Hizbut Tahrir protests
We note with grave concern that The Daily Star, in its issue of Sunday, 21 September 2008, carried a misleading editorial regarding Hizbut Tahrir Bangladesh. The editorial is baseless and clearly motivated. On behalf of Hizbut Tahrir, we register our protest at the editorial. The following is our response to some of the comments made in the editorial in question.
The editorial states, 'Everybody must have the right to practise his or her own religion. But nobody can impose it on others . . .'
Hizbut Tahrir Bangladesh has never been a believer in the use of force or compulsion. We have always believed that all acts of terrorism or militancy are against the Holy Quran and Sunnah. Hizbut Tahrir is a political organisation believing in and upholding Islamic principles. Its goal is to restore the Khilafat and thereby bring back the Islamic way of life for its followers. The principles laid down by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) are the constitutional basis upon which the restoration of the Khilafat is envisaged. As it aims to re-establish the Khilafat, Hizbut Tahrir rejects armed movements, terrorism or militancy as a means of achieving such an aim. Hizbut Tahrir spreads its ideas peacefully and only through leaflets, public relations, speeches, discussions, conferences, processions, etc.
The Daily Star editorial further states: 'The teachers arrested in Rajshahi the other day were carted off to prison because they happened to be distributing leaflets propagating the overthrow of the government . . . There can be no denying that the contents of the statements and leaflets coming from Hizbut Tahrir are a frontal assault on the constitutional process and democracy. It is values --- those symbolised by the ideals of free speech, tolerance, equality, et al --- that are now under threat . . .'
This is an absolute untruth. The central leaders of Hizbut Tahrir had gone to Rajshahi from Dhaka to hold a press conference and not to distribute any leaflets. Our aim was to explain the subject matter of the leaflets and respond to the false propaganda being carried on against Hizbut Tahrir. We now ask: when the government does not allow us to hold a press conference, then where is The Daily Star's vaunted idea of freedom of speech?
The Daily Star states again: ' . . .the outfit has been proscribed in a number of countries in the West as well as the Middle East. The question, therefore, is why?
Let us make it clear that Hizbut Tahrir has never been banned in any country because of militancy. Everyone knows that all kinds of political activity are banned in the countries of the Middle East. No one can prove or show that in the last fifty years Hizbut Tahrir has preached its ideas through terrorist or militant activities. In some countries, such as Uzbekistan, Syria, etc., Hizbut Tahrir is banned because the rulers of these states have been carrying out repression against their people and have clamped restrictions on anyone protesting their activities. In the West, it is only in Germany that Hizbut Tahrir is proscribed because there our party had voiced its protest against Israeli aggression against Palestine. Former British prime minister Tony Blair, despite doing his best to ban Hizbut Tahrir in his country, did not succeed.
Mohiuddin Ahmed, Chief Coordinator & Spokesperson, Hizbut Tahrir Bangladesh Our response
We have noted the points made by the Chief Coordinator and Spokesperson of Hizbut Tahrir Bangladesh. However, we do observe that he has made no reference to the threat (which we mentioned in our editorial) made publicly by the organisation to the effect that no one would be allowed to live in peace in Bangladesh if the teachers arrested in Rajshahi were not freed in forty-eight hours. Neither does the letter have anything to say about the Hizbut Tahrir threat to overthrow the Bangladesh government in light of what happened in Rajshahi. The organisation has openly and contemptuously rejected democracy, which quite belies its contention that it does not force its opinions on anyone. We believe the charges that Hizbut Tahrir has carefully chosen not to answer are serious ones and the organisation owes it to the country to clarify its position.
Mohiuddin Ahmed, Chief Coordinator & Spokesperson, Hizbut Tahrir Bangladesh Our response
We have noted the points made by the Chief Coordinator and Spokesperson of Hizbut Tahrir Bangladesh. However, we do observe that he has made no reference to the threat (which we mentioned in our editorial) made publicly by the organisation to the effect that no one would be allowed to live in peace in Bangladesh if the teachers arrested in Rajshahi were not freed in forty-eight hours. Neither does the letter have anything to say about the Hizbut Tahrir threat to overthrow the Bangladesh government in light of what happened in Rajshahi. The organisation has openly and contemptuously rejected democracy, which quite belies its contention that it does not force its opinions on anyone. We believe the charges that Hizbut Tahrir has carefully chosen not to answer are serious ones and the organisation owes it to the country to clarify its position.
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