This organization openly supported Moslem terrorist attacks for decades without anyone batting an eye, but the minute they say something about Jews, it’s all over
It’s a complicated issue whether or not you should allow pro-terrorism groups to function in a society. The easy solution would be to just not have Moslems who are against the society to live in the society, then you wouldn’t even need to address the question.
Regardless: this group was allowed to function in the UK, after being banned from other countries, until they criticized the Jews.
Hizb ut-Tahrir will be banned from organising in the UK after claims that the group is antisemitic, the home secretary has said.
The Islamist group, which is already banned in countries including Germany and Indonesia, will no longer be allowed to recruit or hold protests and meetings across the UK.
Ministers have criticised the group after demonstrations held against Israeli strikes on Gaza.
If agreed by parliament, a draft order that was laid on Monday will come into force on 19 January. This means that belonging to, inviting support for and displaying articles in a public place in a way that arouses suspicion of membership or support for the group will be a criminal offence.
James Cleverly, the home secretary, said: “Hizb ut-Tahrir is an antisemitic organisation that actively promotes and encourages terrorism, including praising and celebrating the appalling 7 October attacks.
“Proscribing this terrorist group will ensure that anyone who belongs to and invites support for them will face consequences. It will curb Hizb ut-Tahrir’s ability to operate as it currently does.”
Certain proscription offences can be punishable by up to 14 years in prison, which can be handed down by a court alongside, or in place of, a fine.
Since the 7 October attacks by Hamas and the subsequent military response by Israel, Hizb ut-Tahrir has not condemned Hamas, a group already proscribed in the UK, rather hailing the attacks on Israeli citizens by saying “if this can be done by a resistance group, imagine what a unified response from the Muslim world could achieve”. It has called on Muslim countries to “get your armies and go and remove the Zionist occupiers”.
Previously Hizb ut-Tahrir, which Tony Blair and David Cameron tried to ban when they were in Downing Street, has made calls to “wipe out that Zionist entity” and referred to “the monstrous Jews”.
In October, the group’s members attended a rally outside the Egyptian and Turkish embassies in London and called for “Muslim armies” to attack Israel.
The head of Hizb ut-Tahrir in the UK, Abdul Wahid, has spent more than 20 years practising as a family doctor under his real name, Dr Wahid Asif Shaida.
After a Mail on Sunday report, Shaida confirmed he was also known as Abdul Wahid but denied Hizb ut-Tahrir was “extremist”, saying the word was “pejorative” and did not have an agreed meaning. He added: “For reasons of professional probity I keep a very clear line between my professional and political life.”
Shaida has been approached for a comment.Hizb ut-Tahrir seeks the establishment of a caliphate in the Middle East. Critics, including former members of the group, have claimed it is a gateway to violent extremism.
Blair vowed to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir as part of a counter-extremism plan after the 7 July 2005 bombings, but the proposal was dropped.
Blair’s failure was criticised by David Cameron, who called Hizb ut-Tahrir “a conveyor-belt to terrorism”. But by the time Cameron stepped down as prime minister eight years later, there was no ban in place.
On both occasions, the plans were dropped after protests that the group was non-violent and claims from lawyers that a ban would be unenforceable.
I really don’t think the Jews deserve all these special protections.
I’m getting sort of tired of it, quite frankly.
If you don’t support this, you’re a terrorist