Hizb ut Tahrir / Wilayah Pakistan's Khilafah "Caliphate" Bayyan Campaign is well underway, beginning in January 2013 throughout Pakistan's most populated cities, in the most prominent public places. The people are experiencing a strong response to the Bayyans,
Listen to any serious debate on TV or radio in the UK and you hear that the UK's infrastructure is decaying, Heathrow Airport is overcrowded, the rail infrastructure needs upgrading, childcare costs are too high, obesity levels are rising, the educational achievement of children is lagging behind much of the developed world and several other issues. Inevitably, politicians and thinkers here look abroad for solutions and one of the things usually cited is that people need to emulate the Scandinavian model - a reference to the social and economic life in the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
So on my recent visit to Denmark; I was intent on getting a better understanding of this model which is so admired by many in the UK and around the world.
There is much to admire about the Danish infrastructure and aspects of their lifestyle. Right from the airport, you see a very large and efficient operation - compared to Heathrow. Copenhagen's main roads are wide multiple highway affairs. The extensive cycle paths allow people to cycle to just about anywhere is the envy of the world. Busses and trains are efficient, streets are clean much else speaks of a society with a high standard of living in terms of material things and technology. I joke with my hosts that Denmark is a village of five million people compared to London or many cities whose population is more than the whole of Denmark. However, for a population of five million, it has some world famous and world class companies like Lego and Maersk (the largest container ship operator and supply vessel operator in the world since 1996). The healthy lifestyle I see in Copenhagen (where people go jogging in sub zero temperatures) leaves much to be admired. From discussions, I also learn that people are generally educated for longer and even tradesmen like plumbers need several years of training.
The high standard of living is partly as a result of high taxes - even by European standards. An income tax rate of 40% is not uncommon and high earners can pay up to 50%. Added to that is Value Added Tax (VAT) of 25%.
So is everything just fine in this advanced Scandinavian ‘village'? Well, rural Denmark - where most of the population live - does have some of the problems you see in the UK including higher levels of obesity various social issues. On the economic front, the public debt is over $140 Billion (45% of GDP). Recently, Lego and a large Danish butcher have had to lay off workers and there was a scandal regarding how the government bailed out one of the main banks with little in return for the Danish taxpayer. As in much of the Western world, the generous welfare state is gradually being rolled back due to the current economic climate, the realisation that it can sometimes be a disincentive to work and due to it being just unsustainable in its current form.
Speaking to Danish friends and reading articles however revealed social issues beneath the Danish surface. A news article said around 600,000 Danes are on antidepressants (Lykkepiller). For a population of 5 million, that is a huge number. A Danish friend told me of a building in Copenhagen where 11 people jumped to their death in suicides in 2012. Two of his friends had committed suicide. Danes are very proud of their strong culture of ‘liberalism' being a country that has legalised pornography, alcohol for 16 year olds and many other things, yet Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) figures show that Denmark was second in the youth drunkenness chart (Britain came first). Liberal sexual attitudes also lead to their own emotional and psychological problems and family breakdown.
So Denmark, and indeed the Scandinavian model, presents the classic paradox for Western liberal capitalist societies. Whilst they may manage an enviable level of material progress, there exists a spiritual vacuum and there is increasing social breakdown as families become fractured, individualism grows and the liberal lifestyle causes more and more harm in society.
If the only things humans need are bright modern airports and technological and material advancement, then all is fine with the Scandinavian model. However, in addition to material progress, we need guidance about right and wrong, values that build strong families and a clear understanding and fulfilment of a meaningful purpose to our lives. The Muslim world can set a model for others to aspire to where all aspects of life are fulfilled whilst avoiding the harm and excesses that liberal societies are experiencing. The re-establishment of the Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate" state that implements the solutions and guidance of Allah (swt) will be that beacon that the world so desperately needs.
Taji Mustafa
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Britain
It has become clear that the Pakistani agent-regime's prosecution of Shabab Hizb ut Tahrir is because of its fear of the Hizb, which works day and night to expose the acts of the political and military leadership to America, exposing the criminal networks such as the Raymond Davis Network and Blackwater that wreak murder and corruption throughout Pakistan at the sight and facilitation of the agent-rulers.
