Press Release
Till When Do the Politicians and the Religious Men Wish to be Slanderers? Fear Allah (swt) O You People!

The Sabah State Legislative Assembly on 06/08/2019 passed a Bill to amend the Shariah Criminal Offenses Enactment 1995 by adding the definitions of Islam and Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah, besides making whipping as one of the penalties for the teaching of any doctrine or the performance of any ceremony or act relating to Islam that is contrary to the Islamic law or any fatwa enforced in the state. Law and Native Affairs Minister of Sabah, Aidi Moktar, who tabled the bill said there are 25 deviant teachings in Sabah as of 2017 and amongst them are Millah Abraham [Ibrahim], Hizb ut Tahrir and Shia which carry extremist roots that could resort to launching war on rulers and governments who do not believe in or whose thoughts are not in line with their teachings. “The existence of deviant teachings, particularly those that are extreme, does not only bring a negative impact on the safety of Muslims but also other occupants regardless of race and religion,” he said.

The Sabah fatwa issued against Hizb ut Tahrir on 07/09/2017 among others, states that Hizb ut Tahrir has labelled the government, parliamentarians and scholars as infidels, and that war should be waged on them for accepting the Kufr system. This fatwa or rather slander, has been answered by Hizb ut Tahrir in our Objection Booklet dated 08/11/2017 that had been handed over to the Mufti Department on 13/11/2017. However, until today, the said department has failed to answer the objections and by the Will of Allah (swt), it will continue to fail to answer them! The fatwa, which is merely a copy and paste of the Selangor fatwa, has been issued by the Sabah Fatwa Council without any verification (Tabayyun)! Hizb ut Tahrir has never been called to discuss or explain our thoughts and teachings, nonetheless our thoughts are accused to be contradictory and deviate from the true teachings of Islam and contrary to the teachings of Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah. Where is the justice and discipline of the Sabah Fatwa Council in issuing a fatwa, as taught by Islam!? Not only that, Hizb ut Tahrir's attempt to meet the Mufti in order to discuss the matter amicably was repeatedly denied by the Mufti when he refrained himself from meeting us. Worse, in the last attempt of Hizb ut Tahrir’s delegation to meet the Mufti at his office to discuss and submit the Objection Booklet, the delegation was ousted by the Mufti himself before they even had a chance to give Salam!

Just as the Sabah Fatwa Council did not carry out any verification (Tabayyun) before issuing a fatwa, the same thing goes to the Law and Native Affairs Minister! How dare a state assemblyman utter such slanderous words without any verification, and ironically, he was unanimously supported by other Assemblymen!? Where is their sanity and intelligence in verifying a fact before taking up any decision? Hizb ut Tahrir was not only accused of being deviant but was also slandered to have extreme thoughts that could resort to launching wars on the rulers and governments who do not believe in or whose thoughts are not in line with Hizb ut Tahrir’s teachings. On top of that, Hizb ut Tahrir was defamed to be a threat to the safety of the people! SubhanAllah! We would like to ask and challenge all Sabah Assemblyman to prove where in our publications or speeches did we say such a thing?! How many rulers and governments in the world have Hizb ut Tahrir waged war against?! Whose blood have we shed? The safety of which occupant have we threatened?!  Who have we killed or injured?! Whose belongings have we snatched?! Whose properties have we confiscated?! Whose houses have we robbed?! Which public facilities have we destroyed?! O Sabah Assemblymen! Who is it, all these while that has plundered the properties of Sabahans and the state's natural resources, resulting in the people of Sabah living in poverty? Please look at yourselves in the mirror!

These are the representatives of the people who are supposed to bring the people's voices and interests to the Assembly, but what they do instead is slander Hizb ut Tahrir in their session. O Sabah Assemblymen! Who are among the people that you are representing, asked you to slander Hizb ut Tahrir? Who are among the people that you are representing, are threatened and their safety is at stake due to Da’wah of Hizb ut Tahrir that you need to amend the concerned law? Indeed, the people know about Hizb ut Tahrir and the people know that Hizb ut Tahrir is a political party that works politically and intellectually. Hizb ut Tahrir has never and will never engage in violence, let alone launching wars against Muslims! The people know that Hizb ut Tahrir rejects any form of terrorism, but in turn Hizb ut Tahrir is often "terrorized" by the rulers with its members being arrested, imprisoned, tortured and many were brutally killed! The people know that Hizb ut Tahrir is working to elevate their thoughts and unite them; Hizb ut Tahrir is working to save Muslims across the world from colonization, massacre and tyranny of the rulers by re-establishing the Khilafah (Caliphate). The people know that their representatives remain silent when the Ummah is attacked and killed by its enemies. The people know that their representatives are busy seeking worldly wealth when Palestine is attacked by the Jewish entity’s forces. The people know that their representatives are busy with corruption and various scandals when Rohingya Muslims are killed by Buddhist armies. The people know that their representatives are busy wrestling for offices and ranks when Kashmir Muslims are attacked by the Hindu state’s forces. Indeed, the people know who their representatives are, and the people know whom Hizb ut Tahrir is, and the people are able to distinguish between the diamond and the glass!

The slander and accusations perpetrated by the Law and Native Affairs Minister of Sabah in particular, and the Sabah State Legislators in general, against Hizb ut Tahrir, by repeating the slander of the Sabah Fatwa Council without any verification, are indeed very serious.  What a disgusting remark that came out of their mouths, as if there are no angels at their sides to record what they utter! What a brave accusation and defamation they made, as if there is no Day of Judgement where they will meet Allah (swt)! If only they had a bit of intelligence, a bit of shame, a bit of dignity and a bit of fear to Allah (swt), they would not have casted such a serious and wild accusation against Hizb ut Tahrir!

Till when will the representatives of the people and those Sheikhs continue to lie and deceive the people about Hizb ut Tahrir? Till when will the representatives of the people and those Sheikhs continue to be slanderers? Till when will the representatives of the people and those Sheikhs realize that all the slander and Zulum (tyranny) they have perpetrated against Hizb ut Tahrir shall only be returned to them in this world, and in the Hereafter, the worst torment awaits them? Enough is enough O representatives of the people and the Sheikhs! Stop all your slander, lies and tyranny against Hizb ut Tahrir immediately! You will not gain anything in this world by slandering Hizb ut Tahrir, let alone in the Hereafter. Listen to our advice, so that when you return to Allah (swt) shortly, you will not carry any argument with us. Take notice that the Da’wah of Hizb ut Tahrir will never cease however much slander, harassment, arrest and imprisonment we face. Do know that the people before you, who are much stronger and more powerful than you, have perpetrated greater slander and tyranny against Hizb ut Tahrir, but by the Will of Allah (swt), the Da’wah of Hizb ut Tahrir is more glorious and accepted by the Muslims worldwide, and Hizb ut Tahrir is getting even stronger. Hence, for your wellbeing in this world and in the Hereafter, we call upon you to fear Allah (swt) and again we advise you to immediately stop all your slander, lies and tyranny against Hizb ut Tahrir. To Allah (swt) we surrender and with Him, we seek protection.

Abdul Hakim Othman
Spokesperson of Hizb ut Tahrir in Malaysia