Press Release
Houses of Allah (swt) were Once Again Tainted by JAIS with Slander Against Hizb ut Tahrir

Rasulullah (saw) once said, «إِذَا لَمْ تَسْتَحْيِ فَاصْنَعْ مَا شِئْتَ»“If you have no shame, then do whatever you like” [Narrated by al-Bukhari and others]. The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) seems to have done that, when it once again tainted the houses of Allah (swt) with a sermon defaming Hizb ut Tahrir. The sermon entitled "Ku Sangka Intan Rupanya Kaca" (“What I thought was diamond turns out to be glass”) was issued by JAIS and read in mosques throughout the State of Selangor which content listed Hizb ut Tahrir as a deviant group along with Ahmadiyah (Qadiyani), Shia, Islam Jama’ah, Wahhabi and others. JAIS does not seem to have shame before Allah (swt), His Messenger (saw) and the Believers when they continue to defame Hizb ut Tahrir with allegations that they failed to prove until now, and with the permission of Allah (swt) they will continue to fail.

Should JAIS really believe that Hizb ut Tahrir has gone astray as they alleged, and should JAIS serious in taking care the faith (aqeedah) of Muslims, why then, since the fatwa on Hizb ut Tahrir was issued (September 11, 2015) until today, JAIS has never made even a single effort to meet Hizb ut Tahrir to "correct" our faith and "return" us to the right path? In turn, our calls to JAIS for discussion (muzakarah) and debate have never been answered by the said religious authority. Is this the attitude of those who is supposedly taking care the faith of Muslims? You (O JAIS) pride yourself as the institution that guards the faith of Muslims, yet you continue to spread defamation on Muslims. Do you not hear how Muslims view you as an institution that is supposed to be the care taker of Islam, yet you be the slanderer in Islam? Do you not have shame at all?

In the sermon, JAIS mentioned that Hizb ut Tahrir is also banned in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Jordan and others. Does JAIS not know that Hizb ut Tahrir is "banned" in those countries not due to the defamatory allegation as contained in the fatwa of Selangor? Does JAIS not know that Hizb ut Tahrir is "banned" in those countries because all the rulers in those countries are puppets of the West who hate Islam and do not want to see Muslims united under Khilafah (Caliphate), which forms the work of Hizb ut Tahrir? Rulers in those countries are only obedient to their Western master and on that basis, they have banned Hizb ut Tahrir which they know is working to abolish the Western hegemony on the Muslim world and uniting the Muslims under the ruling of a sincere and pious Khalifah (Caliph) who fears nothing except Allah (swt). Is JAIS that ignorant to not know all these and to not know that the ban on Hizb ut Tahrir in those countries has nothing to do with the fatwa that JAIS had unshamefully casted on Hizb ut Tahrir? If JAIS has any shame at all to Allah (swt), His Messenger (saw) and the Believers, JAIS should have not "sold" the names of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Jordan to "legalize" their fatwa against Hizb ut Tahrir!

O Religious Authority of Selangor! Fear Allah (swt) for the slander that you are spreading on this earth, let alone for making the houses of Allah (swt) as places to commit those sinful acts! If you are not even dare to deal with us in this world for your slander, how would you dare to deal with Allah (swt) in the hereafter? Enough of the heinous slander and stop repeating it so that in the Mahshar, we may not have to complain to Allah (swt) about you. We still see remnants of goodness in you to reform yourselves and to repent to Allah (swt). We pray to Allah (swt) that He (swt) instils sincerity and awareness in you and forgives you and makes you a trusted guardian of His (swt) Deen.

We also pray to Allah (swt) to forgive all the Khatib whom we know were "forced" to read the sermons even though they do not wish to do so. We would also like to congratulate and may Allah (swt) reward those Khatib who chose not to read the sermon after realizing its slanderous contents towards Hizb ut Tahrir. May Allah (swt) open the doors of righteousness through their hands because without doubt and without fear, they have chosen to abandon falsehood and hold fast to the truth.

Abdul Hakim Othman
Spokesperson of Hizb ut Tahrir in Malaysia