On Thursday, 10th October, the Indian Government led by PM Modi declared the Hizb-ut-Tahrir organization as a terrorist organization. “Pursuing PM Narendra Modi Ji’s policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism, the MHA today declared ‘Hizb-Ut-Tahrir’ as a Terrorist Organisation,’ MHA Amit Shah said.
“The outfit is involved in various acts of terror, including radicalizing the gullible youths to join terrorist organizations and raise funds for terror activities, posing a serious threat to the national security and sovereignty of India. The Modi government is committed to securing Bharat by dealing with the forces of terror with an iron fist,” the minister added.
Releasing an official statement on the matter, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that the HuT organization aimed to establish an Islamic state and Caliphate globally including in India by overthrowing democratically elected governments through Jihad and terrorist activities by involving citizens of the country, which is a grave threat to the democratic setup and internal security of the country.
The MHA also said that the HuT is involved in the radicalization and motivation of gullible youth to join terrorist organizations, such as ISIS, and raise funds for terrorist activities. It is involved in promoting terrorism using social media platforms and secure apps to attract gullible youth to indulge in an act of terrorism.
The organization has been categorized as a terrorist organization by exercising the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967).
It is crucial to note that the government was examining the proposal to impose a ban on the HuT in the year 2023 after the Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) busted its terror module and the NIA named it under UAPA, 1967.
NIA raids exposing anti-India plot in Tamil Nadu
This comes a day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) apprehended a major accused in the Tamil Nadu Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) case in Puducherry for propagating disaffection and secessionism by promoting the ideology of the anti-India outfit on Wednesday.
Later on Thursday, 10th October the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at the home of the accused in the Tamil Nadu Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) anti-India conspiracy. Extensive searches were performed within the home of accused Faizul Rahman in Chennai, resulting in the recovery of various incriminating items, including digital gadgets and documents.
The officials also discovered that the accused was actively engaged with other arrested accused individuals in the case to advocate secessionism and seek military support from Pakistan to liberate Kashmir. The conspiracy attempted to establish Khilafat/Islamic rule by overthrowing the Indian government through violent jihad.
About Hizb-ut-Tahrir
Hizb-ut-Tahrir, established in Jerusalem in 1953 by Taqiuddin al-Nabhan is a global pan-Islamic terrorist organization. Over the decades, the terrorist organization evolved from its initial non-violent methods that were chosen to gain influence within Muslim communities, to a more complex approach that involves gathering support from military factions and influential leaders that have the capacity to stage coups.
The group is headquartered in Lebanon and operates in at least 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia.
It advocates for the formation of a universal Islamic caliphate under Sharia rule.
The HuT has a history of encouraging and glorifying attacks on Israel and Jews more broadly. Notably, HuT has been banned in several countries including Bangladesh, China, Russia, Pakistan, Germany, Turkey, Indonesia, and others. Among Arab countries, it is banned in all except Lebanon, Yemen, and the UAE. In recent times, HuT had started expanding its feet in India as well.
Hizb ut-Tahrir’s plans to expand Islamic and anti-India ideology in India
On June 30th, OpIndia reported that the National Investigating Agency conducted multiple searches at various places in relation to the terrorist organization. Two of its members, Abdul Rehman and Mujibur Rehman, were arrested by the NIA for indoctrinating young people.
The trainees were tasked with transforming India from Darul Kufr (Land of Non-believers) to Darul Islam (House/abode of Islam). The agency seized digital devices (cell phones, computers, SIM cards, memory cards) as well as many incriminating materials, including printouts and books containing the philosophies of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, Khilafa, Islamic State, and the proposed Khilafa administration and financial systems.
