Day: October 8, 2009

U.S. President Obama’s adviser on Muslim affairs, Dalia Mogahed, was broadcast on a UK television show titled Muslimah Dilemma in an interview along with the anti-democratic extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, where she stated that Sharia was associated with “gender justice ” or “justice for women.” In April 2009, Dalia Mogahed was appointed by President Obama to serve on the Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnership.

Dalia Mogahed joined the discussion on “What Muslim Women Want” along with UK Hizb ut-Tahrir’s national women’s officer Nazreen Nawaz.  According to a report by the Daily Telegraph, the program was “hosted by Ibtihal Bsis, a member of the extremist Hizb ut Tahrir party.”

The interview with White House Adviser Dalia Mogahed is being promoted by the Hizb ut-Tahrir web site and is on YouTube.

Additional Reports:
— Barack Obama adviser says Sharia Law is misunderstood
— Dalia Mogahed, Hizb ut-Tahrir Representative Tout Sharia for Women
— Obama’s Advisor Promotes and the Promotion of Hizb ut Tahrir
— Transcript of Dalia Mogahed on Islam Channel’s Muslimah Dilemma programme
— PDF of Transcript

A. Daily Telegraph Report of Dalia Mogahed Interview with Hizb ut-Tahrir

Daily Telegraph Report: “Barack Obama adviser says Sharia Law is misunderstood”

Daily Telegraph reports:

— “President Barack Obama’s adviser on Muslim affairs, Dalia Mogahed, has provoked controversy by appearing on a British television show hosted by a member of an extremist group to talk about Sharia Law.”
— Daily Telegraph reports: “Miss Mogahed, appointed to the President’s Council on Faith-Based and Neighbourhood Partnerships, said the Western view of Sharia was ‘oversimplified’ and the majority of women around the world associate it with ‘gender justice'”
— “The White House adviser made the remarks on a London-based TV discussion programme hosted by Ibtihal Bsis, a member of the extremist Hizb ut Tahrir party.”
— “The group believes in the non-violent destruction of Western democracy and the creation of an Islamic state under Sharia Law across the world. ”
— “Miss Mogahed appeared alongside Hizb ut Tahrir’s national women’s officer, Nazreen Nawaz.”
— “During the 45-minute discussion, on the Islam Channel programme Muslimah Dilemma earlier this week, the two members of the group made repeated attacks on secular ‘man-made law’ and the West’s ‘lethal cocktail of liberty and capitalism'”
— “They called for Sharia Law to be ‘the source of legislation’ and said that women should not be ‘permitted to hold a position of leadership in government’.
— “Miss Mogahed made no challenge to these demands and said that ‘promiscuity’ and the ‘breakdown of traditional values’ were what Muslims admired least about the West.”
— “She said: ‘I think the reason so many women support Sharia is because they have a very different understanding of sharia than the common perception in Western media.”
— “‘The majority of women around the world associate gender justice, or justice for women, with sharia compliance.'”
— “‘The portrayal of Sharia has been oversimplified in many cases.'”
— “The video of the broadcast has now been prominently posted on the front page of Hizb ut Tahrir’s website.
— “Miss Mogahed, who was born in Egypt and moved to America at the age of five, is the first veiled Muslim woman to serve in the White House. Her appointment was seen as a sign of the Obama administration’s determination to reach out to the Muslim world.”
— “She is also the executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, a project which aims to scientifically sample public opinion in the Muslim world.”
— “During this week’s broadcast, she described her White House role as ‘to convey… to the President and other public officials what it is Muslims want.'”

B. Summary of the Hizb ut-Tahrir Organization

The Hizb ut-Tahrir organization is an international religious extremist organization that has denounces democracy, equality, capitalism, and calls for the creation of a global caliphate.  In July 2009, Hizb ut-Tahrir led a public conference in the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn where they promoted this global extremist caliphate, as well as condemned democracy.  In addition, Hizb ut-Tahrir handed out a pamphlet to the estimated 700 attendees in Oak Lawn defends the death penalty for so-called “apostates” – who leave Islam (pages 62 and 68), and that condemned “Women’s groups engaged in gender equality campaigns” (page 13).

