بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Press Release
Office of the Chief Coordinator and Official Spokesman of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Bangladesh
PR no: 11/18092008
18 Ramadhan 1429 AH (18 September, 2008 CE)
Hizb ut-Tahrir, Bangladesh condemns the arrests of ten members and activists of the party in Rajshahi and demands their immediate release
Official Spokesman of Hizb ut-Tahrir, in Bangladesh Mohiuddin Ahmed in a press statement issued today strongly condemned the arrests of ten party members and activists in Rajshahi who were arrested today and demanded their immediate release. The members and activists of the party were arrested from Rajshahi press club including Professor of Dhaka University Dr Syed Golam Mowla, Senior Lecturer of South East University Engineer Ahmed Jamal Iqbal, and Assistant Professor of MIST Mamunur Rashid Ansari who went from Dhaka to speak at a press conference organized by the party. Local police stopped the proceedings of the press conference and police in plain cloths arrested all the party members and activists present at the venue without citing any reason.
On 09 September 2008 party activists in Rajshahi distributed a leaflet issued by the party on the occasion of Ramadhan urging the Muslims to remove their current rulers and establish the Khilafah state. Since then there has been a malicious media propaganda conducted against the party’s work by various newspapers. The press conference was organized in order to respond to the media campaign and to talk to the media freely about the work of the party. But the police arrested them and did not allow the members of the party to talk to the media. Responding to the media propaganda, Mohiuddin Ahmed said in his statement that Hizb ut-Tahrir is neither a banned nor a terrorist organization.
Mohiuddin Ahmed
Press Conference Statement: Bangladesh
Office of the Chief Coordinator and Official Spokesman of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Bangladesh
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
22 Ramadhan 1429 AH 22 September, 2008 CE
Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh announces programme of activities to protest against the illegal arrests of the party’s members and activists in Rajshahi
Dear journalist brothers,
Assalamu Alaikum,
I welcome you to this press conference today. As you all know ten members and activists of Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh were arrested in Rajshahi on 18/09/08 and subsequently various media have published false and misleading news about the party. I would like to discuss with you and take your questions on the relevant issues at this press conference.
All of you are aware that as part of the party’s programmes for the blessed month of Ramadhan we issued and distributed a leaflet from the first of Ramadhan. On 09/09/08, we distributed the leaflet in Rajshahi and since then various media started a propaganda campaign against the party. In order to respond to the false propaganda against the party we organized a press conference at Rajshahi Press Club on 18/09/08. However the local police stopped the press conference and unjustly arrested all ten of our members and activists present at the venue.
In their first statement to the media the police alleged that the press conference was organized without permission and in violation of the state of emergency! It is known by all of us that on 09/09/07 the Chief Advisor announced lifting the ban on indoor politics and that there was no need for permission to hold any event attended by less than 50 people. Later on 12/05/08 the government issued a circular increasing that number to 200. Thus no permission is required for holding an event with less than 200 people attending and the police accusation is therefore totally false.
Dear journalist brothers,
As for our leaflet, anyone who has read the leaflet will find that it contains a message to the Muslims regarding their current state of decline, humiliation and despair. The leaflet reminds the Muslim Ummah of their past glory and their duty to unite and implement the Qur’an and Sunnah by re-establishing the Khilafah so as to restore their position as the leading nation. At the same time the leaflet calls upon the Muslims to fulfil their duty to remove the current rulers in the Muslim world who are all agents of the imperialists.
I would like to remind you of our position that this work must be done in accordance with the methodology of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم. This method involves undertaking the work of generating public opinion and awareness about Islam as a political ideology. It also involves undertaking political struggle against the corrupt rulers and mobilizing the people to remove them. This is the method that Hizb ut-Tahrir adopted since the establishment of the party and we are steadfast on this method relying on Allah سبحانه وتعالى for success.
Therefore Hizb ut-Tahrir is a non-violent global political party and no one can furnish a single piece of evidence of any violent activity by the members of the party anywhere in the world. Hizb ut-Tahrir does not undertake violence in its work to re-establish the Khilafah due to its contradiction with clear commands of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Allah سبحانه وتعالى says,
وَمَن يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُّتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَآؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا
“Whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein; and the Wrath and Curse of Allah are upon him and a great punishment is prepared for him” (An-Nisa: 93)
Therefore we categorically deny any link with JMB and those who are trying to link Hizb ut-Tahrir, Bangladesh with JMB are doing so with malicious intentions. We demand an investigation into the source of the letter which is being used to link us with the JMB.
