Yesterday, U.K. Home Secretary James Cleverly declared the global Islamist
group Hizb ut-Tahrir (“Party of Liberation” “HT”) a terrorist group, laying
down a draft order that could go into effect later this week, pending
parliamentary debate and vote. Hizb ut-Tahrir is already banned in several
Muslim-majority states, including Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,
and Turkey, as well as Germany and China.





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COUNTERPOINT BRIEF: U.K. DECLARES HIZB UT-TAHRIR A TERRORIST GROUP


(New York, N.Y.) — Yesterday, U.K. Home Secretary James Cleverly declared the
global Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir (“Party of Liberation” “HT”) a terrorist
group, laying down a draft order that could go into effect later this week,
pending parliamentary debate and vote. Hizb ut-Tahrir is already banned in
several Muslim-majority states, including Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi
Arabia, and Turkey, as well as Germany and China. The proscription would make
it a criminal offence in the United Kingdom to belong to or promote the group,
with conviction carrying up to 14 years in prison. Cleverlysaid
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of the group: “Hizb ut-Tahrir is an antisemitic organisation that actively
promotes and encourages terrorism, including praising and celebrating the
appalling October 7 attacks.”



Expert Analysis:



CEP Senior Advisor Edmund Fitton-Brown, former U.K. Ambassador to Yemen



"Hizb ut-Tahrir is an extremist abomination and long-standing affront to
liberal values. It seems that the West is waking up, post-October 7, to the
Islamist menace that has been spreading for decades under the false guise of
being ‘non-violent’ and must now be confronted and suppressed."



CEP Chief Executive Officer Ambassador Mark D. Wallace



"I commend the Home Secretary’s decisive move and encourage its swift
implementation into U.K. law. Starting with the Blair government in the late
1990s, Hizb ut-Tahrir has evaded successive attempts by Westminster to
proscribe it as a terrorist organization, but we trust this will be the end of
that charade. Other Western European governments should follow the British
example, while HT America—which holds an annual ‘Caliphate Conference’ in the
United States tracked by the Counter Extremism Project—also deserves much
closer scrutiny by U.S. authorities."



Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain



Hizb ut-Tahrir was founded in 1953 with a long-term goal establishing a global
Caliphate ruled by Islamic law. The U.K. branch, Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, has
been active since the early 1980s, coming under greater scrutiny in the early
2000s. Despite HT’s extreme ideology and rhetoric, previous attempts at
proscription have failed because the group was careful to avoid direct calls
for violence.



Nonetheless, HT has served as an important gateway to Islamic extremism.
Several prominent individuals associated with HT have moved on to violent
jihadism.Omar Bakri Muhammad
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found and lead al-Muhajiroun, a proscribed terrorist group in Britain that
adhered to salafi-jihadist ideology and through whose ranks multiple British
terrorists and foreign fighters passed. Other associated individuals include
the mastermind of the 9/11 attack,Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
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ISIS executionerMohammed Emwazi
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John,” andAbu Musab al-Zarqawi
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Al-Qaeda in Iraq.



The government’s announcement calls for proscription under the UK’s Terrorism
Act 2000, claiming that the group’s actions and rhetoric in praise of Hamas
since October 7 constitute “promotion and encouragement of terrorism.” Before
the group can be officially designated a terrorist group in Britain, parliament
will hold a debate and vote on the measure, likely this week. If it passes, it
could go into effect as early as Friday, but the group is expected to mount a
legal challenge should the law pass.



CEP Resources:



CEP Report <[link removed]> on Hizb
ut-Tahrir



CEP Letter
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to Ambiance Banquets, host of HT America Conference 2023



CEP’s Call
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to cancel HT Conference on Facebook Live



CEP Blog
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Don’t Extend the Welcome Mat to Hizb ut-Tahrir



CEP Blog
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: Cancel Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Reservation



CEP Blog
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Time for Hizb ut-Tahrir to Check Out of Illinois



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