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) and other Chicago protesters rejected Hizb ut-Tahrir’s anti-democratic views and protested in support for democracy and equality.   R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm also addressed direct quotes from the HT’s manifesto, and pointed out that HT states that: “the democratic system… is a Kufr [infidel] system” (page 25); rejects democracy because it “is the rule of people, for the people, by the people” (page 24);  “Democratic Capitalism” … “is a Kufr ideology and its ideas are Kufr ideas, and its systems are Kufr systems, and they contradict Islam” (page 24); “freedom of belief, freedom of speech, freedom of ownership of capital and personal freedom”… “are in conflict with Islam” (page 24); “personal freedom does not exist in Islam” (page 24); “liberty and democracy, and the Capitalist and Socialist systems… totally contradict with” Islam (page 7);  freedom of religion is denied by HT, whose manifesto states the “Muslim is not free in the matter of his belief because if he apostasizes from Islam, he is asked to return.  If he does not, the punishment is death” (page 24).

The Hizb ut-Tahrir’s branch in Malaysia promoted its July 26, 2009 conference for a global Caliphate with an image of a “beheaded” Statue of Liberty and NYC in smoking ruins.   The HT web site refers to democracy as “perverted.”

The Hizb ut-Tahrir blog promoting such extremist conferences, such as those in Canada, U.S., and other countries, also promoted this image of violence against the United States on its blog as well.  The Hizb ut-Tahrir blog promoted this as part of “Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Global Rajab Campaign.”

This same Hizb ut-Tahrir blog has also promoted the HT pamphlet (page 62), distributed at Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Oak Lawn conference in the United States, that supports killing those individuals who leave Islam as guilty of “treason and a political attack on the Khilafah.”

C. Additional Background on the Supremacism of Hizb ut-Tahrir

At the July 19 meeting at the Chicago Oak Lawn suburb, HT publicly promoted its goal as the “supremacy” of its extremist view of Islam.  HT speaker Dr. Jaleel Abdul-Adil called for conference attendees to achieve such a  caliphate, work towards making Islam “supreme on this earth,” or to “die in the attempt.”  HT justified its extremist views by stating “every group tries to expand its influence,” while distributing a pamphlet to conference attendees that justified killing Muslims who choose to leave Islam.

The pamphlet ” ‘Islamic Reformation’ – Exposing the Battle for Hearts and Minds” distributed by the HT at the July 19 Oak Lawn, IL conference is also being distributed at the same HT website promoting the Canadian conference scheduled for July 31.

The HT pamphlet mocks human rights, freedom, equality, and justifies killing Muslims who choose to leave Islam.  It is designed to reject the concept of any type of “Islamic reformation” demanding instead the creation of a caliphate.  The HT pamphlet mocks the efforts by Canadian Islamic reformer Irshad Manji (page 6), condemns “Women’s groups engaged in gender equality campaigns” (page 13), claims that challenging the Taliban’s rejection of human rights was merely a ploy “to attack Islam” (page 16), mocks “The Fallacy of Western Universalism” (page 21), mocks “allegedly universal values of secularism, freedom, democracy, Human Rights, pluralism, and the rule of law” (page 23), calls for “Shari’ah rule” (page 39),  and demands separate laws for men and women.

The HT brochure defends the death penalty for so-called “apostates” – who leave Islam (pages 62 and 68).  On page 62, HT justifies killing other Muslims who leave Islam because HT views such Muslims as guilty of “treason.”

The HT brochure rejects human equality stating (page 64), “Equality is not the basis of Islam and never has been in the history of Islamic jurisprudence. This is a term alien to Islam.”

In the most recent July 26 London meeting, HT claimed that “thousands” attended its London conference, where HT attacked U.S. President Obama as seeking to “reinterpret the Qu’ran.”  In August 2007, Barack Obama identified as America’s enemies those who would create “a repressive caliphate.”   Such a caliphate is the primary organizational objective of Hizb ut-Tahrir.

On July 4, 2009, the London Times reported that on followers of Hizb ut-Tahrir leader have called for “the creation of the caliphate in which strict Islamic laws would be rigorously enforced.”  It stated that a UK Hizb ut-Tahrir member had moved to Pakistan to promote such a caliphate.  The London Times reported that: “Tayyib Muqeem, an English teacher from Stoke-on-Trent, said he had moved to Lahore to convert Pakistanis to the movement.”  “At Lahore’s Superior College, where Muqeem has set up a Hizb ut-Tahrir student group, he said the organisation’s aim was to subject Muslim and western countries to Islamic rule under sharia law, ‘by force’ if necessary.”  “In a caliphate, ‘every woman would have to cover up’ and stoning to death for adultery and the chopping off of thieves’ hands would be the law, he said.”  “He added that Islamic rule would be spread through ‘indoctrination’ and by ‘military means’ if non-Muslim countries refused to bow to it. ‘Waging war’ would be part of the caliphate’s foreign policy.”

