The government of Australia formally banned Hizb ut Tahrir on March 6, designating the Islamist organization as a hate group in a move aimed at curbing extremist ideology and preventing radicalization. Hizb ut Tahrir is a radical political party that calls for the establishment of a global caliphate.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the decision was driven by concerns that Hizb ut Tahrir had long been able to promote hateful rhetoric and foster an environment that could encourage violence. Burke added that the government’s new hate-group listing framework was created to prevent organizations like Hizb ut Tahrir from spreading hatred and deepening divisions within the community, warning that such activity threatens Australia’s “social cohesion” and public safety.
The designation makes it a criminal offense to join, recruit for, train, fund, or otherwise support the organization, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Australia’s ABC News reported that Hizb ut Tahrir was on the “Australian Security Intelligence Organization’s radar for years, but had previously fallen short of meeting the legal bar to be formally banned.” The report added that the Islamist organization was “one of two groups the government had named as its main targets following the Bondi massacre.”
The Daily Telegraph reported that Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn approved the ban on Thursday, and it will go into effect on Friday.
Hizb ut Tahrir’s official website has not commented on the ban, but a statement published on January 13 denounced the Australian government’s attempt at the time to limit the group’s activities, framing it as a “broader effort to prohibit all pro-Palestinian activities.”
Background on Hizb ut Tahrir
Hizb ut Tahrir is an international Islamist political party that, like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, calls for the establishment of a global Caliphate and the implementation of Sharia (Islamic law). While Hizb ut Tahrir claims that it seeks to establish the Caliphate through peaceful means, the group has openly advocated violence against the West.
The group is active in more than 40 countries and has been banned in many, including the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan. However, the group has not been banned in the United States or Canada.
In October 2008, Hizb ut Tahrir’s branch in Pakistan advocated for the government to cut diplomatic and military ties with the West and deploy its nuclear weapons if the US continues to violate Pakistan’s territorial integrity. The US was launching drone strikes against Al Qaeda and other terror groups inside Pakistan at the time. Previously, Hizb ut Tahrir had urged Pakistan to attack US bases, including Bagram Airfield north of Kabul, Afghanistan, and Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, with nuclear weapons. The group also suggested that all of Pakistan’s 160 million citizens should conduct martyrdom operations.
In December 2010, Hizb ut Tahrir’s branch in Denmark announced that it would hold a meeting at the Royal Library in Copenhagen to “focus on the duty of armed resistance for Muslims in Afghanistan and surrounding nations.” A Hizb-ut Tahrir spokesman said that the Danish government was responsible for sending its troops to die in Afghanistan.
Joe Truzman is a research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal focused primarily on Palestinian militant groups and Hezbollah. Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.
Tags: australia, Hizb ut Tahrir
