To: The Home Minister Sahara Khatun and State Minister for Home Affairs Sohel Taj

On 25^th April 2009, a private television channel broadcast a news report quoting the State Minister for Home Affairs Sohel Taj in which it was stated that the Home Ministry has included Hizb ut-Tahrir in its list of twelve organizations being monitored for links with militancy. In response to this, Hizb ut-Tahrir in Bangladesh sends to you this Statement of Protest condemning your decision in the strongest possible terms. Hizb ut-Tahrir states firmly and unequivocally that your decision is politically motivated and lacks sound awareness of the party's ideology in particular its method of work. 

Firstly, regarding your decision being politically motivated, we make the following two points:

1. Your recourse to the brutality and false propaganda against Hizb ut-Tahrir results from your failure to face the party's opposition to your government through just political means and from your desperateness to silence the party. Hizb ut-Tahrir has successfully exposed Indian conspiracy behind the BDR massacre and the dubious role of your government in the conspiracy. On 28^th February the party issued a leaflet which stated that the massacre of the military officers was part of a ‘long term plot carried out by India and her agents inside and outside the government.' Your government arrested 31 of our members and activists for distributing the leaflet. And since then the government has undertaken fascist repressive measures against the party. On 27^th March your government instructed the police force to launch a brutal attack on the party's demonstration against the dubious role of the government in the Pilkhana massacre where more than 100 were injured and 10 more party activists were arrested. Despite this the party has continued its programme of activities and mobilizing public opinion. Since your decision to include the name of Hizb ut-Tahrir in the so-called ‘black list' comes following your failure to deter the party through the repressive measures it leaves no room for any doubt in the minds of the aware people that it is a politically motivated decision.

2. Your decision also results from your fear and the imperialists' fear of Islam as a political ideology and Hizb ut-Tahrir's intellectual and political activities which have gained strong popular support for the party among the Muslims of Bangladesh.The degenerate secular system and the so-called democratic form of government (led by your alliance government and the BNP alliance) have failed the people of Bangladesh. And as a result of Hizb ut-Tahrir's sincere work the Muslims of Bangladesh are realizing that their salvation does not lie in the system subservient to the disbelieving polytheist states - USA, Britain and India.  

Hizb ut-Tahrir  has demonstrated to the people that Islam is not a spiritual Deen; rather Islam is a comprehensive political ideology providing detailed models regarding ruling, economy, foreign policy etc and Islam is capable of solving problems faced by the man of the 21^st century. Hizb ut-Tahrir has also demonstrated that Islam has made it mandatory upon the Muslims to restore the rule by what Allah (SWT) has revealed by establishing the Islamic state (Khilafah "Caliphate" state), which is an ideological state. It is not a theocratic state opposed to science, technology and society's quest for progress. The Khilafah "Caliphate" state will secure progress, industrialization, technological advancement and military superiority for the Muslim Ummah as a result of which she will free herself from the clutches of the imperialist nations and restore her former glory. The leaders of the Khilafah "Caliphate" state will be enlightened statesmen possessing sound understanding of the international situation able to guide the Muslim Ummah to establish herself in the position of world's leading nation. Therefore the intellectually aware people and the general people are gathering around the ideology of the party i.e. Islam and the party itself. This is what makes you and your so-called intellectuals resort to false propaganda and using brutal means against the party. It a sign of your weakness; for it reveals your inabiliity to face the party with any strong intellectual challege and just political means. And Allah willing Hizb ut-Tahrir will progress towards achieving the noble goal of removing the corrupt system you uphold and re-establishing the Khilafah "Caliphate" state soon.   

Secondly, regarding the party's method of work, it is well know to everyone with political awareness that Hizb ut-Tahrir is a global Islamic political party which operates intellectually and politically in all Islamic lands with the aim of re-establishing the Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate". The party has adopted its method of establishing the Khilafah "Caliphate" from the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammad (saw), which is the non-violent political and intellectual struggle in the society so that the Muslim Ummah strongly embraces the Islamic Aqeedah; makes Islam the center of her thoughts and emotions and practices Islam in her life. The Party places the erroneous ideas and the corrupt systems at the center of its intellectual and political struggle, and exposes the colonialists' plans in Islamic lands.

Oh Ministers!

Hizb ut-Tahrir in Bangladesh urges you and your government to refrain from your deceptive tactics, false propaganda and repressive measures against the party and its members. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has warned of severe and harsh punishment in the Hereafter for such actions. 

"Verily, those who oppress and torture believing men and women, and do not repent from such deeds, they shall be put in the Hellfire"

Finally we remind you that despite all hardship, oppression, torture and illegal prosecution of party members you will not succeed in making Hizb ut-Tahrir falter in its determination and resolve for establishment of the Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate". Hizb ut-Tahrir's members are ready to make any kind of sacrifices, and will continue to work for this cause without any fear of persecution, hoping to earn their reward with Allah (SWT).

"And who is better in speech than he who invites (men) to Allah, does righteous deeds and says: "I am one of the Muslims"

There is absolutely no doubt that democracy, the British legacy of the Capitalist system and its judiciary is based on kufr while calling towards it and ruling by it is absolutely haram. The basis of democracy is neither election nor consultation rather it is the delegation of sovereignty and the right to legislate to humans. Thus, it is not surprising that in spite of having clear commands in Shari'ah

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - As the only Muslim member of NATO and a candidate to join the EU, Turkey has come to be seen as a bridge between East and West - held up by Washington as a shining example of how Islam is compatible with modern democracy.