D. More Background on Hizb ut-Tahrir:

Responsible for Equality And Liberty: “Why We Challenge Hizb ut Tahrir”

Hizb ut-Tahrir Manifesto at Hizb ut-Tahrir web site “Universal Islam”

Hizb ut-Tahrir’s “The System of Islam (Nidham ul Islam)” by HT Founder Taqiuddin an-Nabahani

E. Related Articles on Hizb-ut-Tahrir

— June 18, 2009: Hizb ut-Tahrir America Enters Public Stage – by Madeleine Gruen

— Hizb ut-Tahrir: Islam’s Political Insurgency, by Zeyno Baran

— Hizb-ut-Tahrir’s Activities in the United States — by Madeleine Gruen
—- “Its membership has swelled, putting on track its objective of persuading the global ummah that the establishment of a caliphate”

— Hizb ut-Tahrir in North America – by Andrew Cochran

— “Hizb-ut-Tahrir wants worldwide Sharia law”

— Hizb ut Tahrir London meeting: an eyewitness report

— At massive rally, Hizb ut-Tahrir calls for a global Muslim state

— Thousands call for Caliphate at Indonesian meet

— Islamists launch PR ‘war’ against Western values — Hizb ut-Tahrir

— “I know how these terrorists are inspired” — about Hizb ut-Tahrir

— BBC: Hizb ut Tahrir
— “Hizb Ut Tahrir or HT is an Islamic splinter group, which is banned in many countries around the world. It operates freely in Britain.”
— “But Newsnight has discovered that its website promotes racism and anti-Semitic hatred, calls suicide bombers martyrs, and urges Muslims to kill Jewish people.”
— “The party has expressed support of suicide bombings in Israel. It denounces Western governments and what it sees as their lackey regimes in the Middle East.”
— “In Denmark, HT’s spokesman has been found guilty of distributing racist propaganda.”

— BBC Video Report on Hizb ut-Tahrir

— April 2008 – Daily Telegraph: “Islamists ‘urge young Muslims to use violence'”
— “Hizb ut Tahrir, which wants to overthrow democracy and establish a worldwide Islamic theocracy, distributed leaflets to young Muslims inciting them to resist the occupation of Islamic lands, according to a TV documentary by a former group member.”
— “One leaflet read: ‘Your forefathers destroyed the first crusader campaigns. Should you not proceed like them and destroy the new crusaders?'”
— “‘Let the armies move to help the Muslims in Iraq, for they seek your help.’ Another leaflet, handed out last August, pours scorn on the UN and tells followers to embark on a Violent Extemism, or ‘holy war’.”
— “The Panorama documentary contains the first testimony indicating it has advocated the use of force. The group has been accused of fuelling terrorism in the past, but has always denied involvement in any form of violent activity.”
— “Omar Shariff, the first UK suicide bomber, who blew himself up in a Tel Aviv bar in 2003, is alleged to have been radicalised by Hizb ut Tahrir.”
— “Panorama has also uncovered a speech made in August last year by Ata Abu-Rishta, the global leader of Hizb ut Tahrir, when he called for the “destruction” of Hindus living in Kashmir, Russians in Chechnya and Jews in Israel.”
— “‘The Caliphate (global Islamic government) will liberate the countries and the people from the influence of the Kafer (non-believer) and its allies and the tyranny of its men and followers,’ he said.”
— “Rishta also spoke recently at its annual conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, where, as video footage in the Panorama expose shows, he whipped the 100,000-strong crowd into a frenzy by calling for a war on Jews. Saleem Atchia, a senior member of Hizb ut Tahrir UK, later made a firebrand speech from the same platform.”
— “Maher, a former friend of the bombers who tried to blow up Glasgow Airport in June and the organisation’s north-east ‘director’ until he left in 2005, claims its aims are the same the world over.”
— “He says its British disciples believe they will eventually fight on these shores.”
— “‘Hizb ut Tahrir despises democracy and believes Shariah law must be imposed over the whole world, by force if necessary,’ he said.”
— “‘I think unless we challenge this we are sleepwalking into a very dangerous future.'”

— Wikipedia on Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Position on Terrorism

— UK Guardian: “leaflets handed out by Hizb ut-Tahrir supporters in Copenhagen which claimed suicide bombings in Israel were ‘legitimate’ acts of ‘martyrdom'”

— U.S. Government position on Hizb ut-Tahrir