomber Richard Reid, 28, was seen at several al-Muhajiroun meetings in Ilford in the months before his failed attempt to bomb American Airlines Flight 63 over Miami.

Several al-Muhajiroun members are prisoners at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba and in Kandahar after being captured while fighting for the Taliban. Groups like al-Muhajiroun and Hizb ut-Tahrir can count on a following of several thousand in places like Ilford and their founders are expanding the ranks by converting non-Asians to Islam. The borough of Redbridge - which includes Ilford and has 230,000 people - is a fertile recruiting ground.

'Al-Muhajiroun has one goal,' said Anjam Choudry, its UK chairman. 'We would like to see the implementation of the sharia law in the UK. Under our rule this country would be known as the Islamic Republic of Great Britain. To do that, attracting young Asians is not enough. So we are making a conscious effort to recruit large numbers of non-Muslims.

'Whites, Chinese, Japanese and Indians in this country are all bored with the capitalist system. It's a bankrupt ideal. We have found that young non-Muslims, like our Asian followers, want something new. You can tell that from the anti-globalisation movement. So we're offering them something pure: a religious mission, the values of sharia law and jihad.'

'I never felt like I belonged anywhere,' said Mohamed Khan, 24, formerly known as Alan and a white convert in al-Muhajiroun. He said he was disillusioned with Christianity. 'It didn't give me any sense of respect. No one goes to church any more. At least the mosques are full, so Islam obviously has something.'

His friend, Salim Yunus, 20, also a former Christian, said that in al-Muhajiroun they were led by example. 'You look at your average church priest, and what does he do? Who would he go to war with? No one. So how can Christianity claim to be a religion when its followers don't believe in spreading the word? The fact that Western politicians like Bush and Blair are scared of Islam means that it is a great religion. Sheikh Bakri knows that: he would die for it.'

Last week an Islamic cleric in Ilford, Sheikh Abdullah el-Faisal, 38, was arrested in a dawn raid at his home and charged with making race-hate speeches under the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861. El-Faisal, whose taped speeches have titles such as 'No Peace With The Jews', appeared at Bow Street magistrates court in London on Thursday. As he left the courtroom, one supporter called out: 'Allah is the final judge.'

The white Muslims don't see themselves as having converted. They think they have reverted to their original faith. Salim Yunus, Mohamed Khan and Khalid Akhtar have their own Islamic role models - Osama bin Laden, Richard Reid and the followers of al-Qaeda.

'There is a clear rise in the politics of identity,' said Paul Weller, Professor of Inter-Religious studies at Derby University. 'Young white men who join Islam might be feeling out of place from modern life. So you find that when they join a religion like Islam they have an unbending view. Their views on jihad, for example, might be less compromising than the views of people who were born Muslims.'

One white convert, Suleyman, a former drug addict from London's East End, said that a holy war was an obligation, not a debatable option. 'Richard Reid tried it and he was right to,' he said. 'Islam has enemies everywhere. It's up to Allah's soldiers to secure a victory.'


Observer special reports
Islam and the West
Observer Worldview
Terrorism crisis



Investigating Britain's terror connections
24.02.2002: Al-Qaeda trained hundreds from UK
24.02.2002: Essex boys sign up for 'holy war'
17.02.2002: AK-47 training held at London mosque
27.01.2002: Terror video used to lure UK Muslims
20.01.2002: Focus: How bin Laden network spread its tentacles
04.11.2001: Focus: 'We will replace the Bible with the Koran in Britain'

Islam in Britain: Comment highlights
21.10.2001: Ziauddin Sardar: Islam has become its own enemy
04.11.2001: Faisal Bodi: Why Brits fought for the Taliban
21.10.2001: The view from the mosque: they're demonising Islam
30.09.2001: Tariq Modood: Muslims in the West
16.09.2001: Zia Sardar: Islam can not explain such immense evil
07.10.2001: Britain's defiant minority
30.09.2001: Muslims refuse to be victims of racism
23.09.2001: Zia Sardar: My fatwa on the fanatics
16.09.2001: Edward Said: Islam and the West are inadequate banners

Islam and the west
07.10.2001: Kanan Makiya: Fighting Islam's Ku Klux Klan
07.10.2001: Leader: Mr Blair must listen to Muslims

Observer special reports
Observer Worldview


Islam and the West: special report
Terrorism crisis
Terrorism Crisis - Observer Comment archive
War in Afghanistan
Observer International news

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3539535.stm

Fears as young Muslims 'opt out' Navid Akhtar is a practising Muslim deeply concerned about a growing trend among his contemporaries toward a separatist ideology that turns its back on Britain. He wrote this personal account for Sunday's Five Live Report.

Young Muslims are opting out.

They've renounced the Islam of their immigrant parents and feel disillusioned with a society that they perceive as racist.

Many are turning their backs on democracy and Britain.

And they are finding a new identity in a brand of Islam that is radical and intolerant.

Out of 1.8 million Muslims living in Britain today, the highest proportion have their roots in Bangladesh and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Pure Islam

Both these groups came to Britain as economic migrants from rural villages.

Settling into Britain has not been an easy experience and many feel excluded from the mainstream.

The worst hit are the young, who find themselves at odds with their parents' insular Asian culture and a Britain they believe is hostile towards them.

Many young Muslims, confused about their identity, have turned to their faith to provide answers and stumbled upon what they call "pure Islam".

The quality of education provided in our mosques has not been very adequate
Khurshid Ahmed Chair of Dudley Muslim Association
Pure Islam is austere, intolerant, harsh, and very heavily influenced by the teachings of the dominant Saudi sect known as the Wahhabis.

When the Saudis were flush with money from oil revenues, their government exported the Wahhabi version of Islam.

Mosques were financed, books, videos and cassettes supplied, scholars and imams trained at theological universities. Extremist adherents have propagated a message of violent jihad.

Pure Islam has claimed the mantle of being the only real Islam as practised at the time of the Prophet Mohammed and his companions.

It regards the Islam that came from the Indian subcontinent as corrupted and polluted by "cultural" values such as music.

In particular, pure Islam rejects any new developments in Islamic thinking, and refuses to understand that Muslims living in the West face a unique set of challenges.

Challenges ahead

This has led to a split within the British Muslim community, creating a belief amongst many young people that there is no compromise between Islam and life in the West.

Privately some within the community acknowledge a failure of leadership. However, moderate Muslims leaders have remained largely silent and have yet to provide a credible alternative.

Most mosques in the UK are run along the old tribal lines. The all powerful Mosque committee retains an iron grip on what is taught, how it is taught and who teaches it.

The major failure has been the inability to produce imams and scholars who speak English and understand the issues and problems that the second generation are going through.

Chair of the Dudley Muslim Association Khurshid Ahmed told the programme: "I'm quite ashamed to admit that the leadership within the Muslim community - not just in Dudley, but nationally - have let our young people down.

"The quality of education provided in our mosques has not been very adequate. We have not been able to connect sufficiently with our young people and that has led them to being a lot more alienated from their own families and from the community. "

'Let down'

The failure of elders to connect with young Muslims and the impact the ideology of pure Islam has had run like a generational fault line through the British Muslim community.

Without effective leadership and guidance, young Muslims feel marginalised not just by lack of opportunity, or Islamaphobia, but a real sense of being let down by their elders.

In such a climate, pure Islam will continue to thrive, attracting young Muslims to a separatist ideology that rejects the values of a modern secular and democratic Britain.

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MIM: Note that Mohammed Naseem, director of the Birmingham mosque is described as "an elder statesman" in the article below. Naseem publicly criticises groups such as Hizb ut Tahrir in order to maintain a facade of moderation.

Two members of the Birmingham mosque were gunned down as the result of an internal dispute.

It is also worth noting that the premises have been the constant source of a spate of leaflets and posters praising Osama Bin Laden which Naseem blames on what he calls "ourcasts" some of whom are certainly clients of the Birmingham mosque.

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This is not a war against Muslims on a religious level - but the only opposition to the dominance of western capitalism is not a nation, but a people
Dr Imran Waheed (c) with supporters Zhagum Arshad and Mohammed Rashid

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2914121.stm

Listening for a voice of Muslim youth

By Dominic Casciani
BBC News Online community affairs reporter

War in Iraq has brought the opinions of British Muslims to the fore - but what influence does the radical fringe have on the young?

Somewhere in the US's Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay, there are a number of young British men.

The men, including a trio dubbed the 'Tipton Taleban' remain incarcerated after being seized by US forces in Afghanistan.

Why would men such as Asif Iqbal, Shafiq Rasul and Rahul Ahmed leave their West Midlands homes to allegedly fight abroad?

Paradise, a new play in Birmingham, home to the second largest Muslim community in Britain, explores these ideas.

The play, by British-born Kashmiri Amber Lone, charts how a frustrated young man with limited prospects, Umar, falls in with an old friend-turned-radical, Younis.

Umar soon finds himself in a Muslim country, fighting for an Islamic cause that ultimately leads to his own death, shattering his family and friends.

Fashion or faith?

Imran Ali, who plays Umar, researched the part by looking at the rise of a more radical Islamic voice among his contemporaries in the midst of the current war and the fallout of 11 September.

LIVING BY THE RULES Many of these lads go to Mosque and pray five times - they then use the F-word to slag off other Muslims for not being as good Muslims as they are
Imran Ali, actor

He says many in his generation are worried that a dangerous mix of disillusionment, low self-esteem and peer pressure is making "radical Islam" more attractive.

"You see these guys wearing traditional Islamic dress - they would not have been seen dead in it five years ago," he says.

"It's got nothing to do with religion. It's got everything to do with fashion. Many of these lads I know who claim they are good Muslims are more fanatical than Younis. It's the in-thing.

"They go to mosque and pray five times. They then use the F-word to slag off other Muslims for not being as good Muslims as they are.

"I don't think that's particularly Islamic."

Dangerous mixture

What is really worrying, says Imran, is how identity politics is mixing with religion, race and social conditions.

"We all need to know who we are - but don't then say you can't get a job because the white man doesn't like Muslims. That's just bollocks.

"If you can't get a job that's probably got more to do with what you have failed to do for yourself."

Despite the furore over the so-called Tipton Taleban, the West Midlands has largely escaped the tensions of the northern towns such as Bradford and Oldham.

However, the far right is increasingly active in the area and Birmingham Perry Bar MP Khalid Mahmood has warned young men may take to the streets over Iraq.

Hearts and minds

At the heart of this is whether or not Britain's young Muslims have found a voice in political life. Is it a voice based on personal conviction or drawn solely from the Koran?

One of the radical groups involved in this is the British branch of Hizb ut-Tahrir.

The international Islamic party says its faith is a system that can challenge capitalism. Its members work to establish an Islamic regime across the Muslim world. Its long-term aim is for an Islamic state in Britain.

Three of its British members are on trial in Egypt accused of attempting to destabilise the state. It is vehemently opposed by Jewish groups who accuse it of anti-semitism and it has been banned in the past from various university campuses.

Birmingham-based party leader Dr Imran Waheed refuses to say how many members it has in Britain. But it is now regularly targeting students and mosques.

Last September some 9,000 people attended its London conference, though Dr Waheed freely admits he can't say whether or not they were all supporters.

In the UK, it argues the war in Iraq is one against Islam. It says Muslims should reject lobbying through our political system because it is incompatible with their faith.

"Britain is looking after its own interests in this war," says Dr Waheed.

"It fears Islam in its fullest political form because an Islamic state re-established in the Muslim world would be a threat to the western world."

"This is not a war against Muslims on a religious level - but against Islam offering the only political alternative to capitalism.

"The only opposition to the dominance of western capitalism is not a nation, but a people."

Radicalising youth?

Dr Waheed is convinced that those who have recently turned to Islam include many who had been "intoxicated in western culture - drugs, drink and promiscuity". They had embraced Islam and rejected the West.

So how far does the party's rejection of the West go in relation to the war in Iraq?