But as U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to come here next week in a trip some herald as a milestone in ties, Turkish leaders are grappling with a formidable challenge: radical Islamic groups preaching jihad and vowing to unravel Turkey's democratic achievements.

The conundrum is twofold: A real threat from Muslim radicals intent on destabilizing the government, and the perception by many that by cracking down, Turkey is betraying the very democratic principles that have helped win it much trust and acceptance in the West.

Listening to the radicals, it's easy to fathom Turkey's difficulties.

Yilmaz Celik, a spokesman for the shadowy radical Islamist group Hizb-ut Tahrir, was released from prison last month after serving a five-month sentence on terrorism charges.

He says he despises the U.S., finds the "Alliance of Civilizations" conference Obama is attending a joke, and believes Turkey's moderate, Islamist-leaning leadership is a stooge of the West.

But while Celik explicitly urges Islamic nations to wage jihad to "liberate" Muslims and laces his rhetoric with venom, he insists his group does not itself support or carry out terror attacks.

"We're full of grudges and hatred against the United States and Britain for exporting their ideology and giving 'soft messages' to deceive the Islamic world, for example in the shape of an olive branch to Iran," said Celik, whose group has attracted a following in dozens of countries.

The fine line Celik tries to tread puts Turkey in a quandary.

Turkey's EU bid depends greatly on its ability to promote itself as a nation that respects civil liberties like freedom of speech. But the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also keenly aware of how fragile Turkey's social and political equilibrium can be. The military has ousted four elected governments since 1960. The government believes its hard line is the only way to keep radical Muslim groups in check.

Turkey has been vigilant against homegrown Islamic militants since al-Qaida-linked suicide bombers killed 58 people in 2003. Al-Qaida's austere and violent interpretation of Islam receives little public backing in the country.

However, some radical Muslims here regard Turkey's friendship with Israel, the United States and Britain - as well as efforts to join the European Union - as tantamount to treason. And the country is still debating the role of religion in the officially secular state.

Celik accuses the United States of waging what he said a "fourth crusade" against the Muslims.

"For us, neither (former U.S. president George W.) Bush nor Obama is any different. They are given the same mission. When you look from the outside, Obama might be using a softer language," Celik said. "But Obama is certainly not sincere."

Celik said Obama's arrival in Turkey is aimed at "strengthening the United States' influence in Muslim lands through soft messages."

Turkey and Germany are among countries that ban Hizb-ut Tahrir, but others such as Britain, Australia and the United States see no hard evidence of terrorist activity and just monitor it closely.

Washington sees Turkey as a key player in its fight against terrorism. As such, it appears inclined to give implicit backing to the Turkish government's anti-terror strategy - even though it doesn't itself ban groups like Hizb-ut Tahrir.

Some activists say the government has gone too far in its crackdown on radical Muslim groups.

"The state has no right to ban any group which is not involved in violence, whether it is an Islamic or Marxist one," said Ayhan Kucuk of the Mazlum-Der, an Islamic-oriented human rights organization in Turkey. "Otherwise, it must prove that they pose a security threat."

Celik, the official spokesman of the Turkey branch of Hizb-ut Tahrir, or Liberation Party, said the only way to liberate Muslims from the thoughts, systems and laws of nonbelievers is to create a global Islamic state and resurrect the Caliphate to govern with strict Islamic rule, or Shariah.

"We're calling on armies and leaders of Islamic countries to wage jihad against forces that have seized the lands of Islam in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Chechnya," said Celik, released from prison on Feb. 20 after being convicted of attempting to overthrow the secular republic and replace it with an Islamic state.

Celik, 40, still faces trial on terror-related charges in five separate cases and could be imprisoned again. He has served a total of 2 1/2 years in prison on different occasions since 2003. He insists his group does not advocate terrorism.

"Hizb-ut Tahrir does not believe that the group itself, as an organization, should commit violence or terrorism," James Brandon of the Quilliam Foundation, a research center in London, wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "However, it believes that if individual Muslims want to carry out attacks of defensive jihad, for instance in Iraq or Afghanistan, then they should be allowed to do so."

Obama will travel to Turkey on April 5 to seek Turkish support for U.S. goals in Iraq and Afghanistan, and will attend a forum sponsored by Turkey and Spain to reduce tensions between the West and Islamic countries.

Some experts say the group has tens of thousands of supporters around the world. Turkish police accelerated a crackdown on the group after it held a demonstration in 2005. Celik says he does not post a sign outside his office because he knows the police will tear it down.

The group's Turkish members were not swayed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's scolding of Israeli President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland over the killings of civilians in Gaza.

Celik's deputy, Haluk Ozdogan, described the incident as "a mere tactic to raise the profile of moderate Islamists at the cost of deviating from the purity of Islam."

Author: SELCAN HACAOGLU (30/3/2009)

Source

Hizb ut-Tahrir condemns in the strongest words the recent visit of Holbrooke and Mullen and their meetings with politicians as well as their dictations for the future of Pakistan.  The meeting of opposition and government politicians with the likes of Mullens and Holbrookes who's hands are dripping with fresh blood of Muslims of Pakistan and Afghanistan, is not only treachery