In an article published by Asharq al-Awsat Newspaper (Issue 14144, Wednesday, May 16, 2018), under the title “The recent terrorist stabbing attack in Paris confirmed the fears of the Germans against the extremism of the Chechens”, the author Majid al-Khatib claimed that there are “obvious similarities” between Islamic terrorism and extreme right-wing terrorism. Although the article was written against the backdrop of the recent stabbing attack in Paris and the German authorities’ fear of operations carried out by Chechen extremists in Germany and Europe, the writer refused but to fill the article with insinuations that were not innocent and even included explicit fabrications when he linked Hizb ut Tahrir to the Nazi parties in Germany. He alleged that German investigators had observed “cooperation between the banned Hizb ut Tahrir in Germany, based in Berlin, and the German far-right National Democratic Party (NPD).” The General Prosecution then spoke about a joint seminar held at the Berlin Technical University between the two parties, focusing on the war to liberate Kuwait”.
It is clear that the writer deliberately published these arguments, since everyone knows that Hizb ut Tahrir, which is proudly carrying out the Dawah for the resumption of the Islamic life, has nothing to do with the material acts despite all the repressive and unjust campaigns that its members have been and continue to be subjected to at the hands of the unjust regimes in the Muslim countries. Everyone knows that the Hizb’s methodology in Dawah is based on intellectual and political struggle, and explicitly rejects the use of material work (violence). And any researcher with an atom of fairness would not have missed this fact. From here we find that the author’s interpolative inclusion of Hizb ut Tahrir in the context of his ill-advised article on alleged Islamic terrorism and extreme right-wing terrorism is all unjustified and has no excuse for the author to claim ignorance, as well as his scandalous implication of the existence of “cooperation” between Hizb ut Tahrir and the “German National Democratic Party”.
As for what the writer leaned on to justify this absurd link of a “joint seminar held at the Berlin Technical University between the two parties focusing on the war to liberate Kuwait” this was not a joint seminar at all, but a lecture held by the Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in German-Speaking Countries in October 2002 to expose America’s plans to prepare for the invasion of Iraq (which was carried out in 2003), and not to liberate Kuwait, as the researcher said. The lecture was open to the public, and it was later discovered that both Udo Voigt, head of the German National Democratic Party and his adviser Horst Mahler, attended the lecture. So, how can it be understood from their attendance of an open lecture to the public the existence of this alleged cooperation!
The article dealt in detail with the alleged danger that the German authorities fear from Chechens who had already trained in arms, fighting and the like. This context does not justify at all the inclusion of Hizb ut Tahrir, the well-known and long-standing political party, in this context, unless there is ill will in the writer.
As for us in Hizb ut Tahrir, we continue our call with firm determination on the methodology of the Prophet ﷺ. We will not be tormented by the crows cawing or by the followers of the black chambers of mercenaries or by the cunning of the enemies. And Allah supports His Deen although the disbelievers dislike it, and although the hypocrites dislike it.
Dr. Osman Bakhach
Director of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
Friday, 02nd Ramadan I 1439 AH
18/05/2018 CE
Issue No: 1439 AH /025