"We would urge the Muslim nations to send their armies to help Iraq."

HIZB UT-TAHRIR This is not a war against Muslims on a religious level - but the only opposition to the dominance of western capitalism is not a nation, but a people
Dr Imran Waheed (c) with supporters Zhagum Arshad and Mohammed Rashid
And if a young man in Birmingham said he would be joining those armies?

"I would sit down and discuss with him whether that is the best method to effect change.

Is it the best method to effect change? "I would expect people to go and fight. I don't believe it's the way forward but I can understand why they are going. I understand the sentiment but would not say it's the correct sentiment."

What concerns many mainstream Muslims is that Hizb ut-Tahrir and others vehemently oppose the war, but tell young supporters there is no point in seeking a voice in British political life.

Isn't the case of the Egypt three proof that it only serves to radicalise young British Muslims?

"Words like extremism, terrorist and fundamentalist are overused," says Dr Waheed. "Anyone who seeks to bring about Islam in its political form is branded as such."

War against Islam?

Elder statesmen in Birmingham, including Dr Mohammed Naseem of Birmingham Central Mosque, dismiss the group. "There's a perception that it's a war against Islam. And I think there are powers in the world that see Islam as a threat," says Dr Naseem.

"But there is always a danger in an emotive situation that a small group of people with little knowledge and heightened sensitivities will be attracted to extreme ideas.

"These groups have not developed to a considerable extent. Groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir are outcasts."

In essence, says Dr Naseem, if you believe in the Koran, then you believe the words were for all mankind. You cannot withdraw from the West and argue among yourselves.

"The message of this war is one for all. Look to your faith and the power of reason, not the rise of emotions. Your obligations are to convey, converse and promote understanding for the common good. The us-and-them attitude is unislamic."

Paradise continues at Birmingham Rep Theatre until 12 April. See internet links for details.

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MIM: The article below gives a backgound of Hizb ut Tahrir

Three Groups Take Aim at Uzbekistan's Secular Regime

From DEBKA-Net-Weekly Updated by DEBKAfile

July 31, 2004, 10:42 PM (GMT+02:00)

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the IMU, whose suicide bombers struck the US and Israeli embassies and the Uzbek prosecutor-general's office in Tashkent Friday, July 30, – killing three Uzbek guards and injuring 9 - is a multifaceted fundamentalist terror group affiliated to al Qaeda and sharing its philosophy. Friday, its bombers failed to break into the embassies, but many counter-terror authorities see this attack as the opening shot in their next major confrontation. President Islam Karimov, evidently sharing this view, cut short his Crimean vacation to return home and secure the capital with roadblocks at strategic points and searches of vehicles.

The embassy attacks were themselves the sequel to the wave of terrorist unrest that swept Uzbekistan last March and April, for which 15 suspects are now on trial in Tashkent – hence the attack on the prosecutor-general's offices.

The IMU, under its leader, Tahir Yuldashev, dreams of establishing an Islamic state in the broad Ferghana Valley which straddles Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and maintains training camp and bases in the valley not far from the Afghan and Chinese borders. Yuldashev, who spent the 1990s with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, returned to Tashkent at the beginning of this year, in flight from the massive US-backed Pakistan military hunt for top al Qaeda men in the mountains of southern Waziristan. His return sparked the March-April unrest and the first suicide attacks seen in the former Soviet Central Asian republic. They were followed by street battles with Uzbek security forces. Of the 47 killed in this round of violence, 33 were IMU-al Qaeda adherents, 15 of them suicide bombers.

Now as then, the IMF and even al Qaeda tacticians will not be the only ones to decide what happens next. Neither, according to DEBKAfile's Central Asian sources, is President Islam Karimov, who has been battling the Islamic group for seven years.

His ambitious daughter, Gulnara Karimova-Maqsudi (see photo), a power in the land with command over her own judiciary, militia, commando-trained personal guard and intelligence system, is certainly a factor. A divorcee with two children, Islam, aged 11 and Iman, 6, Gulnara is maneuvering into position to succeed her father on the premise that the greater the domestic instability, the sooner she will achieve her goal. Our sources do not rule out the possibility that from time to time her agents quietly stir the terrorist pot and are in no hurry to reduce the heat under the brew.

A third factor is the multinational Islamic group, Hizb a-Tahrir (The Liberation Party), which maintains cells in most Muslim countries. Its activists in Arab Jerusalem surfaced last year for a punch-up against the former Egyptian foreign minister Ali Maher when he visited the al Aqsa Mosque on Temple Mount. While radical, this movement does not believe in ongoing terrorism – certainly not of the suicidal variety – but only a sharp, sudden act of violence capable of sweeping away a targeted secular regime and replacing it with an Islamic theocracy. Nonetheless Hizb a-Tahrir cannot be counted out of any surge of violence in Uzbekistan considering the brutal persecution its followers suffer at the ends of the Karimov regime.

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan has been committed to the path of violence since it was founded in 1989. Its exact membership is unknown but believed to be smaller than Hizb ut Tahrir's 4,000 and 7,000 adherents. When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, dozens and perhaps hundreds of eager Uzbek fundamentalists crossed south for intensive guerrilla training and Islamic religious indoctrination. Since the Taliban were ousted, IMU has declared war on the American air force and special forces based in Uzbekistan for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. In two years, they have killed two US soldiers and wounded several others. They even tried to kidnap Americans from a secret base to ransom their jailed comrades. US and Uzbek authorities have kept a lid on these incidents to avoid giving the impression that a Central Asian Islamic front has opened against the United States. In neighboring Tajikistan, the IMU's agents are supplied with money and logistical support by the Iranian embassy.

The Hisb a-Tarir, founded in the Middle East in 1953, is older, larger and less virulent than Yuldashev's Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. Hizb leader, Vahid Omran, stresses the objectives of his movement are to disseminate the word of Islam not spread death. Numbering an estimated 5,000 to 20,000 members around the Muslim world, Hizb ut Tahrir aspires to the establishment of a pan-Islamic caliphate rather than an Islamic republic across Central Asia, centered in the Ferghana Valley. Although not linked to al Qaeda, the group dispenses the usual Islamic fundamentalist fare of nostalgia for past Islamic glories, homophobia, anti-Semitism and more recently, anti-Americanism.

While not committed to violence, the Liberation Party will strike hard if an opportunity presents itself to overthrow the Uzbek or any other secular regime.This opportunity the Hizb a Tahrir expects an alliance between the IMU and Karimov's daughter to create by continually chipping away at the regime's stability. At some crucial point, therefore, Omran could switch tactics and make a grab for power.

Hizb ut Tahrir supporters live mainly in Samarkand and Bukhara, two important religious centers of the golden age of Islam situated along the traditional Silk Road.

Like many other parties and organizations in Central Asia, Hizb ut Tahrir maintains bases of operation in the southeastern Ferghana region near the border with Tajikistan. There, young Uzbeks are indoctrinated in Islamic fundamentalism and recruited into a "Muslim Education Corps". Their proximity to al Qaeda and other fundamentalist Islamic facilities gives rise to the charge in Tashkent that the party is not just dispensing education but building terrorist cells.

Central Asian sources assert that by labeling Hizb ut Tahrir a terrorist organization, Karimov hopes to camouflage his own corruption.

His autocratic regime views the movement as a smoldering coal, as dangerous in its way as the IMU though for the moment more as a political rival. Karimov also treats the Hizb as a political scapegoat. At least 500 of its members are in jail where human rights groups say they are being tortured and held in sub-human conditions. Some its leaders live in exile in London, whence this week they accused the government of orchestrating the terrorist attacks and clashes as a pretext for more crackdowns.

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/print/98617/1/.html

Uzbek President blames Islamist group for deadly suicide blasts

Uzbek President Islam Karimov blamed followers of a banned Islamist movement for this weekend's suicide bomb attacks despite the group's public rejection of violence.

Karimov said Hizb ut-Tahrir must bear primary responsibility both for Friday's blasts at the Israeli and US embassies and the general prosecutor's office that killed at least three and a wave of violence in March that left 47 dead.

"The same group carried out the March explosions as yesterday's explosions and they base their ideas on Hizb ut-Tahrir's teaching... Hizb ut-Tahrir made the biggest contribution to that terror," Karimov told public television.

Hizb ut-Tahrir seeks the establishment of an Islamic state in Central Asia.

All three people killed in the latest attacks in the Uzbek capital were members of the Uzbek security forces who had been guarding the buildings, officials said.

Eight other people were injured in the blasts -- the first such attacks at foreign embassies in Uzbekistan since it broke from Moscow in 1991.

US officials said that none of their staff were hurt.

Many analysts and rights defenders have insisted that they see no direct link between Hizb ut-Tahrir and recent violence in Uzbekistan, as the group has publicly rejected the use of violence.

They say that Karimov's leadership -- widely criticised for stamping on all opposition, secular or religious -- wants the West to take a tougher line on Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is legal in most Western countries although Germany has imposed a ban due to the group's anti-Semitism.

Earlier a prominent Uzbek human rights defender expressed doubts about an Islamic internet site -- www.islamic-minbar.com -- that had published claims of responsibility by both Hizb ut-Tahrir and another group, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), that has launched incursions across the region in the past.

"I suspect the claim by Hizb ut-Tahrir... might be a provocation. I have never seen any proof that Hizb ut-Tahrir used violent means, this is not their ideology," said Surat Ikramov, head of the Independent Human Rights Defenders of Uzbekistan.

Russian news agencies said that a number of arrests had been made.

Police were stopping and searching cars across Tashkent and the embassies -- smoke-damaged but otherwise intact -- had been reinforced by dozens of Uzbek troops.

On Saturday US Secretary of State Colin Powell condemned the latest attacks.

"We cannot in any way excuse this kind of action -- (Uzbekistan has been) a very good partner with the United States in the global war against terrorism," Powell told journalists during a visit to Bosnia.

Analysts have said Friday's explosions appeared timed to highlight the ongoing trial of 15 people over the March attacks, a hearing that has prompted rights defenders to allege that the defendants had been tortured into pleading guilty.

In 2002 Uzbekistan's authorities were accused by a United Nations rapporteur of countenancing "systematic" torture. Rights defenders estimate the number of religious and political prisoners in the country at around 6,500.

This former Soviet republic is a key Central Asian ally in Washington's anti-terrorism campaign, hosting a major airbase used for US-led operations in neighbouring Afghanistan.

- AFP

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Hizb ut Tahrir in the UK confounding both their friends and their enemies ...

MIM: Below :Hizb ut Tahrir critised in Britain for opposing anti war movement : The group's extremist Islamist stance appears to have alienated even those who would have been expected to be their allies. The inability to 'pin down' the HT ideology makes it difficult to access their influence and analyse their membership base . Recent conferences called by the group have drawn hundreds of participants They have a large following at Oxford University and HT members are involved in student organisations .Qasim Khawaja, a member of the HT 'executive' committee, has a job as the technical architect for the administration website of Oxford university .http://www.geocities.com/inuk_NoWar/hizb_ut_tahrir.htm

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MIM: Note the professions of the members of the HT executive board. HT is considered the 'elite' branch of Al Muhajiroun. The seemingly hypocrisy for HT members who do not recognize the legitimacy of a non Muslim country, yet appear to be part of the 'establishment' is rationalised by their stated intention to use their positions to bring about the Islamisation of the world by working within the system.

http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/58

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http://www.1924.org/text/1141/0/28/M

Hizb ut-Tahrir - Britain, announces results of UK Executive Committee elections

March 17, 2004 - www.1924.org

Press Statement

London, UK, 14th March - Following elections for the UK Wilayah (Executive) Committee on the evening of Saturday 13th March 2004, corresponding to the night of the 23rd of Muharram 1425 Hijri, Hizb ut-Tahrir - Britain, wishes to announce the results to the Muslim community.

