On 9th August 2024, an Islamic terrorist organisation that positions itself as a political party, Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT), organised a rally at Baitul Mukarram North Gate in Dhaka and demanded the establishment of the Khalifah in Bangladesh.
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 has started expanding its feet in India as well. National Investigation Agency arrested two of its members in the last week of June 2024.
In the rally, the top leadership of the organisation 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 criticised the “secular democratic systems” and called them inherently corrupt and oppressive.
Interestingly, while HuT accused Sheikh Hasina of colluding with Western powers, there are rampant allegations that the ouster of Hasina and the ensuing coup was a result of a regime change operation affected by the USA. Sheikh Hasina had herself alluded to USA trying to affect regime change in Bangladesh several times. The role of Donald Lu has been widely questioned as well.
Furthermore, they claimed that only a caliphate based on Sharia law can 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.
HuT leaders positioned the demand for a caliphate as a religious obligation. They framed it as the only solution to end the so-called “tyranny” in Bangladesh. In short, the rally was less about addressing the concerns of the citizens amidst the political turmoil in the neighbouring country and more about promoting Islamist and Jihadist political systems. The ideas presented by the terror outfit not only promoted division but also resulted in the oppression of the already distressed minorities in Bangladesh, especially the Hindus.
After the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and with increased activity of Islamic groups like HuT, Jamaat-e-Islami and others, Hindus are being severely persecuted in the Islamic nation. There is news of over 200 incidents of violence against Hindus with at least 30 Hindu women raped, Hindus murdered and several houses and businesses burnt down.
Amidst the turmoil and the ongoing persecution of Hindus, posters demanding caliphate in Bangladesh have also surfaced in Dhaka. In the poster, Sura: Al-Mayidah, Ayat: 45 of the Quran was mentioned in the poster in Bengali that says, “And those who do not rule by what Allah has revealed, they are the oppressors.”
The poster translates to:
“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Dear Countrymen,
For liberation from the system of oppression, raise the demand for the establishment of the Caliphate in the model of Prophethood. Allah, the Most Glorious, does not support the creation of oppressors. Decades have passed without any significant change. Like the wealth and resources of Yunus, even if the oppressive regime of Hasina falls, the democratic-capitalist system remains intact. Allah, the Most Glorious and Exalted, says, “And those who do not rule by what Allah has revealed, they are the oppressors” [Surah Al-Maidah: 45]. This system is contrary to the Islamic creed and is a factory of oppression, where the ruling class holds sovereign power. For decades, the faces of the ruling class have changed, but the oppression on the people has remained unchanged. After the fall of the agent Hasina, the colonialist Kafir powers—America, Britain, and India—are now actively trying to place other agents like Yunus in power. These agent groups are committed to handing over the country’s economy, strategic resources, and sovereignty to the colonialists. “…then the rule of oppression will end, and the Caliphate will return in the model of Prophethood” (Musnad Ahmad). This hadith makes it clear that only through the establishment of the Caliphate in the model of Prophethood can the current rule of oppression be ended, and the country liberated from the grip of the colonialists. The Caliphate is a just system where all citizens, regardless of religion, race, or ethnicity, will be guaranteed food, clothing, shelter, education, healthcare, and security. It is through the Caliphate state that this Muslim Ummah will become a leading nation. Hizb ut-Tahrir has drafted the “Constitution of the Caliphate State” based on the Qur’an and Sunnah for governing the state and is fully prepared to assume leadership. “O you who believe, respond to Allah and His Messenger when He calls you to that which gives you life” [Surah Al-Anfal: 24].”
Notably, it also capitalised 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 the 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.
Hizb ut-Tahrir expanding its presence in India
In recent times, HuT has been expanding its presence in India. On 30th June, OpIndia reported that the National Investigating Agency conducted multiple searches at several locations in connection to the terror outfit. Two of its members, Abdul Rehman and Mujibur Rehman were arrested by NIA for indoctrinating youths.
The trainees were instructed to transform India from Darul Kufr (Land of Non-believers) to Darul Islam (House/abode of Islam). The agency recovered digital devices (cell phones, laptops, SIM cards, memory cards) and various incriminating documents, including printouts and books with the ideologies of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, Khilafa, Islamic State and the envisaged Khilafa administration and its financial systems from them.
The case was filed against the culprit for sharing derogatory content on Facebook, according to the Thideernagar Police Station in Madurai. Afterwards, 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.
Six HuT members arrested in Tamil Nadu
In May this year, six members of HuT were arrested in Chennai for anti-India activities including propaganda against Lok Sabha Elections 2024 and democracy. The arrested members of the terror outfit included a man named Hameed Hussain who was a former engineering professor. He was the leader of the group. His father and brother were part of the group. While two of the arrested men were aged 26 and 33, one of them was in his fifties. The group advocated that democracy and elections were “Haram” (forbidden by Islamic law) and promoted the idea of a Caliphate.
HuT module busted in Madhya Pradesh
In May 2023, Madhya Pradesh ATS busted a HuT module and nabbed 16 of its terrorists. As per reports, MP ATS operation lasted for four months. An ATS officer infiltrated the group by befriending a suspect and attended their secret meetings to gather evidence. The officer, posing as a convert to Islam, providing critical intelligence leading to simultaneous arrests across Bhopal, Chhindwara and Hyderabad. Some of the suspects arrested by ATS were reportedly forcibly converted others to Islam with aim to incite terrorism. The NIA later took over the case and the arrested terrorists were sent into custody. The accused booked in the case were 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.