On the 3rd of March 2013, the women of Hizb ut Tahrir/ Malaysia will host their first national women's conference. It will be held in Kuala Lumpur, under the title, "Upholding the Establishment of Shariah and Khilafah "Caliphate"" and will include local and foreign speakers.
The heat of the 13th General Election (GE13) can certainly be felt everywhere in Malaysia now. Flags of the Barisan Nasional ruling coalition can be seen strewn everywhere, side by side to the flags of the Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition. The nation is gearing up for the upcoming general election, which would probably be held in the coming weeks but no later than 27th June 2013. Prime Minister Najib Razak described the GE13 as the ‘mother of all elections', probably due to the changing political landscape of the country. Malaysia had been traditionally ruled by the Barisan Nasional Coalition (successor to the Perikatan) since independence from the British. However, the political landscape began to change about five years ago when the newly formed Pakatan Rakyat managed to take away a huge chunk of the parliamentary seats from BN. In the 12th General Election, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) gained control of five state assemblies and made significant gains at the federal level, denying the Barisan Nasional (BN) a two-thirds majority in the federal parliament.
Three major communal parties, namely the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) dominate the BN Coalition. These are all race based, sectarian, secular parties although they claim to support the idea of ‘racial harmony' in their alliance. The PR Coalition on the other hand is dominated by an odd alliance of the People's Justice Party (PKR), The Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Pan-Islamic Malaysian Party (PAS). PKR, the party that was initiated by Anwar Ibrahim, is essentially a secular party. DAP is a Chinese majority party which claims to be multicultural and multiracial in nature but has, in many occasions, expressed its anti-Islamic stand. PAS is essentially an Islamic party whose written objective is to see the implementation of Islam in Malaysia.
The upcoming GE13 sees all the main parties engaging themselves in various political campaigns which are full of deceit, slander and defamation. In this plethora of vilifying campaigns, as Muslims, we are certainly bound to ask the question - who stands for Islam? Can we expect any of these political parties to stand up for Islam? Obviously, we cannot expect non-Islamic parties or whose members are overwhelmingly non-Muslims to support nor defend Islam. MCA, MIC and DAP are undoubtedly out of the question. PKR have clearly announced that the main ideological tenets of the party are social justice, progressivism and liberal democracy. Islam has never explicitly been in their agenda. UMNO is a party whose members are essentially Malay Muslims. It is the biggest party in the BN Coalition and has always maintained that Islam is one of their main agenda. They have been successful in pulling in numerous scholar including young Islamic scholars to become members of the party. The Young Ulama' of UMNO (ILMU), whose numerous activities include justifying and defending the opinions and statements of UMNO leaders, including opinions and statements that are clearly un Islamic, is seen as the ‘other wing of UMNO' - the ‘Islamic wing' of UMNO. There may be sincere members of ILMU but one has to clear that joining a party with a definitive secular agenda would never do justice for Islam. The sincere members will only end up destructing Islam, not stand for it!
For many, it seems that the only party that would stand for Islam is PAS. At one point in its struggle, PAS was comparatively clear in defining its objective. It was going for the establishment of an Islamic State. In 2003, PAS published the "Islamic State Document" detailing, albeit in a simplified and erroneous manner, their model of the state. This was their agenda. However, this agenda changed drastically. Justifying that the coalition is more important, PAS decided to suspend any mention of the Islamic state and begins to talk about the ‘State of Care and Opportunity'. Although PAS claimed that their basis of struggle has not changed, their actions and decisions on various issues related to Islam has at best been rather nebulous. As an example, the Malaysian political arena was recently stormed by the issue of the use of the word ‘Allah' by non-Muslims. The official fatwa delivered by PAS is totally different from the statement given by the President of PAS on the same issue. Furthermore, PAS has always maintained, and on this, PAS has always been consistent, that the party is committed to democracy. It is not even clear whether the party views democracy as a means to an end or an end itself. What is clear is that PAS, as an Islamic party is itself unclear about democracy and its ramification on the party's struggle of Islam. As had already been manifested, despite claims by its members that PAS is still consistent on its path, it is quite apparent that PAS has certainly swayed under the pressures of alliance and democracy. With its commitment to democracy, PAS can never be committed to stand for Islam.
