Press Conference
by Ahmad Al Qassas on the Occasion of the ESCWA Conference

This is the text of a press conference given by Ahmad Al Qassas, the head of the Media Office of Hizb ut-Tahrir-Lebanon, on the occasion of the Conference of ESCWA [United Nations Regional Economic and Social Development Commission in Western Asia] in Beirut, which was inaugurated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations under the title of "Reform and Transitions to Democracy".

The Text

[وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يُعْجِبُكَ قَوْلُهُ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيُشْهِدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى مَا فِي قَلْبِهِ وَهُوَ أَلَدُّ الْخِصَامِ * وَإِذَا تَوَلَّى سَعَى فِي الْأَرْضِ لِيُفْسِدَ فِيهَا وَيُهْلِكَ الْحَرْثَ وَالنَّسْلَ وَاللَّهُ لَا  يُحِبُّ الْفَسَادَ]

(And of mankind there is he whose conversation on the life of this world pleases you (Muhammad), and he calls Allah to witness as to that which is in his heart; yet he is the most rigid of opponents. And when he turns away (from you) his effort is to make mischief in the land and to destroy the crops and the cattle; and Allah loves not mischief)  [Surah al Baqarah 2:204-2:205]

The Secretary General of the United Nations and those in attendance:

Now is the time to end your ‘guardianship' over the people, for it is the time of an Ummah that has begun to liberate itself from the control of the West, so as to regain her authority and restore the rule of Islam in her life.

The United Nations, represented by its Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, entertained us by holding a conference addressing the uprising that marked the last year in this region of the Islamic world; and which has continued into this year.

This uprising aims to topple the regimes and commence a period that, by the Will of Allah, will radically change the face of the region.

The envoy of the Western countries, Ban Ki-Moon, has come as if to say to the people of the region: ‘Do not think that by your uprising you will break the shackles of all forms of Western cultural, political, economic and military domination. We will, rather, remain custodians over you and over your protest movement, so that there will be a change from the era of secular tyrants to an era of secular Democrats; without a change in the identity of the State, or the constitutions derived from Western civilization, nor in foreign policy, economic policy, educational curricula; and not in the treacherous treaties agreed to by your despotic rulers - especially those made with the Jewish entity. We will continue teaching you the way you should live, and the way you should practice politics, government, economics, media, security and education...'

Thus, Professor Ban came to continue attempts to contain the revolution; attempts that U.S. and Europe started since the start of the revolution in Tunisia in order to abort it, control its direction and harvest its fruits before the Ummah is able reap such fruits. So often, Western States - led by the United States - have used the international organisation as a tool for achieving their goals and to serve their interests in the world. There is no surprise in that, for they established the organisation after World War II to consolidate their hegemony over the world!

Our Ummah cannot forget the belligerent resolutions of the United Nations against it since the early days of its establishment until today; particularly, the resolution of dividing Palestine between its people and those alien Jews who were expelled from other parts of the world.

This was followed by the resolution to invade Afghanistan and give legitimacy to the American occupation of Iraq, which resulted in massacres and tragedies against our Ummah.

This is besides ignoring the repeated attacks of the Jewish entity against the people of Palestine and the neighbouring countries.

Add to this the policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank that has led to the impoverishment of the people of the region, controlling their economic decisions and looting their wealth.

We are not naïve to be deceived by the lie of the alleged neutrality of the international organization.

Rather, we say it clearly: The organisation which you represent, Mr. Secretary-General, is one of the bitterest opponents of the Islamic Ummah.

You acknowledged the crime that your international organisation has committed for so long against the people of the region.

You admitted the organisation was "too close to the governments but not close enough to the community" and you declared repentance, saying: "As I begin my second term as Secretary-General, I want to emphasize that the United Nations will be at your side, we are firmly committed to help the Arab countries during this transitional phase" and you said that "reform must be real, because in most cases the changes are cosmetic i.e. without transfer of real power to the people".

Is this your penitence real - or is it just a new deception and a repeated illusion?!

The answer is taken from your own words, by which you condemned yourself again.

So, I will condemn you using your own words.

You announced that your negotiator was at the heart of the talks in Yemen - talks that were used to abort the revolution of the people of Yemen, and resulted in consolidating the authority of the gang of the tyrant and butcher, Ali Saleh, so protecting him from accountability and trial.

You even called, in your talk, for the tyrant of Yemen "to adhere to the terms of the agreement"! Thus, you contradicted yourself and proved immediately that your organization continues its hypocrisy.

Professor Ban did not forget to give us lessons in human rights and women's rights, according to the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We say to him: Stop giving us lessons in human and women rights. For your law is not, in our view, a source for defining the human rights.

We have enough that makes us in no need of your worn out law.