The UK Executive Committee is the leadership circle of the Party in Britain and is responsible for directing and supervising the work of the Party. Elections are held on a regular basis and members of the Party nominate and elect fellow members into the UK Executive Committee. This year there were a total of 16 nominees for the 9 available positions in the UK and the following were elected:


  • Dr. Abdul Wahid - General Medical Practitioner from Harrow, Middlesex
  • Asif Dawood - Management Accountant from Slough, Berkshire
  • Asif Khan - College Teacher from Watford, Hertfordshire
  • Farooq Khan - Strategy Analyst from Solihull, West Midlands
  • Hassan Mujtaba – IT Lecturer from East Ham, London
  • Jalaluddin Patel – IT Engineer from Ilford, London
  • Qasim Khawaja - Technical Architect from Oxford
  • Salim Atchia - Clinical Governance Practitioner from Norwich
  • Shaban ul-Haq - IT Project Manager from Luton


At election centres up and down the country, members of Hizb ut-Tahrir cast their votes for the Executive Committee. In the week preceding the election, those who were standing for election campaigned amongst members of the party in an atmosphere of brotherhood and competition in good deeds. At each election centre a co-ordinator, and 2 independent witnesses counted the votes. The votes from all election centres were then compiled under the auspices of the overall co-ordinator, Dr Imran Waheed, and 2 further witnesses. The final count took place at a Central London hotel, and the results were announced by Dr Imran Waheed shortly after 1 am on the morning of Sunday 14th March 2004.

Commenting on the elections, Dr Imran Waheed, Representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said, "At this criticical juncture in time, the Muslim Ummah is in need of a strong, wise and aware leadership. We ask Allah (swt) to allow goodness to come from these elections and to help those who have been elected to shoulder the burden of this leadership."

Massoud Shadjareh, Chair of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, who was one of the invited guests, said after the ballot in the West London voting centre: "It is encouraging that Muslim organisations are developing their infrastructure and are being accountable to the community and I hope that this will be a beginning for other Muslim institutions to rally this level of accountability."

All media enquiries should be made to Dr Imran Waheed, Media Representative UK on +44-(0)7074-192400 / Email: [email protected]

Hizb ut-Tahrir - Britain


Photos of Elections:

Please click on image to see a larger version







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Technical Architect

Qasim Khawaja
(01865) 283187
[email protected]

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MIM: For more on the Hizb ut Tahrir connection to the Islamic Society and School of Islamic Studies at Oxford see:

http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/63

" Oxford University becomes Mosqueford University"

The discussion below on being "British or Muslim" is rhetorical one for Hizb ut Tahrir and Al Muhajiroun adherents.

Both groups eschew all compromise with non Muslims and advocate the establishment of an Islamic state by any means necessary.

Note the irony that Hizb ut Tahrir member Qasim Khawaja is listed as "an Islamic advocate" who will be discussing"The Impact of September 11th on Muslims.

----------------------------------------------------

Oxford University Islamic Society invites you to a discussion on:

ISLAMIC IN BRITAIN: British or Muslim? Or is it possible to be both?

Religious observance in a secular society, the roles of women and men,
the question of political sympathies, the clash of generations,
reconciling different cultural identities – these are just some of the
issues which confront the Muslim communities of Britain today.

Join us as we discuss these crucial issues.

Date: Thursday 6th March
Time: 7pm to 9pm
Place: Saskatchewan Room, Exeter College, Turl Street, Oxford, OX1 3DP

FORMAT:

1. Five short presentations
2. Panel discussion based on questions and comments from the audience

PRESENTATIONS:

* The Britannic Crescent, British Muslims 1960-2003 – Yahya Birt,
University of Oxford
* Muslim Community? Issues that pull us together or drive us apart –
Isla Rosser-Owen, Association for British Muslims
* Islam and Social Cohesion – Humera Khan, Adviser on Muslim Affairs,
An-Nisa Society, London
* Muslims in the British Education System – Mohammed Evans,
Educationist, Cardiff
* The Impact of September 11 on Muslims in the UK – Qasim Khawaja,
Islamic Advocate, Oxford

For more information contact: [email protected]

This is a public discussion and everyone is welcome to participate.

===============================

What on earth are they playing at?

Radical group attacks anti-war Peace movement

Hizb-ut-Tahrir, known commonly as HT, is a Muslim organisation based in London but active in Birmingham and other cities. In the last few weeks, while everyone has been displaying anti-war posters preparing for the Feb 15th demo, HT have been fly-posting stickers and posters stating 'Don't Stop the War' with 'Except through Islamic Politics' stated in small writing underneath. They are entitled to their views but to have such a slogan stuck all over inner-city Birmingham lampposts and walls makes a mockery of the anti-war peace movement. Anyone walking or driving passed the stickers will only see the large 'DON'T STOP THE WAR' and assume the organisation want to go ahead with a US-led war. Most would think that it was the work of some pro-American nationalists.

Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT) at the STWC September 28th demonstration in London.Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT) at the STWC September 28th demonstration in London.Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT) at the STWC September 28th demonstration in London.Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT) at the STWC September 28th demonstration in London.

HT has written an article justifying their actions claiming that Muslims should not be marching 'behind' non-Muslims, especially Socialists and the left. They claim that all sorts of agendas and beliefs are being promoted by organisations taking advantage of the marches. Well, Muslim organisations have also every right to promote Islamic causes on these marches and to invite others to the faith. HT themselves have so far turned up at every anti-war march in London with banners and megaphones in hand accusing the US and UK of being the real 'Axis of Evil', so who are HT to write-off the demonstrations? HT promote their organisation at the demonstrations, hand out flyers and wave their banners - they just refuse to march alongside or 'behind' the "non-Muslims". As for the organisers, have not MAB organised and co-organised a few of the marches and is not the STWC made up of Muslim individuals and organisations too?

Of course, HT are now making it even more difficult for the Birmingham Stop the War Coalition by removing their posters and replacing them with their own. They have even started to turn up at BSTWC events trying to forcefully deter Muslims from entering the venue.

Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT) at the STWC September 28th demonstration in London.

HT never used to carry out their 'invitation' (daw'ah) in such a manner. They would usually stick their posters in shops but fly-posting posters and stickers all over roads and removing other's posters was a trademark of their rival organisation, Al-Muhajiroun. It seems the difference is now minimal.

In many areas, people have removed HT's 'Don't Stop the War' material because they know only too well of how such slogans work against us, not with us. Our message to HT is simple, we are all against this war and the governments involved so do not make us your enemy. That is exactly what the Bush administration and the UK government would love, for there to be a split in an amazing and historically unique anti-war movement that has so far caused the likes of Bush and Blair to think about their irresponsible actions.

1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hizb ut Tahrir in the USA in symbolism and rhetoric but not in name...

December 28, 2003

Going out for a bomb

capt.la10312281448.muslim_football_la103.jpeg

"Sabih Kahn, 18, founder of a Muslim football league, right, prepares to throw the ball as teammate Muhammad Akhtar, 18, heads down field for a pass during a training session at Heritage Park in Irvine, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 21, 2003. Critics say names of some of the teams such as Intifada, which is used by Palestinian fighters, and Mujahideen glorify terrorism. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)"

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/000353.php

The LA Times reports on a group of Muslim football teams with some provocative names: "Monikers for the flag-football teams include Mujahideen, Intifada and Soldiers of Allah and are accompanied on the league's Web site, http://muslimfootball.com, by logos of masked men, some with daggers or swords.

"An organizer of the Jan. 4 event, geared for American Muslims in their teens and 20s, said the names are a sign of football bravado and a show of support for Muslims in the Middle East.

"'A lot of the kids on our team are from Palestinian origin,' said Tarek Shawky, Intifada's 29-year-old captain and quarterback. 'We are in solidarity with people in the uprising. It's about human rights and basic freedoms.'

"'I think they should be more sensitive and show respect to other people's sensitivities,' said Muzammil Siddiqi, director of the Islamic Society of Orange County and a national Muslim leader. 'The words themselves do not have bad meanings, but people associate them with what's going on in the world around them.'

"But others say Palestinian fighters in the Intifada are terrorists and shouldn't be glorified. Another provocative name, Mujahideen, means 'holy warrior,' and is associated with a variety of Islamic resistance movements, including two on the U.S. government's list of terrorist groups.

"'What exactly are they honoring here?' asked Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. 'The continued targeting of innocent women and children by homicide bombers deserves to be condemned across the board. It's deeply, deeply disturbing.' . . .

But one Islamic scholar said she wonders why the team names should be controversial.

"'Who cares? Why are people so sensitive?' said Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, a professor at Georgetown University. 'Intifada is something that Muslims and Palestinians all approve of. It means "just get off my back." Is the only way we accept [Muslims] is if we devalue their faith?'

Like Osama bin Laden, these Mujahedin won't be able to put Crusaders on their schedule, much as they may desire to do so. Teams with that name have long been falling to PC sensibilities: "In 2000, Wheaton College replaced its Crusader label after 70 years, with the more politically correct Thunder. Twenty miles down Interstate 5 from Irvine, where the football tournament will be held, a new Catholic high school in San Juan Capistrano changed its name before it opened last year, from the Crusaders to the Lions, a move applauded by local Muslim leaders.

"Some of those same officials say they oppose the controversial names for the Muslim football teams, but emphasize that they reflect youthful hyperbole more than any dark meaning." Yet self-proclaimed (and well-armed) mujahedin are much easier to find in the world today than crusaders are.

Also, don't these names suggest that the radical Muslims who take the same names for more sinister purposes may have more support among the general Muslim population than we are usually led to believe? (Thanks to LGF.)

Posted at December 7, 2003 06:3

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MIM:The Medium is the Militant Islamist message: Below a link to Muslim Studio which produces the albums made by Soldiers of Allah.

http://www.muslimstudio.com/faqs.html

Lyrics from the California based group "Soldiers of Allah" from their album "1924" reflect Hizb ut Tahrir's 'mission statement' is a textbook study of Islamist intentions in rhyme.

The deceptively simple 'songs' call upon Muslim youth to "bring Islam back", restore the 'Kaliphate', and defeat the 'kuffars' by any means necessary.

------------------------------------------------------

Soldiers of Allah in their own words:

Q: What are your comments about the sucess of Muslim Studio?

A: The sucess of Muslim Studio is only because of Allah (swt). All we did is put in the effort.

Q: Why does it sound like you guys are screaming in your songs?

A: Our style is very different from other artists. We call it "intellectual rage," Our emotions which are linked to our thinking and based in Islam.

Q: What is the objective of Muslim Studio?

A: " Muslim Studio is a reminder for all those who have forgotten." Our objective is to motivate Muslims towards Islam and remind them to be focused on Islam. Because we are Muslim youth ourselves, we understand the trials and tests that other Muslim youths go through. Thus we have sucessfully been able to relate to our audience because of the style of our lyrics.

Q :Did you brothers convert to Islam ?

A: Of course we are all born Muslim. Many of us did convert to Islam.

Q: Which country are you brothers from?

A: The countries we are from vary. Of course we are closer then blood brothers because our bond is thicker then blood, our bond is Islam.