So who would stand for Islam? It has to be a political party whose ideology is Islam, whose methods of struggle follows exactly the method of Rasulullah (saw), whose consistency prevails in the face of injustice and oppression, whose thoughts about Islam as a solution to life's problems are pure and whose realization of the dominating political poison is crystal clear. May Allah help us achieve the victory of Islam by the re-establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" very soon indeed, Inshallah!
Dr Muhammad - Malaysia
Hizb ut Tahrir Wilayah Pakistan held countrywide demonstrations against the killings and bomb blasts that are taking place in Quetta, Karachi and across the country. Demonstrators held banners and placards declaring: "Bomb blasts, destabilization and insecurity is because of America and Democratic system", "America's Raymond Davis terrorists are the cause of insecurity and chaos", "O Pakistan's Armed Forces! Uproot Kayani-Zardari and their US Masters, Establish Khilafah "Caliphate" Now".
What we have seen of violence and chaos in Bangladesh in recent times is nothing more than the fruits of the failed Awami-BNP alliances' politics of division, destruction and fitnah. The political alliances are positioning themselves ahead of the elections in order to turn matters in the direction which favours their coming to power. Meantime, the Hasina government, together with other anti-Islamic forces, is using the latest events to whip up a frenzy of attacks against Islam and Muslims in Bangladesh.
Hizb ut Tahrir condemns in the strongest terms the Awami-BNP destructive politics, vilification of Islam and the Prophet (saw), and the heavy-handed police tactics against the ordinary God-fearing Muslims of Bangladesh.
Hizb ut Tahrir has been highlighting to the people of Bangladesh for the past 10 years that there is no future in the Awami-BNP politics other than more corruption, more division and more destruction. They compete with each other in spouting cheap slogans of nationalism and patriotism to divert people from the real issues facing the country. Unfortunately what we have seen in recent days will only continue to escalate as the election draws near.
We have also been advising our brothers in Islamic groups that ally with the Awami-BNP politics will only blacken the name of Islam and help to maintain the corruption of the current system. It will do nothing to further Islam in Bangladesh. For more than 20 years, the Awami-BNP have repeatedly used Islam and the Islamic groups for their own ugly political gains.
Bangladesh today is at a critical juncture. Aware and thinking people must realise that the country is heading into an ugly polarised politics that will only help foreign powers like America and India to exploit this and implement their evil designs against the country, particularly establishing their domination over our military and strategic assets.
Hizb ut Tahrir calls for a new politics based on Islam that will bring unity to the country as opposed to the corrupt Awami-BNP politics that has led us to where we are today. Islam will establish the rule of law in society where no person, leader or non-leader, man or woman, Muslim or non-Muslim will be above the law. No man or woman will commit a crime and then find reprieve whether s/he is a leader, activist or general public. Every victim of crime will receive true justice based on Islam. Islam will end divisive party politics as the leader of the Islamic state (the Khaleefah) will deal with all parties with justice; he will be the leader of all people, Muslims and non-Muslims. His responsibility will be to secure the rights of people in society regardless of their belief, gender, race or status. People and the media will not only have the right but will be obliged by Islam to account the government on its duties and responsibilities. Islam will end the endemic corruption within society which is costing the country in millions every day. The current party political system in collusion with monopolising businesses and foreign powers have been looting the country's wealth for decades such that the average family today is struggling to survive on $1-2 per day. Islam will end this gross inequality in wealth and establish an economic system that ensures effective distribution of wealth.
These are the real issues facing the country that the people are crying out to solve. The corrupt politicians have failed to address these over the last 40 years of the country's history.
As we draw closer to the election, Hizb ut Tahrir calls upon all the thinking, aware and sincere people from the Islamic groups, mosques, madrasahs, universities, bureaucracy, and civil society to come forward to establish an alternative political platform in the country - a political platform free from corruption and criminals, free from violence and destruction and free from the influence of US-Britain-India. This is the true politics for every Muslim based on the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet (saw). This political movement will, by the will of Allah (swt), be a shining light in the current darkness in which the country is plunged. May Allah (swt) rid the country from the politics of division and destruction.