The case was filed against the culprit for sharing derogatory content on Facebook, according to the Thideernagar Police Station in Madurai. Afterward, it was transferred to the NIA, which re-registered it on 15th April to conduct a thorough investigation into the situation. A search was carried out at Kabir Ahmed’s Mudichur house in Chennai. A police source stated that the search started at five in the morning and went on for more than two hours. Furthermore, searches were executed in Tiruchy, Kumbakonam, two locations in Erode, and other areas. The venues targeted by the authorities were believed to be associated with the Hizb-ut-Tahrir group. Six individuals were detained in Chennai last month on suspicion of having ties to the outfit and were charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
In May of this year, six HuT members were detained in Chennai for anti-India acts, including propaganda against the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 and democracy. Among those arrested terrorists was Hameed Hussain, a former engineering professor. He led the group. His father and brother were members of the group. Two of the other arrested persons were aged 26 and 33, while one was in his sixties. The group argued that democracy and elections were “Haram” (forbidden by Islamic law) and championed the concept of a Caliphate.
In May 2023, the Madhya Pradesh ATS exposed a HuT module and apprehended 16 of its terrorists. As per the reports, the MP ATS operation lasted four months. An ATS officer infiltrated the gang by befriending a suspect and attending their secret meetings to collect evidence. The officer, acting as a convert to Islam, provided key intelligence, resulting in simultaneous arrests in Bhopal, Chhindwara, and Hyderabad. Some of the detainees apprehended by the ATS allegedly forced others to convert to Islam in order to encourage terrorism.
The NIA then took over the case, and the arrested terrorists Mohammad Alam, Misbah ul Hasan, Mehraj Ali, Khalid Hussain, Syed Sami Rizvi, Yasir Khan, Salman Ansari, Syed Danish Ali, Mohammad Shahrukh, Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Kareem, Mohammad Abbas Ali, Mohammad Hameed, Mohammad Saleem, Abdur Rahman, Sheikh Junaid, and Mohammad Salman.
In 2021, after conducting searches at several locations in Tamil Nadu, the NIA made an arrest related to the Madurai Hizb-ut-Tahrir case. Mohammed Iqbal, the person who was apprehended, posted offensive things on his Facebook account “Thoonga Vizhigal Rendu is in Kazimar Street” to make fun of a certain religion and fostered communal disharmony, disturbing law and order. The case was first brought in Madurai under several counts of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 13(1)(b) of the UAPA Act.
A supplemental charge sheet was filed by the NIA in March 2022 against two accused named Ziyavudeen Baqavi, a resident of Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district, and Bava Bahrudeen, also known as Mannai Bava from Mannargudi in Tiruvarur district. The investigation showed that they were HuT members and were involved in radicalizing and enlisting naive youth to create an Islamic State and impose a draft constitution penned by HuT founder and radical Islamic preacher Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani.
In January 2017, NIA said in a press release that they received information about one Adib Khan, a resident of Bengaluru, Karnataka, relating his involvement in illegal activities of ISIS operatives who were working not only in India but also in Sri Lanka. Adib was believed to be a close associate of HuT and was using several social media platforms to interact with his associates. Furthermore, he was also planning to go to Syria via Indonesia to join ISIS.
HuT in 2000s became active in Bangladesh
HuT became active in Bangladesh in the early 2000s. The organization’s primary target audience was educated youth and university students. They leveraged these parts of Bangladeshi society to spread extremist beliefs. Bangladesh’s government then outlawed the organization in 2009 due to its radical ideology and practices. However, the group’s actions were carried out secretly. HuT in Bangladesh focused on local socio-political topics such as corruption and economic inequality. It framed itself as a critic of perceived Western influence, advocating for the establishment of a Caliphate.
In August this year, the Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT), organized a rally at Baitul Mukarram North Gate in Dhaka and demanded the establishment of the Khalifah in Bangladesh. In the rally, the top leadership of the organization presented a series of so-called “issues” revealing a dangerously radical agency disguised as “religious duty”. The leaders of HuT focused on the alleged oppression by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and portrayed her government as “tyrannical” and in league with the Western powers. They criticized the “secular democratic systems” and called them inherently corrupt and oppressive.
Furthermore, they claimed that only a caliphate based on Sharia law could ensure “true justice and welfare” of all the citizens in Bangladesh. The rhetoric given by HuT was not only inflammatory and quite openly Jihadi but also sought to undermine the political system of the country. They called to kick out the foreign companies and annul the strategic agreements with non-Muslim states.