At the same time Hizb ut-Tahrir does not adopt the method of compromise and participating in the corrupt system to reach its goal. This is because Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم never compromised with the corrupt oppressive rulers in Makkah. Participating in the corrupt system is not the method to re-establish the Khilafah and anyone who does so will be bound to shake hands with the disbelieving imperialists.
Dear journalist brothers,
Finally I would like to respond to the vicious propaganda against us by some media who are misquoting our statements at the protest meeting held at the Engineer’s Institution on 19/09/08. They are spreading lies that we threatened to carry out violent acts against the people if our demand to release the members and activists of the party is not accepted. You will have noticed that the media propaganda against us is led by the Prothom Alo-Daily Star group. As you all know Hizb ut-Tahrir, Bangladesh is constantly revealing the plots and designs of this media group as well as their imperialist masters against Islam and the people and urging the people to resist them. We would like to assure you and the people that our protest activities against the unjust arrests of party members and activists will always be in accordance with our adopted method discussed above and we will not announce any programme of activity which threatens public security and peace.
Now I will turn to announcing our next steps in our just struggle to secure the release of our members and activists and they are as follows:
1. Continue with the legal proceedings in court and exhaust all possible means in this regard;
2. Mobilize public opinion for the release of our members and activists;
3. Hold protest meetings at suitable dates and venues and we will announce that to you well in advance; and
4. Organize a protest rally after Asr prayers on Friday 26th September 2008 outside the national mosque.
I would like to end by thanking you all for attending today and inviting you to publish the contents of this press statement tomorrow for the sake of objective journalism.
All the members and activists of Hizb ut-Tahrir arrested in Rajshahi must be released
Press Release
Office of the Chief Coordinator and Official Spokesman of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Bangladesh
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
PR no: 12/19092008
19 Ramadhan 1429 AH (19 September, 2008 CE)
All the members and activists of Hizb ut-Tahrir arrested in Rajshahi must be released within the next the 48 hours; otherwise the party will launch a strong protest movement
Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh organized a meeting today at the Engineers Institution, Dhaka protesting the arrests of senior party members and activists in Rajshahi. Main speaker of the program Maulana Mamunur Rashid responded to the allegations made against the party. He said organizing a press conference is a legal political activity; it is neither a crime nor a terrorist activity. Hizb ut-Tahrir is a non-violent global political party and no one can furnish a single piece of evidence of any violent activity by the members of the party anywhere in the world. In response to the allegation that Hizb ut-Tahrir is an anti-government party, Maulana Mamun said that it must be clear to everyone that Hizb ut-Tahrir works to establish the Khilafah state and therefore the party is against all governments not based on the Khilafah ruling system. We were against the Awami league and BNP alliance governments. We are also against all the anti-people and anti-Islamic activities of the current caretaker government. Protesting against the government and its activities is a right of the people and a duty upon the Muslims.
Maulana Mamun added further that the people still remember the Prothom Alo group’s heinous crime last Ramadhan insulting our beloved Rasulullah (SAW). Similarly, the caretaker government not long ago tried to introduce inheritance law contradicting the Qur’an under the guise of women development policy. Now the Prothom Alo group, and the Fakhruddin government and other agents of the disbelieving imperialists who do not want the Muslim Ummah to rise are conducting media propaganda and using force against Hizb ut-Tahrir which is working to lead the Muslim Ummah to become the leading nation of the 21st century.
After Maulana Mamun’s speech, Chief Coordinator and Spokesman of the party Mohiuddin Ahmed declared the next steps of the party to free those who have been arrested. He protested the arrests of members and activists of the party and demanded their release. He said no amount of oppression and propaganda will be able to stop the movement of establishing the Khilafah. By the will and the help of Allah (SWT), Hizb ut-Tahrir will establish the Khilafah by removing all the agent rulers in the Muslim world. He declared the following demands from the meeting:
1. All those arrested in Rajshahi must be released unconditionally within the next 48 hours.
2. The government must stop all anti-Islamic activities.
3. The government must stop harassing leaders and activists of Hizb ut-Tahrir and the sincere Islamic movements.
If the government fails to release the arrested leaders, Hizb ut-Tahrir will be forced to declare strong mass agitation programs.
Mohiuddin Ahmed