(Click here to see the 'black flag' of Islam symbol being waved by one of the 'Soldiers of Allah' standing atop a globe.This picture used to be on the SOA album cover which was renamed "No Compromise" after the article "Soldiers of a New Islamist World Order" drew attention to their website and extremist agenda )

http://web.archive.org/web/20030213050125/http://muslimstudio.com/

-----------------------------

LYRICS:

"I PLEDGE THE ALLEGIANCE"
http://www.google-lyrics.com/lyrics/lyrics_soldiers_of_allah_lyrics/soldiers_of_allah_i_pledge_the_allegiance_lyrics.html
(School bell rings)
Teacher: All right...settle down...settle down....
I want everyone to stand up for the american flag....especially you Mozlims back there....
La - Ilaha - Ilallah Mohammedun Rasul-lu-llah!!!!!
La - Ilaha - Ilallah Mohammedun Rasul-lu-llah!!!!!
La - Ilaha - Ilallah Mohammedun Rasul-lu-llah!!!!!
La - Ilaha - Ilallah Mohammedun Rasul-lu-llah!!!!
I'll TELL YOU WHY WE DON'T STAND!
In 1924, our state was demolished!
Hundreds of years of planning
And their plans were accomplished
Kafirs broke our bond!
Contaminated our knowledg
Better listen up..
Cuz you won't learn this in college!
Millions of victim
A genocide of statisti
And these are just symptom
From the lack of existen
From the one & only solution
The Islamic system
One way
One method
It must be implemented
System of Islam
Cuz the creator has sent it
Our minds are infested
Our words are neglected
Hated and disrespected
Degraded and rejected
Nationalism divided
Slowly injected....
Wake up Muslim Ummah
Our unity has been infected!
Ready to die!
And fight for the cau
Spitting on their
Constitutions, flags, and their laws!
And no I shall not stand up and applaud
Don't want to gain the anger of Allah
Instead I live and di
For the pleasure of Allah
And Yes I pledge my allegian
And I pledge my allegiance for Islam!!
La - Ilaha - Ilallah Mohammedun Rasul-lu-llah
La - Ilaha - Ilallah Mohammedun Rasul-lu-llah
La - Ilaha - Ilallah Mohammedun Rasul-lu-llah
La - Ilaha - Ilallah Mohammedun Rasul-lu-llah
No sell out, so put away the loot
Straight out of the Quran & Sunnah comes the proof
We don't stand up for their flag cuz we know the truth
Instead we sit down with our brother
Mahmud-Abdul-Rau'ff
They want us to stand up and pledge to their allegian
That's the way the kafirs want to see u
Trying to keep us out of the political aren
Polluting young Muslim minds with tequil
Attempting to steer u
So one will believe u
Painting the White House whit
Cuz they're the real drug dealer
They broke us into pi
So they can cease u
Telling us to give to Caesar
What is Caesar'
La - Ilaha - Ilallah
They'll never cease u
They won't show Muslims as achiever
Cowards!!
Cuz they're non-believer
No Khilafah
Because they fear u
Twisting our tongu
So no one will hear u
They fear u
Everything they hear u
Victory is promised to the believer
This is where I pledge my allegian
I see depression
From man-made flaw
I see oppression
Under man-made law
Won't bend over for the u.s.
Like stupid sadam
Or sell out Islam like mustafa kamall
United we stand
Divided we fall
Surrounded our land
By imaginary wall
Replaced Islam
With a system that stall
Run by a president
That can't keep on his draw
And when he admit
People will applaud
Wipe that stupid smile off your f
Cuz you still have to answer to Allah!!!
La - Ilaha - Ilallah Mohammedun Rasul-lu-llah
La - Ilaha - Ilallah Mohammedun Rasul-lu-llah
La - Ilaha - Ilallah Mohammedun Rasul-lu-llah
La - Ilaha - Ilallah Mohammedun Rasul-lu-llah
They want me to stand up for their flag
And pretend nothing's wrong
Destroy our Deen
That's what they want
They want to kill m
But they can't kill Islam
True meaning of democracy
Throwing bomb after bomb
Brothers in Milwauk
I hope you can hear u
Much pro
With those ANP lyri
Soldiers of Allah in effect
Spread this Deen until my death
Won't give up Islam
Until you separate my head from my neck
Islam will take over the world like risk
Try to destroy Islam and you'll mi
Dividing us into region
Let the masses resist
I PLEDGE MY ALLEGIAN
Class is dismissed!
(School bell rings)
---------------------
http://www.muslimstudio.com/store.html
 
 
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MIM: Hizb ut Tahrir and Al Muhajiroun can be regarded as 'grassroots' and 'popular' manifestations of militant Islam.

In many cases HT and AM act as 'clubs' and the leaders counsel the members in the daily conduct of their lives .

Note that all the above songs speak of a "mission" " the day of judgement" and exhort their listeners to "aim for the ultimate prize which is paradise".

The two Muslim suicide bombers from Britain who blew themselves up in Israel came from relatively assimilated backgrounds, were UK educated and embraced the militant Islam espoused by AM and HT.

Below is a link to site with videos showing leading Muslim clergy delivering the same message under the guise of 'religious instruction'.

The first video is made by the 'Grand Mufti' of Jerusalem Ekrima Sabri, who praised child suicide bombers with the words"

"The younger the martyr the more respect I have for him"

The fourth video is made by leading Saudi cleric Abdur Rahman Al Sudais who is notorious for his sermon which was broadcast on Saudi State television urging Muslims to " kill Jews and American worshippers of the cross"

http://www.pmw.org.il/tv%20part8.html

 
 
 
 
 Symbols of Hizb ut Tahrir and Al Muhajiroun
---------------------------------------------------

http://soldiers-of-allah.lyrics-songs.com/lyrics/37286/

Bring Islam Back

Soldiers Of Allah


BRING BACK ISLAM
BRING BACK THE STATE
When I said no more wait
I meant..
NO MORE WAIT!!!!!!
No more watching brothers die
No more watching sisters cry
OH MUSLIM UMMAH RISE!!
Rise up from these lies
Rise up from nationalism pride
Allah is on our side
WE WILL NEVER COMPROMISE
MUSLIM FOR LIFE!
MUSLIMS UNITE!

Billion and a half Muslims
They can't make us or break us
Don't judge us aside
By our faces and places
COLOR BLIND...!!!
No spaces for racist
Travelers in this life
Your lies can never fool us
ISLAM IS THE ONLY SOLUTION
To the problems that face us
WE WON'T COMPROMISE ISLAM!!
These kafirs can never take us

When they drop bombs
On our brothers...It hits us
We don't mix action with our prayer
Oh Allah......forgive us!
Let us RISE up for Islam
Like we RISE UP for fajr at dawn
Uniting under one flag,
Using Islam as our only bond
Its time to take a STAND!
Follow ONLY Allah's Commands!
Put Khilafah back on the MAP
ITS TIME TO BRING ISLAM BACK

Bring Islam Back Bring Islam Back
Bring Islam Back Bring Islam Back
Bring Islam Back Bring Islam Back
Bring Islam Back Bring Islam Back

No KHALIFAH?
Where are we heading'?
Without Islam
We're stressing
Implement Allah's blessing
That's what I am addressing
Apart from this kufur scheme
Bring Islam back to the scene
Let's unite the Ummah!!
Following only the Quran
And the Sunnah
Even if all the kafirs got together...
They still couldn't stop this Ummah!We love Islam More thanwe love life
Got Muslim brothers on my side
Keeping each other in line
With One vision.....
The Deen of Haq
With One mission.....
To Bring Islam Back!
One Ummah!
One agenda!
Allahu Akbar
Insha-Allah I will see you in Jannah
Takbir!!!!
Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar

The Ummah was once
One body undefeated
Until colonialism crept in
And separated us
According to land
According to geography
According to nationality
Now we suffer tyranny
Since the Khilafah been destroyed
We have been more than 50 states
Put in place puppet rulers
With stupid grins on their face
Race or skin
Your criteria of bond?
Shallow thinking
And superficial is how we call it
This reality states
that mankind needs revival
Based on what?
Definitely not the instinct of survival
Tribe-lism has infiltrated our mind
Has divided or lands
Now tells me where is our IMAMM?

Bring Islam Back Bring Islam Back
Bring Islam Back Bring Islam Back
Bring Islam Back Bring Islam Back
Bring Islam Back Bring Islam Back

Muslim Ummah's Driving
But there's no one to steer
Over a billion & ½ Muslims
But we got no Amir
When our enemies
Use to see the flag
They use to be in fear
They couldn't hurt Muslims
Because Khalifah was here
So many years without a State
Muslims minds in rust
Now we must reestablish Islam
Reestablishment is a must
Fear no one but Allah
In Allah we trust
If you are down with Islam
Then you're down with us!!!

Remember these words
BRING ISLAM BACK!
Time is slipping
So get back on the right track
No more borders between our land
No more kufur system to be run
All of these belong to one land
Part of once mighty Islamic span
More than 52 nations we fall
One nation strong we stand tall
Waiting for the Ummah's call
Once again and for all
Reestablish Islam to rule all

Muslims are suppose to be
The example to mankind
It's an obligation
To have implementation
Of every legislation
In our daily life
Without hesitation
Stick to our only example
Prophet of ALLAH
He did not improvised
Unlike our present leaders
That's why there is no surprise
Our situations today
Ya Muslimeen
Ya Mu'meneen
Open up your eyes
Aim for the ultimate prize
Which is paradise
Allah's laws
By definition has no flaw
So why do we pause?
Tell me what's the cause
Hold your applause
Takbir!!!!!
Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar

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The 'logo' of Hizb ut Tahrir al Islami

'The Islamic Party of Liberation'

---------------------

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=9411
The director of MIM assisted with the research of this article :
Soldiers of an Islamist New World Order

