Islamist group seeks to establish a global religious dictatorship
Protest this Saturday, 9 July, from 12 noon – 3pm
Outside the Waterlily Business Centre, 69-89 Mile End Road, London E1 4TT
“Hizb ut-Tahrir is an Islamist and fundamentalist organisation which seeks to impose its supremacist interpretation of Islam on the whole world. It opposes democracy and has the goal of establishing a global religious dictatorship, a caliphate. Non-Islamic political parties would be illegal. Gender apartheid and the segregation of men and women would become mandatory,” said human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell of OutRage!.
Mr Tatchell will join Saturday’s protest at 12 noon in the Mile End Road, outside Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Caliphate Conference, together with Muslim campaigners.
“Discrimination against people on the basis of their religion, gender and sexuality is enshrined in Hizb ut-Tahrir’s draft constitution and would be enforced in a future caliphate,” added Mr Tatchell.
“Hizb ut-Tahrir is guilty of extreme intolerance towards Muslims who do not share its harsh, fundamentalist interpretation of Islam. It advocates the execution of Muslims who turn away from their faith or convert to another religion. The group has urged the death penalty for gay people and for women who have sex outside of marriage. Some of its members have a history of anti-Semitism.
“They are even more extreme and fascistic than the odious far right British National Party.
“The Hizb ut-Tahrir conference takes place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets but its values are at odds with those of the local council: ‘Organisational pledge against Hate’: ‘We will: Promote and implement a policy that promotes diversity and equality and challenges all forms of discrimination’.
Key excerpts from Hizb ut-Tahrir’s draft constitution can be found here:
The full draft constitution is here:
Hizb ut-Tahrir regularly takes part in anti-gay demonstrations in other parts of the world:
“The intolerant and extreme views of Hizb ut-Tahrir are not welcome in an area of London that has already witnessed bigoted outside organisations, such as the English Defence League, promoting their divisive and hateful brand of politics,” said Mr Tatchell.
“The anti-humanitarian views of Hizb ut-Tahrir are not shared by most Muslims in Britain. Its extreme fundamentalist policies are stoking Islamophobic prejudice. We stand in solidarity with the many Muslims who support democracy and human rights.
“Members of Hizb ut-Tahrir threatened to kill me in May 1994 when I and five other activists from OutRage! picketed its 6,000-strong rally at Wembley Arena. It was six of us against 6,000 of them. Despite their abuse and death threats we made our protest. They said: ‘We will track you down and kill you.’
“We were protesting against Hizb ut-Tahrir’s call for the execution of gay people and unchaste women, and against its hateful anti-Hindu and anti-Jewish incitements. For our peaceful protest, we were arrested by the police. No police action was taken against the Hizb ut-Tahrir members who threatened to kill us,” said Mr Tatchell.
Pro-democracy and pro-human rights campaigners, including Muslims, will picket outside the conference venue at 12 noon this Saturday, 9 July, in protest against Hizb ut-Tahrir and against the Waterlily Business Centre for hosting them.