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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Posters Recall Islamic Caliphate |
| 2006-03-06 |
| Beirut, 6 March. (AKI) - In the streets of Sidon, Lebanon's third city, posters from banned groups glorifying the defunct caliphate have begun appearing on walls. "The caliphate, one sole state for all the Muslims of the world" read a message, written in red on a white background, and signed by Hizb ut-Tahrir, an outlawed Islamic party. "The absence of the caliphate has handed us over to our enemies, the colonialist and evil Western countries who have undermined our spiritual force. "The caliphate is the only solution for Islam", read another message. The leaders of Hizb ut-Tahrir (the party of liberation) explained that it was not an explicit invitation to create an Islamic state in Lebanon, adding that "the posters have been put up for the anniversary of the fall of the Ottoman calliphate". The last Caliphate was abolished by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on March 3, 1924, and the title has since been inactive. Scattered attempts to revive the Caliphate elsewhere in the Muslim World were made in the years immediately following its abandonment by Turkey, but none were successful. "The slogans want to recall that date and invite the faithful to work to reunite the Islamic nation in one sole state," explained Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman Ayman Qadiri. More explicit was another message on a wall in central Sidon. "Anyone who is faithful to the Western nations, to their leaders, to their partners, betrays God and his Prophet". Hizb ut-Tahrir, whose symbol is a black banner with the credo of Islam written on it, is an Islamic party founded in Jerusalem in 1953 by the Sheikh Taqi ad-Din an-Nahbani. Its stated aims include "the liberation of the Muslim lands from the colonial occupation and the re-creation of the Islamic Calliphate based on Sharia law". The group is banned in most Arabic and Islamic countries, but also in Germany and Britain. After the Lebanese port of Tripoli, Sidon is the city with the largest population of Sunni Muslims and the local authorities acknowledge the presence of illegal cells of Hizb ut-Tahrir. "We have on various occasions presented official requests for recognition to the interior ministry in Beirut and to date we have always had ambiguous replies. In any case, our members are arrested even if they don't carry out any political activity," Qadiri said. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #3 The British obtained a fatwa from the muslim ulema in India that declared the Ottoman caliphate as illegitimate since they were not the rightful heirs of the prophet. This fatwa still stands.... Prior to this, the Padishahs e Hind (the Emperors of India) did not see themselves as beholden to any self styled Turkish caliph. They were the rightful rulers of their lands and the muslim clerics were beholden to them.. Their legitimacy derived from the right of conquest. They were the "House of Timur", the first Mogul emperor Babur was descended fom Timur (Tamerlane), himself descended from Genghis Khan. Likewise the Persian Shahanshah, considered by his Shia subjects to be the rightful Caliph... |
| Posted by: john 2006-03-06 19:39 |
| #2 ...and evil Western countries who have undermined our spiritual force. Sounds like we've been stealing their precious bodily fluids. |
| Posted by: Xbalanke 2006-03-06 17:37 |
| #1 "The absence of the caliphate has handed us over to our enemies, the colonialist and evil Western countries who have undermined our spiritual force..." It's good to know that that the West is "undermining their spiritual force". If it's that easy to shake... |
| Posted by: Jules 2006-03-06 14:58 |