August 18, 2003

"We Muslims do not recognize any law or system but the Islamic one. Any system other than Islam is null and void." - Soldiers of Allah
Soldiers of Allah (SOA), a Los Angeles-based rap group that now goes under the name Muslim Studio, was the brainchild of Ali Ardekani. Ardekani got the idea about Muslim rap, when he was attending an Islamic camp and a "brother from [sic] east coast" showed him a song he had written. He liked it so much, he wrote and recorded his own. It became an instant hit, as, according to Ardekani, "over 100 copies were sold in the two days of its release at a local Islamic conference."
The song was entitled, ‘Staring into the Enmies's [sic] Eyes.' They also use an alternative title for it: ‘Staring into Kafir's Eyes.'
Kafir is a very important word in the Soldiers of Allah (or Muslim Studio) vernacular. It means infidel or denier of the truth. It separates the world into two groups, those who believe (Islam) and those who don't. They fashion their songs and their various writings on the recreation of the Ummah (universal knowledge of Islam), which encompasses a Khilafah (unified Islamic nation) with its Khaleefah (single leader) ruling over all by Allah's law.
SOA sites the year 1924 (which is the title of one of their albums and songs) as being the year when the Khilafah was abolished by the Turks and the one and only Ummah – "from the time of the Prophet (Mohammed)" – was destroyed. They sing:
"In 1924, our state was demolished. Hundred years of planning, and their plans were accomplished. Kafirs broke our bond, contaminated our knowledge. Better listen up, because you won't learn this in college. Beginning of the end and the divisions began. Step by step, they divided our lands."
And they conclude:
"It's year 2000, and nothing has changed. Past generation has aged, let us write the next page. It's time for us to change. It's up to you and me. Either we make history, or we become history…"
To get to this greater Muslim dominion, the masses must be joined under the banner of Allah and rise up in jihad against their "oppressors" and "occupiers," eventually to celebrate a one world Islam." It's a grandiose dream that could only be trumped by that of Adolph Hitler.
In ‘Staring into Kafir's Eyes,' they sing:
"We fear Allah and only Allah. Let us be the generation who puts Islam back on the map. We will never compromise Islam. Islam will rule the world."
And:
"From Turkey to Afghanistan, from Palestine to Iran, implement Islamic laws. Take a stand!! It's Allah's demand. Implement global Jihad!! Take back our Muslim lands!!!
They conclude:
"Kafir!!! You're a loser! In this life……and in the hereafter……" 
One web source has termed the SOA's style "Islamofascist rap." Where do they get all of this rage from?
If the above wasn't hint enough, the entrance of the Soldiers of Allah website should tell the tale. There, you will be treated to a Flash presentation which centers around a man standing atop the Earth, waving a flag. The flag is black with white Arabic letters. It represents the Islamic flag of war or Ar-Raya. According to Muslim lore, a jihad is to be launched with it, and when the Ummah comes to fruition, it's white counterpart or Al-Liwaa is to be hoisted.
The said ideologies are shared and disseminated by select groups. They include the radical fundamentalist Al-Muhajiroun and its affiliate, Hizb ut-Tahrir, an organization that Ariel Cohen from the Heritage Foundation states is establishing ties with neo-Nazis and "is an emerging threat to American interests in Central and South Asia and the Middle East." You will notice that on the homepage of each of these groups' websites they proudly display the same black flag.
In addition, the SOA have a kinship for another website which espouses the same beliefs, www.islamic-state.org. In fact, they share some of the exact same material, word for word, picture for picture. And the SOA even offer downloads of their songs on this site. Also on this site, you can see exclusive communiqués and press releases from Hizb ut-Tahrir.
The Soldiers of Allah website was created by Ardekani, who is, as it happens, a web developer by profession. You can check out much of his work – whilst staring into his empty, soulless eyes – on his personal website, www.flashimage.com.
From there, you'll be able to see the site he developed for Manatt, Phelps & Philips, a law and consulting firm that has been described as a "political powerhouse." Headed by former ambassador to the Dominican Republic and former Democratic National Committee chairman, Charles T. Manatt, in 1991, the firm found itself representing the number two man for the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), Swaleh Naqvi. At the time, BCCI was "at the center of a worldwide scandal involving alleged drug money laundering, arms trafficking and support of terrorists." "Internal BCCI documents are said to show that the bank used the Manatt firm to lobby the National Security Council in 1992 in an attempt to close down [District Attorney Robert] Morgenthau's Manhattan investigation."
You'll also be able to connect to the site Ardekani did for the Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley, a venue that not too long ago featured a lecture by Maulana Tariq Jamil. Jamil is a senior leader in the Tablighi Jama'at, an organization of Muslim Missionaries that has been found to be a recruitment center for al Qaeda. One writer reported on another lecture Jamil once gave, where he allegedly appealed to then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, "to enforce an Islamic system similar to that in neighboring Afghanistan under the Taliban."
And of course, on Ardekani's website, you'll be able to link up to SOA's latest incarnation, www.muslimstudio.com.
The website for Muslim Studio – as I stated, the new name of Ardekani's rap group – has basically the same characteristics as the one for the SOA. One thing you'll notice, when you go there, is that it contains a full blown message board… which is actually done through the same exact message board company as the one used by the Islamic-State website. Surprise, surprise!
In the message board, you'll view some pretty outrageous material. A prime example of this was when one person posted an article entitled, ‘Three More American Troops Die in the Killing Fields of Iraq.' The first reply it received was "DIE DOGS DIE."
But that was only from a poster. Now, let's see what one of the administrators of the site, Saeed, has to say [I did not want to fix any of the grammar]:
*On the question of whether suicide bombers are good (halal) or not (haram), he stated, "it all matters on what intention the individual has in mind. if it's nationalism then it's haram. but if it's truly for islam then it is halal. There are many examples in the past of great warriors of islam doing likewise."
*On the question of suicide bombing being against the Islamic religion, noticeably upset, he stated the following, "hmmm… that's a very bold statement, this would imply that all those muslims are going to hell. are you sure?"
*He had a better term for suicide bombers. He said, "lets call it martyrdom operations."
*On the question of civilians being murdered, he said the following, "from my understanding, the rules change when we are faced with an alien presence within our land. all occupiers are in fact combatants due to there mere presence there. so all of them effectively must be fought until they leave or die in the process."
*Concerning the khilafah, he stated, "but yes, the boarders of the khilafah are not stagnated. but rather they will seek to expand, and in tern remove any obstacle in it's way, including the so called muslim rulers.
*About musical instruments, he had this to say, "ps it's haram to play string instruments, and play in front of mixed gender audiences. they promote ideas alien to Islam. they should be banned."
This is what Administrator Kareem has to say about the creation of a future unified Islamic nation:
*"Similarly, Israel and India have occupied Muslim lands and have had a history of oppressing Muslims; therefore, the Islamic State would (assuming things have not changed) be in a state of war with these two countries when it is established."
*"Nor does it mean that the Islamic State will rampage through the world, killing everyone left and right. Anyone who has this mentality needs a reality check. The Islamic State is a tool that is designated to implement the Deen of Allah and carry the Message of Islam to the world. By killing everyone, who are you going to rule and who will you convey the Message of Islam to?"
*"The Islamic State must formally declare a war, and it must specify the time and place of the fighting. In this manner, the people will know beforehand where and when the fighting will take place."
*And concerning his own views, "We should refrain from any history that is replete with gross exaggerations, fairy tales, and twisted facts that leave the reader disgusted with Islamic history and culture."
And who could forget about our friend, Ali Ardekani? Administrator Ali had his own gory material:
*When Ali had in his possession a picture depicting President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as monkeys, he couldn't help but post it to the World Wide Web. He stated, "I don't usually post pictures, but this one is funny."
*With respect to the Taliban, because they "enforce some Islamic rulings but they neglect other rulings," he refers to them (the Taliban) as "the lesser of two evils."
*About Americans and Christians, he stated, "Out of all the countries I have been able to travel, I am sorry to say that Americans (Northern) seem to be the less intelligent when it comes to politics or current events. Now don't get me wrong, I am not referring to ALL Americans but rather the majority of them. Of course, there are the few rare exceptions that understand what is really going on. But [as] for the rest of them, they are treated like cattle and they react like sheep… Could it be because of their Christian mindset (follow blindly) that they have been conditioned so easily?"
*And when a fellow poster said that Muslims should raise money like "the YAHOOD" (i.e. Jews), except not "be greedy like or act like them," Ali had this to say, "JazakAllah kair. May Allah (swt) reward you for your intentions."
The above was not the first time Ardekani responded positively to someone posting antisemitic material on the internet. On a website that states, "The Jews are killing our Muslim children." And "The Jews are torturing our brothers," Ali wrote to the web owner, "I like your site. It is vivid and real." He goes on to say, "It's sad to see the situation of the Muslims today. What we see are only symptoms of living without an amir. Without a state. Without a generation who loves death more than life."
 
Ardekani loves death more than he does life. This jibes with the fact that, according to a poem he had written, he once contemplated suicide.
On the Muslim Studio message board, Ali gets asked, on numerous occasions, what the names of his band mates are. And every time, he refuses, saying he will not give out their identities. He says it's better to listen to the message in the music than to know who's playing it. But still, why is it such a big deal? What is he worried that people will find out?
The only other group member that can be found on the net [as far as I can tell] is Daniel Hashimi. Hashimi, aside from being affiliated with Soldiers of Allah, is the Vice President of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) of California State University Northridge (CSUN).
Just months prior to the attacks on September 11, 2001, the MSA of CSUN "participated in a fundraiser held by Islamic Relief to raise money and awareness for our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan…" Islamic Relief is reported to have raised millions of dollars for terrorists in Chechnya and is "a charity whose British office received $50,000 in 1999 from a Canadian group that the Treasury Department says is a Bin Laden front." According to the MSA of CSUN website, at the fundraiser they brought in $53,000 for the cause.
On their website this bit of information was followed by a link to "Learn some background information on Afghanistan and the Taliban."
Around the same time as the fundraiser was taking place, another MSA (at the University of Southern California) brought a Taliban Ambassador, who happens to have the same last name as Daniel Hashimi (Sayyid Rahmatullah Hashimi), to speak at the University. In a press release put out by the MSA concerning this event, it is stated, "Many people have questions about Afghanistan and the Taliban. Most of these questions stem from the portrayls [sic] in the media. The truth is that many of the stories in the media are inaccurate." Again, this was just prior to 9/11.
Ali Ardekani also developed the website for Muslim Basketball, a series of organized basketball tournaments for Muslims. As a matter of fact, Ardekani is a "lead organizer."
One of the tournaments was held at the Islamic Society of Orange County (ISOC). Muzammil Siddiqui, the Director of the ISOC, "has made statements supporting the violent ideology of radical Islam and shunning the West… glorifying the jihad in Afghanistan and its spread to other places in the world…" (Steven Emerson, American Jihad, 2002) Siddiqui was also the President of the Board of Directors of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), which "publishes a bi-monthly magazine, Islamic Horizons, which often champions militant Islamist doctrine, and it convenes annual conferences where Islamist militants have been given a platform to incite violence and promote hatred." (ibid)
Soldiers of Allah sells its tapes and CDs at ISNA Conferences.
What is interesting about Muslim Basketball is that one of the graphic images for it contains a character playing basketball that looks identical to the person waving the flag in the Soldiers of Allah site. And what's even more interesting is that, on another personal website of Ardekani's, there is the same character… which, incidentally, looks exactly like Ardekani's picture. So it seems the person waving the black Islamic flag of war is none other than Ardekani himself.
On the homepage of soldiersofallah.com, you'll read the following:
"Assalammu' Aliakum, welcome to the new Soldiers of Allah website. Anything we say incorrect is from us. Anything we say correct is by the mercy of Allah (swt)."
When analyzing the above quote, one is posed with a dilemma: How does a novice reader of the site make sense of the "correct" from the "incorrect?" The passage is deceiving. But so is the cast for which the passage was written.
By Joe Kaufman- Front Page Magazine
 
------------------------------------------
 
 

WHOIS whois.enom.com muslimstudio.com:

Registration Service Provided By: Active Domain Co.
Contact: [email protected]

Domain name- muslimstudio.com

Nameservers-
ns.skyport.net
ns2.skyport.net
216.169.96.10
216.169.97.10

Start of registration- Fri Jan 18 2002 00:00:00
Registered through- Sun Jan 18 2004 00:00:00

Registrant Contact-

Ali Ardekani ([email protected])
818-730-9773
4441 Woodman Ave #103
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
US


Administrative Contact-

Ali Ardekani ([email protected])
818-730-9773
4441 Woodman Ave #103
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
US


Billing Contact-

Ali Ardekani ([email protected])
818-730-9773
4441 Woodman Ave #103
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
US


Technical Contact-

Ali Ardekani ([email protected])
818-730-9773
4441 Woodman Ave #103
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
US

 -------------------------------
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=25307
Tuesday, November 13, 2001


IslamicTerror.com?
Muslim websites in West defend bin Laden, call for '5th column'

By Joseph Farah


© 2001 WorldNetDaily.com

From his plush, high-tech headquarters in London, Sheik Omar Bakri Muhammad runs a worldwide Islamist organization that defends Osama bin Laden.

Part of his Al-Muhajiroun empire is an English-language website – one that calls for the death by crucifixion, or worse, of the real terrorists: Americans and their Muslim proxies in Pakistan.

According to Sheik Omar, Muslims in the West have very serious responsibilities in preparing the people to embrace Islam or to accept the Islamic way of life.

Al-Muhajiroun calls for Muslims in the West to "be the front line of the coming Khilafah … to become strong and united in order to become the fifth column, which is able to put pressure on the enemies of Islam and to be able to support the Muslim Ummah worldwide." The organization believes that "bonding the Muslim community in the West with the Muslims globally" is the secret to setting off a "worldwide Islamic revolution."

Sheik Omar makes no bones about his outright support of the Taliban, while proclaiming Osama bin Laden innocent of the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. or any other terrorist incidents. Instead, he is on record in many public interviews blaming the Mossad for the destruction.

Almuhajiroun.com publishes a fatwa against Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and the U.S.

What's the verdict? "The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His apostle and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement."

Who is this Sheik Omar? He was born in Aleppo, Syria, in 1958 and – like bin Laden – raised among the privileged in a wealthy Muslim family.

He became a serious student of Islam and the Koran. He received his B.A. in Shari'ah and the foundations of Islamic law from Shari'ah University in Damascus. He got his M.A. in Islamic jurisprudence from the University of Al-Imam Al-U'zaie in Beirut. He claims to be the author of 43 books and booklets about Islam in Arabic and English. Through the website, he sells videos and books and announces rallies and lectures – mostly in the United Kingdom.

He claims to have hundreds of thousands of followers throughout the world – including many in the U.S. He is also the judge of the Shari'ah court in the UK, the secretary general of the Islamic World League and the spokesman for the International Islamic Front.