Notably, it also capitalized on the plight of the Rohingya Muslims displaced from Myanmar. In 2017, the group launched a campaign in the Bangladeshi port city of Chittagong, where they distributed posters calling for Muslims to unite in support of the Rohingya. The posters also urged “devoted army officers” to dethrone the ruling Awami-League government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, highlighting HuT’s ambitions to influence political change.
It is pertinent to note that Rohingya Muslims have been involved in the massacre of Hindus. Even Amnesty International, which often glosses over the massacre of Hindus, admitted that the Rohingya Muslims had committed grievous atrocities and massacres against Hindus in Myanmar.
HuT has encountered obstacles throughout its history, including attempts to overthrow regimes in Jordan, Syria, and Egypt in the 1960s and 1970s. HuT experienced a decline following its failed initiatives, but it recovered by adopting a fresh approach that emphasized the importance of both grassroots support and strategic relationships. HuT’s perspective altered further in the 1980s and 1990s, with debates regarding the validity of armed uprisings against “unfaithful” governments.
By the early 2000s, under new leadership, HuT became more aggressive, particularly in response to global events like the US invasion of Iraq, which it used to rally support against Western influence. In the 2010s, HuT attempted to capitalize on the Syrian Revolution, hoping to establish its vision of a Caliphate.
HuT and its activities in other countries
In the United Kingdom, HuT has actively organized political campaigns and protests. In 2015, it called on Muslims to boycott the legislative elections. They also organized a rally outside the Syrian embassy in London condemning civilian massacres in Aleppo.
In March 2019, they organized large prayers and rallies outside the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen in response to a shooting at a mosque in New Zealand. The rally drew several hundred Muslims, demonstrating HuT’s ability to mobilize people. In the United States, HuT leveraged the Syrian conflict to organize anti-government protests. HuT staged two big events centered on the Syrian regime’s and pro-Iranian militias’ siege of Aleppo.
In Australia, their activity has escalated during the last decade. In March 2015, a video surfaced showing Islamic Australian leader Ismail Alwahwah advocating for jihad against Jews during a rally in New South Wales. Later, in November 2015, HuT held a conference to fight forced assimilation. They made a video in 2017 advocating for domestic violence against “disobedient wives”. The video received a lot of criticism. Furthermore, the HuT officially accused the West for a terror attack in Melbourne in June 2017.
In Russia, the Supreme Court banned HuT for its terrorist acts. However, HuT members maintained their actions, which led to their imprisonment. In August 2012, HuT members were detained in Muslim-majority areas for their involvement in terrorist actions. In 2017, the Russian FSB apprehended six Crimean residents on suspicion of being members of the HuT. Later, in June 2019, a Russian court condemned five Crimean Tatars to hard labor for their involvement in the organization.
In Belgium, they openly protested Islam Karimov’s visit to the European Union and NATO in 2011 outside the Uzbek embassy in Brussels.
In Kyrgyzstan, authorities shut down hundreds of HuT websites for promoting terrorism, including provincial web pages. In December 2017, Kyrgyz police arrested eleven accused HuT members, including the organization’s local leader, suggesting the government’s continuous efforts to limit the group’s influence.
In Tunisia after the Arab Spring revolutions, HuT tried to capitalize on the renewed quest for religious identity in the region. In March 2012, HuT organized a much-publicized female conference in Tunisia. However, in September 2016, the Tunisian government asked a military court to outlaw the group. In 2017, it was banned for one month for inciting hatred. Though the ban was lifted, its activities remained under close watch.
The Jordanian government took action on various occasions. In April 2013, HuT held a press conference in Amman that drew hundreds of women, including journalists, and addressed the construction of a caliphate. In 2016, the Jordanian government detained 15 prominent HuT members for protesting against curriculum reforms.
Turkey’s government banned its annual conference after authorities linked the group with the Gülen movement. 58 members were imprisoned.
In Indonesia, it protested against Jakarta’s former Christian governor, Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, accusing him of blasphemy and risking repercussions. The Indonesian government then outlawed HuT for undermining the state’s secular ideology and “causing friction in society.”
The group is banned in 16 countries.
