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| Britain |
| Hizb-ut-Tahrir rants, raves, makes faces at Blair over proposed ban |
| 2005-09-05 |
| Hizbut Tahrir, an Islamist party in the firing line since the London bombings in July, on Sunday accused British Prime Minister Tony Blair of wanting to strip freedom of speech from Muslims in Britain. Blairâs August 5 announcement of an intention to ban Hizbut Tahrir and Al Muhajiroun was a âmove to curtail political expression in the Muslim communityâ, said Hizbut Tahrir Britain spokesman Imran Waheed at an 800-strong gathering in central London. Waheed branded the move a âserious mistakeâ and pledged that the group would âpursue all legal avenuesâ to fight the ban, adding that âweâre very confidentâ of winning the battle. He denied accusations that the group supported violence or was responsible for radicalising young Muslims. âOur work is about establishing Islamic governance in the Muslim world, our aim is bringing about responsible, accountable governance rather than that adopted by tyrants,â Waheed said. âThe West has nothing to fear from the two systems working side by side.â The spokesman also hit back at claims that Hizbut Tahrir is secretly trying to recruit students. âThere is absolutely no truth in claims that we are secretly recruiting in universities or have set up front organisations,â he said. On August 5, Blair warned hardline Islamists in Britain that âthe rules of the game are changingâ, announcing a sweeping range of new powers to combat terrorism following the London bombings, and proscribing Hizbut Tahrir and Al Muhajiroun. The two groups are linked through Omar Bakri Mohammed, banned last month from re-entering Britain. Syrian-born Bakri, founder and spiritual leader of Al Muhajiroun, was one of Britainâs best known â many would say notorious â radical Muslim clerics. He set up a branch of Hizbut Tahrir in Britain, but split from it in 1996 due to differences with the global leadership. The cleric then declared Al Muhajiroun an independent party, which gained notoriety for its support of attacks such as the September 11, 2001 strikes on New York and Washington attributed to Al Qaeda. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 Hope MI-5 filmed each and every eager face at this beerhall putsch |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-09-05 14:10 |