His goal, like bin Laden's, is to re-establish the Khilifah – the worldwide domination of Islamic rule.

"Al-Muhajiroun has many organs which are active within society under its leadership," he claims. "These organs specialize in different fields, such as: the Society of Muslim Lawyers, the Society of Converts to Islam, the Society of Muslim Parents, the London School of Shari'ah, the Shari'ah Court of the UK, the Society of Muslim Students, the Islamic World League, the Muslim Cultural Society and the Party of the Future."

Almuhajiroun.com is just one of dozens of radical Islamist, English-language websites that appear to be specifically designed to influence and recruit in the West.

Another one is Khalifornia.org.

No, this is not a site promoting California as the next Islamic state – not quite.

Here's how the purveyors of this website explain the name: "When we came across the following explanation for the name of California, that being the domain of the Khilafah, we thought this would be a challenging name for a publication calling the Muslims to the full application of Islam and a return to the Khilafah State. However, it is not implied that California is in any way the chosen or designated for this state. Edward Hale, author of 'The Man Without a Country,' reported in the Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society that the name California was to be found in work of Montalvo, a Spanish author of popular romances of chivalry in the early 1500s. This was the same period as the Spanish conquest in America. … 'Califerne was the domain of the Caliph, the ruler of the Mohammedan world.'"

A French etymologist suggests that "Montalvo was inspired to borrow the Frankish Califerne and Hispanicize it California," explains Khalifornia.org.

So, while some Mexicans have their eye on reclaiming California, they may have competition from Islamists.

Then there is the Sheffield Hallam University Islamic Society website, also out of the UK.

Like many of the other radical Islamic sites, this one reserves special angst for the Musharraf regime in Pakistan.

"Pakistan currently is subservient to the international order dominated by America," it explains. "She is subjugated to economic enslavement by the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the World Bank and accepts the sovereignty of the United Nations over her. Currently the government is planning to resume a $1.5 billion IMF loan program."

It's for this reason the site bemoans that "Russia did not blink an eyelid due to any type of fear for the nuclear arsenal of Pakistan before bombarding the Muslims of Chechnya."

Ramadhan.org prominently features an interview with bin Laden and horror stories about Muslims being persecuted in the United States in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.

You can also send e-cards to all your friends observing Ramadan.

Khilafah.com, one of the more sophisticated sites of its kind, leaves little doubt about where it stands on the issues of the day.

"President Bush's 'Wanted Dead or Alive' call evoked memories of how the 'West was Won' by a brutish and arrogant people," notes one prominent article entitled "How the West Was Lost." "The native Indian civilization was wiped out. Could it be that the West will be lost due to this continuing brutish and arrogant behavior?"

The article goes on to suggest that America's action in Afghanistan "may well be the beginning of the end for the supremacy of the Western civilization, if a viable alternative world order comes into being that is truly universal. This is not as crazy as it might sound."

The viable alternative world order suggested by Khilafah.com is, of course, one ruled by Islam.

Don't believe those moderate Muslims in the Western media who tell you that jihad means "overcoming adversity," says Khilafah.com.

"In fact, the Shari'ah meaning of jihad is to exert one's utmost effort in fighting the disbelievers for the sake of Allah, directly by fighting in the battlefield or indirectly by helping this struggle by monetary means, scholarly verdicts, and encouraging people to participate in the jihad," an article on the site proclaims. "Other tasks which may be difficult and thus involve some exertion but are not related to fighting, such as fixing a boiler or making a chair, are not termed jihad as understood in the Shari'ah."

Hizb-ut-tahrir.org warns that an "alliance with America is a great crime forbidden by Islam.

The website goes on to explain that it is not concerned about who attacked the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 – but, at the same time, it believes the evidence against bin Laden is lacking.

The site blames the Jews for inciting the rulers of America to take revenge against the whole Islamic world for the attacks – for which, of course, bin Laden has since claimed responsibility.

Isla.org also gives prominence to an interview with bin Laden. Much of the rest of the site is in Arabic.

Does the Koran justify terrorist attacks like America witnessed on Sept. 11? Without a doubt, answers Tanzeem.org.

"Ameer of Tanzeem-e-Islami explained that the Islamic viewpoint on the matter is that an attack may be launched by Muslims, without any ultimatum, against an enemy with whom the Muslims are not bound by a treaty," explains the website. "Whereas upon a nation with which Muslims have signed a treaty, it is not allowed to attack them without an ultimatum (in case they violate the terms of the treaty first). He said that guerrilla war is also condoned in Islam in a situation in which either a people are pushed against a wall and have no other means to raise their voices or where the enemy is overwhelmingly strong and cannot be otherwise defeated. He said that an attack in which civilians are killed is very much disliked in Islam. Nonetheless, the oppressed and the persecuted have the right to retaliate terror with terror."


Joseph Farah is editor and chief executive officer of WorldNetDaily.com.

-----------------------------
There are Muslims who view Hizb ut Tahrir as a heretical sect which according to them refuses to adhere to core 
religious tenets of Islam.For more on this view see : 
http://forums.gawaher.com/index.php?showtopic=7465&
 
What is Hizb-ut-Tahrir? 
Hizb-ut-Tahrir is a political party (not Islamic group) whose aim is to re-establish the Khilafah (Islamic State)
that was lost by the Muslims in 1924 when the Ottoman Khilafah was destroyed. 

What is wrong with working to re-establish the Khilaafah?
There is nothing wrong with working to re-establish the Khilaafah, in fact, all
the Muslims are agreed that it is one of the most important obligations of Islam 
today to re-establish the Khilaafah, since the religion can never properly be 
established without it. The issue is that the Khilaafah will be re-established
 by Muslims on the Aqeedah (belief) of the Prophet (SAWS) a
nd his Companions (Quraan 24:55). 
The Aqeedah of Hizb-ut-Tahrir is nowhere near the Aqeedah of the Prophet (SAWS)
 and his Companions nor is it the Aqeedah of Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jama'ah, 
the mainstream body of Muslims all over the World. 
 
 -----------------
Information on Hizb ut Tahrir and their websites:
 http://haganah.us/jihadi/HuT.html
 http://www.heritage.org/Research/RussiaandEurasia/BG1656es.cfm
Hizb ut-Tahrir: An Emerging Threat to U.S. Interests in Central Asia 

by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D.
Backgrounder #1656
The Heritage Foundation


Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami (Islamic Party of Liberation) is an emerging threat to American interests in Central and South Asia and the Middle East. It is a clandestine, cadre-operated, radical Islamist political organization that operates in 40 countries around the world, with headquarters apparently in London. Its proclaimed goal is jihad against America and the overthrow of existing political regimes and their replacement with a Caliphate (Khilafah in Arabic), a theocratic dictatorship based on the Shari'a (religious Islamic law). The model for Hizb is the "righteous" Caliphate, a militaristic Islamic state that existed in the 7th and 8th centuries under Mohammad and his first four successors, known as the "righteous Caliphs."

The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks taught the United States a painful lesson--that it must be alert to emerging threats, including terrorism and other destabilizing activities against its military assets, citizens, and allies. Some of these emerging threats, combined with the actions of terrorist jihadi organizations, such as al-Qaeda, may also generate political instability in key geographic areas and threaten friendly regimes. In Central Asia, the security situation has deteriorated because the war against Saddam Hussein's regime has intensified the resolve of anti-American forces already active in the region.[1]

The United States has important national security interests at stake in Central Asia, including access to the military bases used to support operations in Afghanistan, preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and technologies for their production, and securing access to natural resources, including oil and gas. The U.S. is also committed to spreading democracy, promoting market reforms, and improving human rights standards in the vast heartland of Eurasia.

Therefore, to prevent Hizb ut-Tahrir from destabilizing Central Asia and other areas, the U.S. should expand intelligence collection on Hizb. The U.S. should encourage Central Asian governments to pursue reforms that will expand civil society and diminish the alienation on which Hizb and fundamentalist Islamist movements are preying. Specifically, the U.S. should condition security assistance on economic reform, encourage democracy and popular participation, discredit radical Islamist movements, and support religious and political moderation and pluralism.

A MODERN FUNDAMENTALIST MOVEMENT

Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami is an emerging threat to American interests and the countries in which it operates. It has 5,000-10,000 hard-core members, and many more supporters in former Soviet Central Asia (e.g., Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan), and is expanding its operations to oil-rich Kazakhstan. Over 10,000 members are active in Pakistan, Syria, Turkey, and Indonesia.[2] At least 500 are already behind bars in Uzbekistan alone, and hundreds are in custody in the Middle East.[3] By breeding violent anti-American attitudes, attempting to overthrow existing regimes, and preparing cadres for more radical Islamist organizations, Hizb poses a threat to U.S. interests in Central Asia and elsewhere in the Islamic world where moderate regimes are found.

Sheikh Taqiuddin an-Nabhani al Falastini, the founder of Hizb, has written that every Muslim should strive to establish a Caliphate and that this religious imperative (fard) upon the Muslim nation (Umma) is so strong that Mohammad's close allies delayed burying his body until a new Caliph was appointed and the Caliphate established.[4] The Caliphate would be led by a Caliph: a supreme, pious leader who would combine religious and political power.[5]

A Caliph, an-Nabhani believes, is a substitute for Mohammad as both political and religious leader. The Caliph would appoint an Amir, or military leader, who would declare jihad and wage war against all non-believers, including the United States. According to Hizb's political vision, such an entity, if established, would not recognize existing national, regional, tribal, or clan differences and would include all Muslims.

An-Nabhani has drafted the constitution of this future Caliphate. It is not the constitution of a democratic state. The Caliph would be appointed by acclamation by "prominent men," with male voters casting a vote of approval. The ruler would not be directly accountable to the people, and there would be no checks or balances between branches of government. Succession would be by designation of the Caliph or acclamation of the oligarchy.

Thus, Hizb explicitly rejects democracy. In fact, one of an-Nabhani's books is titled Democracy: The Law of Infidels.[6] Yet some regional observers have called for the legitimization of Hizb and its integration into the existing political model.[7] In doing so, they ignore the obvious--Hizb's goal is to smash the existing state apparatus, not to become a player within it.

Radical Islamic Roots

Since its inception in 1952 in Jordanian-occupied East Jerusalem, Hizb has gained tens of thousands of followers from London to Lahore.[8] From its beginning, an-Nabhani's organization was influenced by the rabid anti-Semitism propagated by Sheikh Hajj Amin Al-Housseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, who was a major Nazi war collaborator.[9]

An-Nabhani, who was serving at the time on the Islamic appellate court in Jerusalem, was an associate and contemporary of Hajj Amin's.[10] He also drew on the organizational principles of Marxism-Leninism, which were quite well-known among the middle- and upper-class Arabs in British Mandate Palestine. Khaled Hassan, one of the founders of the Fatah faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization, was also among the founders of Hizb ut-Tahrir, as was Sheikh Asaad Tahmimi, who became Islamic Jihad's spiritual leader.[11] Hizb supported the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1991 and backs the Islamic Salvation Front of Algeria, a radical movement on the U.S. State Department's terrorism list.[12]

An-Nabhani was also member of the radical Islamic Brotherhood (Al Ihwan al-Muslimeen), a secretive international fundamentalist organization founded in Egypt in 1928, which spread throughout the Islamic world and preaches the establishment of a Caliphate. He joined the Brotherhood while studying in Cairo's Al-Azhar University but later left the Brotherhood because he considered it too soft.[13] It is likely that Hizb was supported initially by the Saudi-based radical Islamist Wahhabi movement, although the extent to which that support continues today is unclear.[14]

A SHADOW GLOBAL ORGANIZATION

Hizb ut-Tahrir's spread around the globe, in Western Europe and often in authoritarian states with strong secret police organizations, is impressive. It could be accomplished only by applying 20th century totalitarian political "technology" melded with Islamic notions of the 7th and 8th centuries, as interpreted by medieval Islamic scholars. The genius of Hizb founder an-Nabhani was marrying Orthodox Islamist ideology to Leninist strategy and tactics.