Searches were conducted at several locations in 2021
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.
It was reported that Bava Bahrudeen and Ziyavudeen Baqavi were arranging gatherings to enlist new members and holding secret classes to radicalize, indoctrinate and incite youths to strive toward the creation of an Islamic State by toppling the Indian government. Moreover, they planned to use social media sites like Facebook and YouTube to create new cells in other regions of Kerala and Tamil Nadu to propagate HuT’s ideology.
NIA booked ISIS affiliate with possible links to HuT in 2016
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.
A brief history of Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT) wad founded in 1953 by Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani in Jerusalem. It was established as a movement aimed to revive the Islamic Caliphate and uniting the Muslim Ummah under a single Islamic state governed by Sharia law. Over the decades, the terrorist organisation 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.
HuT became active in Bangladesh in early 2000s. The main target for the organisation was the educated youth and the students from the universities. They used these sections of the society in Bangladesh to propagate the extremist ideology. In 2009, Bangladeshi government banned the organisation for its extremist views and activities. However, the group continued its activities covertly. HuT in Bangladesh leverages local socio-political issues like corruption and economic inequality. It positions itself as a voice against perceived Western influence and advocating for the establishment of a Caliphate. Bangladesh, thus, is a strategic focus point for HuT’s broader goal of expanding its influence in the Muslim-majority nations in South Asia.
Throughout the history, HuT has faced challenges as it attempted to remove governments in Jordan, Syria and Egypt during 1960s and 70s. HuT faced decline after its failed attempts but they made a come back by adapting a different strategy by emphasising the need for both grassroots support and strategic alliances. In the 1980s and 90s, HuT’s approach shifted further, with discussions around the legitimacy of armed insurrection against governments deemed “unfaithful.”
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 capitalise on the Syrian Revolution, hoping to establish its vision of a Caliphate.
HuT created rifts in Palestine in the past decade
HuT was founded in Jerusalem, close to Palestinian territories. However, its presence in the region declined over time. In the past decade, the group has gained traction in Palestinian territories once again. In 2015, it attempted to hold a caliphate conference in Ramallah despite Palestinian Authority opposition. In May of that year, the group incited protests against the visit of a Jordanian cleric to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem leading to the arrest of its several members. In 2017, it organised several rallies worldwide calling for the destruction of Israel. In 2019, its Palestinian branch had a clash with PA police as they tried to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Hebron on the day declared by Saudi, Emirati, Qatari, and Kuwaiti religious clerics to be the end of Ramzan rather than the day announced by the clerics in Palestine, Egypt and Jordan.
Presence of HuT in different countries
In Great Britain, HuT has actively organised political campaigns and protests. In 2015, it called for Muslims to not participate in the parliamentary elections. Furthermore, they organised a protest against the killings of civilians in Aleppo outside the Syrian embassy in London.
In March 2019 in Denmark, they organised significant prayer and rallies outside the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen in response to a shooting at a mosque in New Zealand. Several hundred Muslims participated in the rally making it evident that HuT has the potential to mobilise people.
In the US, HuT has used the Syrian conflict to hold protests against the government. Two significant events were organised by HuT that were focused on the siege of Aleppo by Syrian regime forces and pro-Iranian militias.
In Australia, their activity has increased over the past decade. In March 2015, a video of Islamic Australian leader Ismail Alwahwah emerged calling for jihad against Jews during a rally in New South Wales. Later, in November 2015, HuT organised a conference to oppose forced assimilation. In 2017, they released a video supporting domestic violence against “disobedient wives”. The video faced a lot of criticism. Furthermore, HuT publicly blamed the West for a terror attack in Melbourne in June 2017.
In Russia, HuT was banned by the Supreme Court for its terrorist activities. However, the HuT members continued their operations leading to their arrests. In August 2012, HuT members were arrested in Muslim-dominating areas for their involvement in terror activities. In 2017, the Russian FSB detained six Crimean locals on accusations of being members of HuT. Later, in June 2019, a Russian court sentenced five Crimean Tatars to hard labour for their membership in the group.
In Belgium, they openly demonstrated against the visit of Islam Karimov to the European Union and NATO in 2011 outside the Uzbek embassy in Brussels.
In Kyrgyzstan, authorities closed down hundreds of HuT websites for promoting terrorism including its regional web pages. In December 2017, Kyrgyz authorities arrested eleven alleged HuT members, including a local leader of the organisation, indicating the government’s ongoing efforts to curb the group’s influence.
In Tunisia after the Arab Spring revolutions, HuT tried to capitalise on the renewed quest for religious identity in the region. In March 2012, HuT organised a much-publicised 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.
In Jordan, it faced action by the government on several occasions. In April 2013, HuT organised a press conference in Amman that attracted hundreds of women including journalists etc and discussed the establishment of a caliphate. In 2016, the Jordanian government arrested 15 senior members of HuT for campaigning against changes to the school curriculum.
In Turkey, the government banned its annual conference after the authorities conflated the group with the Gülen movement. 58 of its members were imprisoned.
In Indonesia, it protested against Jakarta’s former Christian governor, Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, accusing him of blasphemy and facing setbacks. The Indonesian government subsequently banned HuT for opposing the state’s secular ideology and “causing friction in society.” The group’s organised campaign against Ahok played a role in the former governor being sentenced to two years in prison on blasphemy charges. In response to the ban, HuT allegedly rebranded itself as the Islamic Royatul Community (KARIM) and continued its activities.
