Editors in Asharq Al-Awsat Newspaper,
Your website published on 13/5/2014 CE an article by Dr. Mousa Al-Kilani entitled: “The Islamic Hizb ut Tahrir… 62 Years of Disputes and Intellectual and Political “Vagrancy””.
The article contains many contradictions and accusations against Hizb ut Tahrir! And many inaccuracies, as well as lacks the simplest requirements of professional journalism, and the credibility of analysis, in addition to the exaggeration it contains that contradicts with the foundations of various research-based curriculums. That is why I request that you publish the following response:
Before I present the details of some of what is mentioned above, I am surprised that the writer did not bother to refer to any of the official sources of Hizb ut Tahrir, when its Media Offices and Official Media Representatives and Spokespersons are widespread in various countries of the world, so that he can verify the truth in many of the contradictions that he ‘copied’ from multiple sources of different visions and approaches. He gathered all the contradictions without bothering himself with what is required in the research methodology, which he studied and is teaching in his academic work. I will not be able to respond to all the inaccuracies as there is no place for them here, instead I will choose some that are stated:
The writer began his essay by mentioning the news about the activity of the Hizb ut-Tahrir in Jordan, he said that it took place on the ninety ninth anniversary of the fall of the Islamic Khilafah, note that the Islamic Khilafah was destroyed in 1924 CE, corresponding to 1342 AH, i.e. that the Hizb held its activity on the ninety third anniversary of the destruction of the Islamic Khilafah and not on the ninety ninth anniversary, which shows the distance from the investigation and accuracy in transmission.
According to the article, “… Hizb ut Tahrir considers itself the expression of the Palestinian vanguard organizations of political Islam in the twentieth century…” and this is never mentioned by Hizb ut Tahrir, and is not in its culture and its publications. Hizb ut Tahrir is a political party its ideology is Islam, politics is its work and Islam is its ideology. It works within the Ummah and with it to resume the Islamic way of life by establishing the second rightly guided Khilafah State upon the method of Prophethood, following the way of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, which takes care of the affairs of the people by explaining the solutions of Islam to problems in life, and by working to change the rulers through intellectual and political struggle, the party works in more than forty countries in the world!
The article also states, “Five members have presented a formal request to the Jordanian Ministry of Interior, to allow the formation of a political party on November 17, 1952. It was rejected!) This is not accurate as the Party has completed the legal procedures required in the Ottoman Societies Act in effect at that time, and received the ‘acknowledgement and news’, according to the law. By presenting its statement to the government attached with its basic system and by publishing its method on “As-Sareeh” Newspaper, Issue number 176, dated 14/03/1953, Hizb ut Tahrir became a legally practicing Party in all actions in accordance Ottoman Societies Act in effect at that time. This was before the regime turned its back on the party and arrested four Members of the five, and declared war on Hizb ut Tahrir, which is still ongoing since its inception to the present day, and the arrest of two members: Midhat Mirar and Al-Jabrini last week in Amman but an evidence of the continuation of the hostility and the war!
The author writes, “A group of religious employees established Hizb ut Tahrir in Jerusalem, after their split from the Muslim Brotherhood. The initiator of the split, at the beginning of 1952, was the Azhari scholar and judge Sheikh Taqiuddin an-Nabahani, who was one of the men of Haj Amin al-Husseini.” We find this selective approach in presentation very strange! the Azhari scholar and judge Sheikh Taqiuddin an-Nabahani, may Allah have mercy on him was never a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, and not from the men of Haj Amin al-Husseini as the writer “copied” of the article from the web! Even though many of these sites have later retracted it!
Then he says, “Also Sheikh An-Nabahani, after receiving substantial financial assistance from Lebanon, he tried the formation of several groups, each consisting of ten members!” This is baseless and pure fabrication, the Party is best known in the world political arena of rejecting all funding from outside … and views accepting aid an aberration and that it removes its control over its decisions …It limits its funding to what is provided by the members of the Party, which frees it from being bought or sold; and it depends only on Allah Almighty when making decisions.
According to the article, “This is a strong confirmation of the intensity of the secret activity.” How can the activity of Hizb ut Tahrir be secret with all its printed publications, audio and visual, are widespread?! And how is the activity secret when the official websites on the Internet are numerous and do not leave an issue facing the Muslim countries without explaining the problem, its cause, the solution and the duty of Muslims?! How is its activities secret with all the conferences, rallies and media interviews held around the globe and in most of the well-known languages?! How can he hint or state that the Party’s activities are secret?!
What is even more baffling is what is stated in his article, “Because of the loss of political flexibility, and it does not adopt the laws of gradualism to reach the goals, and does not adapt to the requirements of the modern era.” He says, “…non-adaptability to global variables or to accommodate to the requirements of the 21st century is understood.” Hizb ut Tahrir bases its work and method on the method of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and not as the stated reasons that are not revealed by Allah سبحانه وتعالى. The political vision of Hizb ut Tahrir views the whole world from only one perspective which is Islam. The Shariah rulings (political and others) do not change with the change of time and place, and what changes are the styles and means.
The argument of adapting to the requirements of the modern age, coping with global changes and accommodating to the requirements of the twenty-first century, Hizb ut Tahrir’s ideology is Islam and its actions are based upon and adheres to Islam; and is working to implement it which came down for all human beings, regardless of the difference in the styles, means, and tools. The human essence and reality do not change with time, everyone has instincts and organic needs that they seek to satisfy them, and has a mind that distinguishes, these do not change no matter which tools they use. However, if the writer means man-made systems that emanated from limited minds and of diseased thoughts, then the Islamic thoughts came to replace them. The Muslims are obliged to carry the message of Islam to people to bring them out of the darkness of disbelief, misguidance and misery to the light of Islam and its justice to the happiness in both domains.
The writer says, “Because of the anti-Arab nationalism position of the Party and deeming all its advocates as Kufr, it lead to the execution of Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Badri, one of the Party’s leaders in Iraq”. He also says, “Hizb ut Tahrir attracted the animosity of Arab intellectuals due to its rejection of the idea of democracy, which it consider a kind of disbelief, and who believes in it or exercises apostatized from the religion of Islam.” Hizb ut Tahrir has explained and still explains the Islamic rulings on these two issues and others. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said regarding the first issue of ignorant tribalism,
«دعوها فإنها نتنة»
“Leave it is rotten.”
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in regards to the second, Democracy,
إن الحكم إلا لله
“The Rule is for none but Allah”
(Yusuf: 67)
The right to issue judgments and legislation belongs to Allah alone, and democracy gives this right to the limited minds of men. The execution of Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Badri, may Allah have mercy on him, was because of his membership of Hizb ut Tahrir, also other members were executed in Iraq and elsewhere, and not because of the idea of Arab nationalism which writer forcefully adds in his article. The Party explains the Islamic ruling on nationalism and on other ideas. The Sheikh was not executed because of that idea, but because he works with Hizb ut Tahrir…
Finally, we do not wish for the author of the article to be like the night-time woodsman who gathers snakes with firewood, mixing good with evil, and strayed from the truth and reality and history. We wish that he verifies his copies! For your information, our media offices and party members are all over the world and access to them is very easy. As we would have liked for the newspaper before the publication of such article to verify its information so it does not violate the fundamentals of professional journalism!
مَا يَلْفِظُ مِن قَوْلٍ إِلا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ
“He does not utter a single word, without a watcher by him, pen in hand!”
(Qaf: 18)
The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
Sunday, 19 Rajab 1435 AH
18/05/2014 CE
Issue No : 1435 AH /036