The Leninist Model


Hizb ut-Tahrir is a totalitarian organization, akin to a disciplined Marxist-Leninist party, in which internal dissent is neither encouraged nor tolerated. Because its goal is global revolution, a leading Islamic scholar has compared it to the Trotskyite wing of the international communist movement.[15] Its candidate members become well-versed in party literature during a two-year indoctrination course in a study circle, supervised by a party member. Only when a member "matures in Party culture," "adopts the thoughts and opinions of the party," and "melts with the Party" can he or she become a full-fledged member.[16] Women are organized in cells supervised by a female cadre or a male relative. After joining the party, the new recruit may be requested (or ordered) to relocate to start a new cell.

When a critical mass of cells is achieved, according to its doctrine, Hizb may move to take over a country in preparation for the establishment of the Caliphate. Such a takeover would likely be bloody and violent. Moreover, its strategy and tactics show that, while the party is currently circumspect in preaching violence, it will justify its use--just as Lenin and the Bolsheviks did--when a critical mass is achieved.[17] Hizb's platform and actions fit in with "Islamist globalization"--an alternative mode of globalization based on radical Islam. This ideology poses a direct challenge to the Western model of a secular, market-driven, tolerant, multicultural globalization.[18]

Where radicalization has taken hold in the Islamic world, Hizb has gained new supporters in droves. It operates clandestinely in over 40 countries around the world, with members organized in cells of five to eight members each. Only a cell commander knows the next level of leadership, ensuring operational security. "Representatives" in Great Britain and Pakistan claim to speak for the organization but have no official address or legal office. Leadership for large regions (e.g., the former Soviet Union), countries, and local areas is kept secret.

Hizb's primary characteristics include the fiery rhetoric of jihad, secret cells and operations, murky funding sources, rejection of existing political regimes, rapid transnational growth, and outlook and goals that are shared with al-Qaeda and other organizations of the global jihadi movement.

Anti-Americanism


Hizb 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.[19]

In documents drafted before 9/11, Hizb leaders accused the United States of imposing hegemony on the world. After 9/11, Hizb claimed that the U.S. had declared war against the global Muslim community (Umma), had established an international alliance under the "pretext" of fighting terrorism, and was reinforcing its grip on the countries of Central Asia. Hizb 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 attempted to use its influence by calling upon all Muslim governments to reject the U.S. appeal for cooperation in the war against terrorism.[20] It 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."[21]


In a June 2001 article published in the party's journal, Hizb 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. Hizb also demands that Muslims come to the support of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.[22]

According to Hizb, 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.[23]

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.[24]


According to one of the Hizb 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."[25]

Anti-Americanism, extremism, and preaching the violent overthrow of existing regimes make Hizb ut-Tahrir 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.

Stages of Struggle, Jihad, and Violence
Hizb ut-Tahrir sees its struggle in parallel with the three stages that Mohammad experienced en route to the establishment of the Caliphate 1,400 years ago. These are spreading the word of God to the communities of Arabia; the flight from Mecca to Medina in order to establish the first Islamic community there; and, finally, the conquest of Mecca, jihad, and the establishment of the Caliphate.

Similarly, Hizb divides its strategy into three stages:
1. "Production of people who believe in the idea and the method of the Party so that they form the Party group" (recruitment and agitation, establishment of cells);
2. "Interaction with the Ummah; to let the Ummah embrace and carry Islam" (Islamization); and
3. "Establishing government, implementing Islam generally and comprehensively, and carrying it as a message to the world" (revolutionary takeover and Jihad).[26]

In the past, members of Hizb participated in coups against pro-Western regimes in the Middle East, such as the failed 1968 officers' coup against King Hussein II of Jordan.[27] Despite its authoritarian and highly disciplined cadre structure, Hizb claimed that members who participated in the coup did so in an "individual capacity." However, more recently, Hizb representatives, together with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, participated in coordination meetings sponsored by al-Qaeda in the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Numerous Middle Eastern countries and Germany, where Hizb is establishing links with the neo-Nazis, have taken steps to outlaw its activities. Moreover, the Party clearly states that

Jihad has to continue till the Day of Judgment. So whenever disbelieving enemies attack an Islamic country it becomes compulsory on its Muslim citizens to repel the enemy. The members of Hizb ut-Tahrir in that country are part of the Muslims and it is obligatory upon them as [it] is upon other Muslims (not resident in that country) in their capacity as Muslims, to fight the enemy and expel them. Whenever there is a Muslim amir who declares jihad to enhance the Word of Allah and mobilizes the people to do that, the members of Hizb ut-Tahrir will respond in their capacity as Muslims in the country where the general call to arms was proclaimed.[28]

At this time, Hizb ut-Tahrir aims to seize power and supplant existing governments in Central Asia and elsewhere with an Islamist version based on Shari'a for the purpose of jihad against the West, which includes the following:

» "A struggle against Kufr (non-believer) states which have domination and influence over the Islamic countries. The challenge against colonialism in all its intellectual, political, economic, and military forms, involves exposing its plans, and revealing its conspiracies in order to deliver the Ummah from its control and to liberate it."[29]

» "A struggle against the rulers in the Arab and Muslim countries by exposing them, taking them to task, acting to change them whenever they have denied the rights of the Ummah or neglected to perform their duty towards her, or ignored any of her affairs, and whenever they disagreed with the rules of Islam, and acting also to remove their regimes so as to establish the Islamic rule in its place."[30]

Hizb also seeks to penetrate state structures and convert government officials and military officers to its creed. Its platform openly states that "the Party started to seek the support of the influential people with two objectives in mind:

»So that it could manage to continue its daw'ah (Islamic appeal) while secure from affliction

»To take over the rule in order to establish the Khilafah and apply Islam."[31]

Hizb has begun to penetrate the elites in Central Asia. Observers in the region have reported successes in penetrating the Parliament in Kyrgyzstan, the media in Kazakhstan, and customs offices in Uzbekistan.

WHAT IS AT STAKE

U.S. strategic interests in Central Asia include both access to the military bases needed for operations in Afghanistan and deterring the establishment of safe havens for terrorist organizations. The U.S. is seeking to prevent a country, a group of countries, or a transnational movement or organization from establishing hegemonic control in the region. This includes barring transnational Islamic fundamentalist organizations and drug cartels from emerging as ruling bodies or dominant regional power centers.

The U.S. must also prevent Central Asia from becoming an arsenal of dangerous weaponry and should prevent the development and production of weapons of mass destruction in the region, to preclude them from falling into the hands of rogue regimes or terrorists. Furthermore, the U.S. needs to ensure equal access to the energy resources of the region, primarily in the Caspian Sea area, and encourage development of the East-West transportation and economic corridors, also known as the Silk Road. Finally, the U.S. should encourage economic reform, expansion of civic space, democratization, and development of open society in the region.[32]

The secular regimes of Central Asia have little to no democratic legitimacy. Most of their rulers are Soviet-era communist party leaders. Almost no political space is left for secular opposition in these states. U.S. objectives are thus jeopardized not only by the authoritarian parties of radical Islamic revolution such as Hizb, but also by the authoritarian nature of these Central Asian regimes themselves, with their rampant corruption, declining living standards, poor delivery of public goods and services, and stagnant or declining economies. By governing so poorly and being intolerant and undemocratic, these regimes inadvertently breed religious extremism.[33]

In this environment, Hizb ut-Tahrir has captured a protest niche that otherwise would be occupied by a legitimate political opposition. Despite this, the U.S. government, along with the policy analysis and expert communities as well as governments in the region and around the world, has yet to attain a clear picture of Hizb's real size and strength and threat it poses.

WHAT THE U.S. DOES NOT KNOW

While reports of increasing Hizb activity abound, the extent to which local Hizb activities are part of a coordinated global plan is still unknown, just as the question of whether every region and country has an autonomous leadership that defines programs and sets deadlines remains unanswered. Hizb is rumored to be operating on a 13-year grand plan which, if it exists at all, is still unknown.

At its inception, Hizb likely had strong connections to Saudi Wahhabism, but it is unclear whether these links remain today. It is equally unclear whether Hizb has one or more state sponsors and, if so, who they are. At various times, experts have speculated that Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan have been involved. The international intelligence community is also uncertain as to who finances the organization; who controls the funds internally; what the mode of financing is (e.g., regional self-sufficiency or centralized funding); and how funds are transferred (e.g., via the Hawala informal banking system or couriers).

The current leader of Hizb is also unknown, as are where he resides and the identity of the senior officers of Hizb. Upon his death, an-Nabhani was succeeded by Sheikh Abd-el Qadim Zaloom, another Palestinian cleric and a former professor at Al-Azhar in Cairo.[34] Zaloom was with Hizb for 50 years and died on April 29, 2003.[35] While anecdotal reports place the organization's headquarters in London and indicate that many European converts to Islam are staffing mid- and senior levels of the organization, very little evidence confirms this. These questions need to be answered, and a joint international program of collecting intelligence on Hizb and countering its activities must be developed.

WHAT THE U.S. SHOULD DO

The U.S. and its allies in the war on terrorism need to recognize that Hizb ut-Tahrir is a growing threat in Central Asia. Specifically, to develop a comprehensive strategy and counter Hizb's influence, the U.S. should:

» Expand intelligence collection on Hizb ut-Tahrir.


This needs to be done both in Western Europe and in outlying areas, such as Central Asia, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Most important is information on state sponsorship, leadership, finances, intentions and capabilities, time lines, links with violent terrorist groups, and penetration of state structures. The U.S. intelligence community should work with the United Kingdom's MI5 and MI6 and with the intelligence services of Russia, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the Central Asian states. U.S. analysts and policymakers, however, should be aware that some of the regimes in question will attempt to portray Hizb as a terrorist organization with links to Osama bin Laden.[36]

» Condition security assistance to Central Asia on economic reform.


Hizb is growing in Central Asia due to the "revolution of diminishing expectations," increasing despair, and the lack of secular political space and economic opportunity in the region.[37] While some are attracted to Hizb's harsh version of radical Islam, others see it is as an outlet for their frustration with the status quo and an instrument for upward mobility. U.S. assistance to Central Asian countries, which has doubled since 9/11, has not changed the economic dynamics in the region, and most of the funds were understandably earmarked for security cooperation and military assistance.

To jump-start economic development, the Bush Administration should condition Pentagon security assistance on the adoption of free market policies, strengthening property rights and the rule of law, encouraging transparency, and fighting corruption. These measures are likely to make the Central Asian economies more attractive to private investment, stimulate domestic economic growth, and increase prosperity and economic opportunity, thus diminishing the ability of Hizb to use economic decline as an engine for recruitment, as it does in the Ferghana Valley and Kyrgyzstan.

» Encourage democracy and popular participation.


The scarcity of secular and moderate Islamic democratic politics and credible non-governmental organization (NGO) activities and the lack of freedom of expression may be driving thousands of young recruits to join Hizb in Central Asia, especially in Uzbekistan. There have been no democratic elections in the region for several years, and the opposition press is either nonexistent or severely curbed. Hizb, as well as jihadi organizations, recruits from among alienated students and urban youth, frustrated with the status quo and facing limited futures.

While economic opportunity, religious freedom, and freedom of expression are not a panacea against Islamist radicalism, as the swelling ranks of young Islamic fundamentalists in Western Europe demonstrate, expanding the civic space and allowing more political pluralism, media diversity, and grassroots initiatives may diminish Hizb's appeal. According to a representative of a major U.S. NGO, some liberalization of the nonprofit sector has been attained in the Central Asian countries since 9/11. This trend needs to be encouraged.[38]

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department should, however, coordinate their activities with the Pentagon, World Bank, and the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, all of which are interested in political stability, reducing corruption, and development of property rights and a more investment-oriented environment. Together, they are more likely to convince the Central Asian regimes to undertake further political liberalization, including competitive, free and fair elections.