Look back a little, Mr. Secretary-General, to see what the States that led this Declaration, and their civilization, have committed in terms of violations to the rights of humanity. Most recently are the ugliest pictures showing the scene of American soldiers desecrating the bodies of our dead Afghans.

Look also how your law insulted women when it ‘equalized' the sexes in rights and duties, so depriving a woman from her right of financial maintenance, as well as her children. It, instead, forced her to work, and made of her a frivolous means to market the most despicable cheap goods! There will come a day when you, Mr. Secretary-General, will learn human rights from our Great Shar'.

The ‘professor' did not forget also to show his compassion towards the unemployed youth in our country, as he believed that "the Arab countries must provide fifty million jobs over the next decade to accommodate the young people who will enter the realm of work."

Have you not heard, Mr. Ban, the news that millions came out two-months ago in demonstrations in more than a thousand of capitalist cities, before you came to preach us lessons in economy?!

Isn't it time to acknowledge that the capitalist system - which your organization has enshrined in in the world - including in our country - lies behind the misery suffered by hundreds of millions of people?!

Aren't you aware that when you lack something yourself, then you cannot give it to others?!

Dear participants at the Venice Hotel:

The revolution of the Ummah is not only a revolution against the tyrant rulers.

It is rather a revolution against everything they represent in terms of aggression on the identity of the Ummah, her civilization, culture, Shari'ah and all of her other essentials.

It is a revolution against submission to the West, its civilisation, culture and political order.

So, the alternative which the Ummah looks for is not the Western model reflected in the so-called civil democratic state produced by Western civilisation: the civilisation of separating the religion from life.

Rather, the alternative which the Ummah looks for and strives for is the State that will unify the Ummah after a long period of fragmentation; where the sovereignty in it is for the law of Allah, rather than the United Nations Charter, or man-made constitutions.

Authority in the State would be for the Ummah which chooses its ruler, without supervision of the Security Council, the White House, Paris or London; or of the ruling gangs pinned and supported by the West in our country for tens of years in opposition of her people.

As to those who participated in the conference, declaring that they represent revolutions and the rebels, we say to them:

Relying on the international powers, appeasing them and depending on their help for challenging the dictators is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

Allah (swt) says:

[وَلا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ ثُمَّ لَا تُنْصَرُونَ]

"And incline not to those who do wrong, or the Fire will seize you; and you will have no protectors other than Allah, nor shall you be helped."

Moreover, this is a betrayal to Allah, His Messenger and the believers, where Allah Almighty says:

[وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ أَنْتُمْ قَلِيلٌ مُسْتَضْعَفُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ تَخَافُونَ أَنْ يَتَخَطَّفَكُمُ النَّاسُ فَآَوَاكُمْ وَأَيَّدَكُمْ بِنَصْرِهِ وَرَزَقَكُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ . يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لا تَخُونُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ وَتَخُونُوا أَمَانَاتِكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ]

(And remember the time when you were few [and] helpless on earth, fearful lest people do away with you - whereupon He sheltered you, and strengthened you with His succour, and provided for you sustenance out of the good things of life, so that you might have cause to be grateful. O Believers, do not be false to Allah and the Messenger, and do not knowingly be false to the trust that has been reposed in you.)

This approach is political suicide, for victory is from Allah, rather than from His enemies. Allah (swt) says:

[إِنْ يَنْصُرْكُمُ اللَّهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمْ وَإِنْ يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَنْصُرُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ]

( If Allah helps you, none can overcome you: If He forsakes you, who is there, after that can help you? In Allah, then, let believers put their trust.)

Remember that the Western political order lies behind the state of decline and deterioration experienced by the Ummah for decades.

Had the international powers left the Ummah to deal with her rulers, they would have ousted them a long time ago.

But these powers supported these dictators to keep them dependent upon the West in protecting their authority, so as to give them obedience and reverence, and give them as well the capabilities , the resources and honour of the Ummah as offerings in return of consolidating their regimes.

The good fruit of the blessed movement of the Ummah will not come about except by eliminating everything the West introduced to the Ummah alien to her identity, civilisation and culture; as well as the ideas, constitutions, legislations and curricula; besides the international institutions and centres of influence in the society; together with any political, economic, media, security and military influence; in addition to the agents present in every government, administration, security and military institutions.

So, as long as pervasive evil germs remain penetrating the body of the Ummah they will remain a threat to its health and existence. The Ummah will not be able to get rid of these plagues unless she adopts her cultural and political agenda comprehensively, represented in the plan of the guided Khilafah "Caliphate" on the way of prophethood.

At that moment, the control of the West and its international organisation over us will be uprooted, and we would be able to carry our civilisation as a message of goodness to the world.

[وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ]
(We indeed just sent you as a mercy to mankind.)