Once again, another village in the Chicago suburbs will be the target of a public event by the anti-democracy, religious extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir on Sunday, December 20 – this time using a government-managed community center in Lombard, Illinois.
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an extreme group that is opposed to democracy and religious freedom, has called for the killing of Jews, recently called for whipping of homosexuals and stonings to combat AIDS, has reportedly called for the murder of a university official in Bangladesh, and in July distributed pamphlets in Chicago’s Oak Lawn suburb calling for the “death penalty” for those who leave Islam. Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international organization that according to a former member Ed Husain, Hizb ut-Tahrir calls for an “expansionist, violent, totalitarian Islamist state.” According to BBC and the Daily Telegraph, Hizb ut-Tahrir has been linked to calls for killing Jews and Hindus, radicalizing individuals to become suicide bombers, and according to the New Statesman has been linked to high-level terrorists.
Hizb ut-Tahrir America is holding its latest group event in the Chicago suburban village of Lombard, Illinois on the subject “Crisis in Pakistan – Current Events & Future Direction.” Hizb ut-Tahrir America opposes the Pakistan government’s military efforts against the Taliban terrorists in Waziristan, which is a primary haven for both the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
In July, the London Times reported on British members of Hizb ut-Tahrir that had been incited to go to Pakistan to seek to influence Pakistan military members and others to instigate a “coup” against the current Pakistan government. The London Times report described how Hizb ut-Tahrir members’ “aim was to subject Muslim and western countries to Islamic rule under sharia law, ‘by force’ if necessary”… where ” ‘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.” The London Times report added that Hizb ut-Tahrir aims of “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.”
Those seeking to be involved in violent Violent Extemism have been drawn to Pakistan, with five Americans from the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC arrested in Pakistan last week; according to CBS News, they sought to promote “jihad.” Hizb ut-Tahrir Pakistan’s manifesto calls for all male children at age 15 to get military “Violent Extemism training” (page 37).
While the village of Lombard is promoting “Peace,” Hizb ut-Tahrir America seeks to use Lombard community facilities to incite Americans in Chicago with its perspective of events in Pakistan. Unlike July 2009, when Hizb ut-Tahrir America rented a private facility (Holiday Inn in Oak Lawn, IL), this time Hizb ut-Tahrir will be renting space from a public building from the Village of Lombard Parks District (similar to Hizb ut-Tahrir Canada’s approach in Mississauga, Canada in July 2009.)
Hizb ut-Tahrir America has rented the Lombard Community Building at 433 East St. Charles Road for their December 20, 2009 event from 5:00 to 6:30 PM Central Time. We are certain that the Village of Lombard Parks District and Lombard Government has no idea who and what Hizb ut-Tahrir is, nor would they even think to inquire. We urge readers to contact the Lombard government and media to make them aware of this.
Like Hizb ut-Tahrir Canada’s use of a government facility for their event in July, Hizb ut-Tahrir America is counting on use of such government facilities to spread anti-democratic views and opposition to religious freedom by using smaller cities’ parks and recreation facilities, anticipating that there will be limited scrutiny to their applications for use of government facilities.
In recent weeks, a major United Kingdom university stopped the Hizb ut-Tahrir from using public university facilities for a debate. On December 10, BBC reported that attempts by the Hizb ut-Tahrir to hold a public event at Queen Mary College was canceled once the media reported about them. In their report BBC stated about Hizb ut-Tahrir that “A leaflet displayed on its website once urged Muslims to ‘kill [Jews] wherever you find them’.” A spokesman for Student Rights told BBC that “Hizb ut-Tahrir speakers have been known to condone suicide bombings and support Islamist movements which undertake terrorist acts such as Islamic Violent Extemism.”
In July 2009, Hizb ut-Tahrir America held an event at a Chicago suburban Oak Lawn Illinois Holiday Inn attacking democracy, promoting supremacism, and distributing pamphlets calling for the “death penalty” for those who commit the “treason” of leaving Islam (pamphlet pages 62 and 67). [This pamphlet “‘Islamic Reformation’ – Exposing the battle for hearts and minds” continues to be distributed by Hizb ut-Tahrir, through its “official” web site Khilafah.com, linked to Hizb ut-Tahrir America’s website promoting the December 20 event in Lombard, Illinois.]
Local Chicago media reported on the July 2009 Hizb ut-Tahrir event, as did national media such as FOX News, interviewing Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)‘s Jeffrey Imm on the subject on July 19 and July 20. R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm led an all-day, pro-democracy protest to Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Oak Lawn event, which drew between 30 and 50 attendees.Muslims such as Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD), reject the anti-democratic message of Hizb ut-Tahrir as a “Violent Extremist indoctrination group.” In AIFD’s comments regarding Hizb ut-Tahrir America’s July 2009 event in the Chicago Oak Lawn suburb, AIFD stated that:
“Hizb ut-Tahrir is an Islamist network that is committed to creating an Islamic Caliphate that spans the globe. The organization is banned in Germany and Russia as well as several Arab countries and targets Muslim children between the ages of 9 and 18. Many compare their efforts to organizations like the Hitler Youth. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, is counted among their alumnus.”
Dr. Jasser stated that “Hizb ut-Tahrir preaches an ideology that calls for the destruction of the principles that America is founded on.”
Others reported on the July 2009 Chicago Hizb ut-Tahrir event including the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT), led by former CNN analyst Steven Emerson, with reports stating “Anti-Semitic, Anti-Christian Propaganda on Display at Caliphate Conference,” and “Hizb Ut-Tahrir: Shariah Takes Precedence over U.S. Constitution.”
BBC television broadcast on its Panorama television show on the Hizb ut-Tahrir, interviewing a British “influential Muslim figure” who stated about Hizb ut-Tahrir to BBC: “I believe that if Hizb ut-Tahrir are not stopped at this stage and we continue to let them to politicize and pollute the youngsters’ minds and other gullible peoples minds, that what will happen in effect is that these terrorism acts and these suicide bombings that we hear going on around us in foreign countries, we will actually start seeing these incidents happening right outside our doorsteps.”
We support our unqualified, universal human rights for all. We urge Hizb ut-Tahrir supporters to drop the burden of the hate of supremacism from their hearts, and to rejoin the family of humanity in support of our universal human rights.
Resources for Additional Action and Research:
R.E.A.L. Postings referencing Hizb ut-Tahrir
World AIDS Day: Hizb ut-Tahrir Calls for Stonings, Whippings, Islamic Caliphate
National Post Describes Anti-Jewish Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Growth on College Campuses
Bangladesh: Anti-Freedom Group Hizb ut-Tahrir Threatens to Murder University Official
UK: Hizb ut-Tahrir Anti-Democracy Group Schools Receive Government Funding
White House Adviser Joins UK Interview with Anti-Democratic Hizb ut-Tahrir Group
Extremist Hizb ut-Tahrir Event Promoted with Beheaded Statue of Liberty
UK: Press Reports of “Furious Residents” over Extremist Hizb ut-Tahrir Conference
Canada: Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) Group to Meet in Govt-Managed Community Center
Chicago’s Moment of Freedom: Chicagoans Stand Up for Freedom Challenging Hizb ut-Tahrir
July 19 – Chicago: R.E.A.L. Pro-Freedom Protest to Challenge Hizb ut-Tahrir America Conference