» Discredit radicals and encourage moderates.


The U.S. should encourage local governments to not only crack down on radical Islam (as they already do), but also encourage alternatives. Uzbekistan has reportedly jailed hundreds of Hizbi activists. The Union of Councils' Central Asian Information Network has documented disappearances, 14 deaths in detention, and over 500 political prisoners in Uzbekistan.[39] Human Rights Watch claims that thousands of Central Asian prisoners could qualify as political, including many members of Hizb, who receive 15-17 year sentences for minor offenses such as leaflet distribution.[40]

The State Department and U.S.-funded NGOs should encourage more U.S. media exposure (e.g., Uzbek and other local language broadcasts by Radio Liberty and the Voice of American) and educational contacts, speaking engagements, and exchanges between local clergy and moderate Muslim leaders in the West.[41] The Central Asian public needs to be directly exposed to traditional moderate local brands of Islam, Sufi mystical branches (Tariq'at), and reformist moderate Jadidi Islam.

Beyond that, secular regimes in Central Asia should stop persecuting new evangelical Christian denominations, Buddhists, and Zoroastrians. Development of independent media and activities aimed at youth, women, the business community, and ethnic and religious minorities--groups more likely to be discriminated against by Hizb and other radical Sunni groups--should be encouraged and supported.[42]

However, Hizb, as well as Salafi/Wahhabi and other radical Islamic schools that preach jihad against America and the West, should not be allowed to operate. The U.S. should provide support to local media to cover negative examples of the application of Shari'a law, such as amputations for minor offenses or alcohol possession in Chechnya, Afghanistan under the Taliban, Saudi Arabia, and other places. The consequences of jihad-type civil war, such as in Algeria, which left 100,000-200,000 dead, should also be covered. Positive coverage of the West should also be supported.

CONCLUSION

Hizb ut-Tahrir represents a growing medium- and long-term threat to geopolitical stability and the secular regimes of Central Asia and ultimately poses a potential threat to other regions of the world. The party is transnational, secretive, and extremist in its anti-Americanism. It seeks to overthrow and destroy existing regimes and establish a Shari'a-based Caliphate.

Hizb may launch terrorist attacks against U.S. targets and allies, operating either alone or in cooperation with other global terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda. A Hizb takeover of any Central Asian state could provide the global radical Islamist movement with a geographic base and access to the expertise and technology to manufacture weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. and its allies must do everything possible to avoid such an outcome.
-------------------
Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., is Research Fellow in Russian and Eurasian Studies in the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies at The Heritage Foundation.

Footnotes:

1. "Hizb-ut-Tahrir s korichnevym ottenkom" (Hizb-ut-Tahrir with a brown tinge), Vecherniy Bishkek, April 4, 2003.
2. Interview with Husain Haqqani, The Carnegie Endowment, May 2003; see also "Fourteen Members of Hizb ut-Tahrir Caught," Anatolia Press Agency, March 6, 2000; "More Arrests Reported in Hizb ut-Tahrir Operations," Anatolia Press Agency, March 7, 2000; FBIS/World News Connection, March 7, 2000.
3. Union of Councils Central Asian Information Network, "Uzbekistan: List of 14 Possible Political Prisoners Who Died in Jail, 5 Disappearances and 505 Possible Political Prisoners," at www.eurasianet.org/resource/uzbekistan/links/uzrt916.html.
4. Taqiuddin an-Nabhani, Khilafa, quoted in Alima Bissenova, "Hizb al-Tahrir Political Thought from the Pan-Islamic Perspective," paper presented at the 8th Annual Convention of the Association for Study of Nationalities, New York, April 2003, p. 6.
5. Al-Mawardi, The Ordinances of Government (United Kingdom: Garnett Publishing, 1996). An-Nabhani based his judgment on the work of Al-Mawardi, the first Islamic scholar who decreed the necessity of establishing the Caliphate. See Bissenova, "Hizb al-Tahrir Political Thought from the Pan-Islamic Perspective," pp. 8-11.
6. "Hizb-ut-Tahrir na `Svobode,'" (Hizb-ut-Tahrir at Radio Liberty); Vremia Po (Almaty, Kazakhstan), July 22, 2001; interview with Vitaly Ponomarev, coordinator of Central Asian program of the Moscow human rights group Memorial, available at FBIS.
7. Alisher Khamidov, "Countering the Call: The U.S., Hizb ut-Tahrir, and Religious Extremism in Central Asia," draft, Brookings Project on U.S. Policy Towards the Islamic World, April 2003.
8. Ahmed Rashid, "Asking for Holy War," at iiccas.org/englsih/enlibrary/libr_22_11_00_1.htm.
9. Michael R. Fischbach, "Biography of Taqyy al-Din an-Nabhani," in Phillip Mattar, ed., Encyclopedia of the Palestinians, at www.palestineremembered.com/Haifa/Ijzim/Story819.html.
10. While in Baghdad, al-Husseini aided the pro-Nazi revolt of 1941. He then spent the rest of World War II as Hitler's special guest in Berlin, advocating the extermination of Jews in radio broadcasts to the Middle East and recruiting Balkan Muslims for the infamous SS `mountain divisions' that tried to wipe out Jewish communities throughout the region." See "Who was the Grand Mufti, Haj Muhammed Amin al-Husseini?" at www.palestinefacts.org/pf_mandate_grand_mufti.php.
11. Hashem Kassem, "Hizb- ut-Tahrir al Islami" (The Islamic Liberation Party), 2002, at www.eastwestrecord.com/get_articles.asp?articleid=219.
12. Ibid.
13. Fischbach, "Biography of Taqyy al-Din an-Nabhani."
14. Ahmed Rashid, "Asking for Holy War," at iiccas.org/englsih/enlibrary/libr_22_11_00_1.htm.
15. Personal interview with Husain Haqqani, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, April 2003.
16. Hizb ut-Tahrir, "The Reasons for the Establishment of Hizb ut-Tahrir," at www.hizb-ut-tahrir.org/english.
17. Compare V. I. Lenin, What Is To Be Done (New York: International Publishers, 1988), pp. 111-113 and 122-123 on legal work, and pp. 126-129 on the spread of illegal cells and activities.
18. Alexei Malashenko, "Musul'mane v nachale veka: Nadezhdy & ugrozy" (Muslims in the beginning of the century: Hopes and threats), Moscow Carnegie Center Working Paper No. 7, 2002, pp. 5-6.
19. Sidik Aukbur, "The True Meaning of Jihad," Khilafah, May 2003, at www.khilafah.com/home/category.php?DocumentID=7059&TagID24.
20. "Alliance with America Is a Capital Crime Prohibited by Islam," Hizb ut-Tahrir leaflet, September 18, 2001, at www.hizb-ut-tahrir.org.
21. "Alliance with America Is a Capital Crime Prohibited by Islam," Hizb ut-Tahrir leaflet, September 18, 2001, at www.khilafah.com/home/category_list.php?
22. Hizb ut-Tahrir, "America and Britain Declare War Against Islam and the Muslims," communiqué, October 14, 2001, at www.khilafah.com/home/category.php?DocumentID=2428&TagID=3.
23.Ibid.
24. Hizb-ut Tahrir Britain, "An Open Letter from Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain to the Iraqi Opposition Groups Conferring in Their Conference in London," December 13, 2002, at www.islamic-state.org/leaflets/021213_OpenLetterToIraqiOppositionConfLondon.pdf.
25. Ahmed Rashid, "Asking for Holy War," International Eurasian Institute for Economic and Political Research, at iicas.org/english/enlibrary/libr_22_11_00_1.htm.
26. "The Method of Hizb ut-Tahrir," at english.hizb-ut-tahrir.org/definition/messages.htm.
27. Hashem Kassem, "Hizb- ut-Tahrir al Islami."
28. "The Method of Hizb ut-Tahrir" (italics added).
29. Ibid.
30. Ibid.
31. Ibid. (bullet points added).
32. "U.S. Interests in the Central Asian Republics," Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives, 105th Cong., 2nd Sess., February 12, 1998, at commdocs.house.gov/committees/intlrel/hfa48119.000/hfa48119_0f.htm.
33. Ariel Cohen, "U.S. Interests in Central Asia," testimony before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific , March 17, 1999, at www.heritage.org/Research/AsiaandthePacific/Test031799.cfm.
34. Ahmed Rashid, "Reviving the Caliphate," chapter 6 of Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia (New Haven: Penguin Books, 2003), p. 119.
35. "Hizb ut-Tahrir Announces the Death of Its Ameer," at www.hizb-ut-tahrir.org/english/leaflets/leaflet4.htm.
36. Rashid, "Reviving the Caliphate," p. 135. Under the auspices of the Taliban, representatives of Hizb attended meetings in Kabul, Afghanistan, in which the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Al-Qaeda also participated.
37. Ibid., pp. 135-136.
38. Personal interview with a source who requests not to be identified, April 2003.
39. Union of Councils Central Asian Information Network, "Uzbekistan: List of 14 Possible Political Prisoners Who Died in Jail, 5 Disappearances and 505 Possible Political Prisoners."
40. "Uzbekistan: Harassment Before EBRD Annual Meeting," Human Rights Watch, May 2, 2003, at www.hrw.org/press/2003/05/uzbek050203.htm; see also "Persecution of Human Rights Defenders in Uzbekistan," Human Rights Watch Briefing Paper, May 1, 2003, at hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/uzbek050103-bck.htm.
41. "Muslim Clerics Visit U.S.," Caspian Business News, December 16, 2002, p. 12, at www.caspianbusinessnews.com/NewSite/preview/sections/regional/docs/16-12-2002.pdf. However, USAID, which is funding visits to the U.S. by Central Asian clergy so they can learn how Islam functions in a democracy, should be careful not to expose them to U.S.-based Wahhabis, who are actively abusing the democratic system.
42. Ariel Cohen, "Promoting Freedom and Democracy: Fighting the War of Ideas Against Islamic Terrorism," Comparative Strategy, June 2003, forthcoming.

 --------------------
The two flags of Islam explained by Islamists 
 
www.angelfire.com/ nd/SoldiersOfAllah/101.html
 
It has been confirmed in many narrations that there are two flags in Islam; 
the first is called Al-Liwaa and serves as the sign for the leader of the Muslim army and as the flag of the Islamic State. While the other is termed Ar-Raya and is used by the Muslim army. The Liwaa of the Messenger (saaw) was a piece of white cloth with the words
 "La Illaha Illa Allah Muhammadur Rasul Allah" written across it.
"There is no god but Allah and Muhammed is his Messenger" The Raya of the Messenger (saaw) was a piece of black wool with the words "La Illaha Illah Allah Muhammadur Rasul Allah" written across it. 
Therefore, the Liwaa is a white flag with black inscriptipn, and the Raya is a black flag with white inscription. 
Ibn Abbas (ra) narrated that the Raya of the Messenger (saaw) was black and his Liwaa was white. 
During the battle of Mu'atah the Messenger (saaw) was delivering a Khutbah in Medinah.
 The Messenger (saaw) was telling the Muslims about what was happening in the battlefield. 
He (saaw) informed them Zayd (ra) was killed and Ja'far took over the Raya (black flag) from him, 
then Ja'far (ra) himself was killed, so Abdullah Ibn Ruwahah (ra) took over the Raya (black flag the sign for the 
leader of the Muslim army and as the flag of the Islamic State. While the other is termed Ar-Raya and 
is used by the Muslim army. The Liwaa of the Messenger (saaw) was a piece of white cloth with the words 
"La Illaha Illa Allah Muhammadur Rasul Allah" written across it. 
Therefore, the Liwaa is a white flag with black inscriptipn, and the Raya is a black flag with white inscription. 

Ibn Abbas (ra) narrated that the Raya of the Messenger so he said:

"

It was black, had four corners and was made of wool."

These and other ahadith clearly prove that Muhammad (saaw) had designated

a flag for his Ummah.

 
 

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