((قَدْ تَبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنْ الغَيِّ فَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَى لاَ انفِصَامَ لَهَا وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ))
"...True Guidance has become distinct from error, so whoever rejects Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the firmest handhold - one that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing" [al-Baqarah: 256]
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The UK government has secretly ramped up a controversial programme that strips people of their British citizenship on national security grounds - with two of the men subsequently killed by American drone attacks. An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism for The Independent has established that since 2010, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, has revoked the passports of 16 individuals, many of whom are alleged to have had links to militant or terrorist groups. Critics of the programme warn that it allows ministers to "wash their hands" of British nationals suspected of terrorism who could be subject to torture and illegal detention abroad. They add that it also allows those stripped of their citizenship to be killed or "rendered" without any onus on the British Government to intervene. Those affected have their passports cancelled, and lose their right to enter the UK - making it very difficult to appeal against the Home Secretary's decision. The leading human rights lawyer Gareth Peirce said the present situation "smacked of mediaeval exile, just as cruel and just as arbitrary". Ian Macdonald QC, President of the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association, described the citizenship orders as "sinister". "They're using executive powers and I think they're using them quite wrongly," he said. "It's not open government; it's closed, and it needs to be exposed." Laws were passed in 2002 enabling the Home Secretary to remove the citizenship of any dual nationals who had done something "seriously prejudicial" to the UK, but the power had rarely been used before the current government took office.
Iraq PM Warns of Syria Crisis Spillover:
Nouri al-Maliki says most dangerous outcome for Syria is an opposition victory as it will lead to sectarian war in Iraq. Iraq's prime minister has warned that a victory for rebels in the Syrian civil war will create a new extremist haven and destabilise the wider Middle East, sparking a sectarian war in his own country, a civil war in Lebanon and a division in Jordan. Nouri al-Maliki stopped short of voicing outright support for Syrian President Bashar Assad's embattled regime. But his comments in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday marked one of his strongest warnings yet about the turmoil that the collapse of the Syrian government could create. "If the world does not agree to support a peaceful solution through dialogue ... then I see no light at the end of the tunnel,'' al-Maliki said. "Neither the opposition nor the regime can finish each other off," he continued, "The most dangerous thing in this process is that if the opposition is victorious, there will be a civil war in Lebanon, divisions in Jordan and a sectarian war in Iraq." Iraq has tried to maintain a neutral stance toward the civil war in Syria, saying that the aspirations of the Syrian people should be met through peaceful means. Washington has criticised Baghdad, however, for doing too little to stop flights suspected of carrying Iranian arms to Syria from transiting Iraqi airspace.
US State Dept: Pakistan Should Avoid Any Sanctionable Activity:
In its latest opposition of Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project, the US State Department on Wednesday said it is in Pakistan's interest to avoid any activity that can hit it with sanctions. The State Department said that it was providing Pakistan with alternatives that would avoid any sanctions violation. "We recognise that Pakistan has significant energy requirements but we really think there are other long-term solutions to Pakistan's energy needs," said deputy acting spokesman Patrick Ventrell. "And so we've been assisting as a government to contribute to the alleviation of the energy crisis in Pakistan," he said. "It's in their best interests to avoid any sanctionable activity, and we think that we provide and are providing ... a better way to meet their energy needs in some of the assistance we're providing." Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday urged the visiting Pakistani president to press ahead with a much-delayed $7.5 billion gas pipeline project despite US opposition. "The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline is an important example of Tehran-Islamabad cooperation, and despite hostilities towards the expansion of ties we must overcome this opposition decisively," Khamenei told Asif Ali Zardari, his office reported.
Thailand Signs Peace Talks Deal With Muslims Militants:
Thailand's government has signed its first-ever peace talks deal with Muslim rebels aimed at ending a decades-long conflict in the south. The deal was signed in Malaysia by the National Revolution Front (BRN), one of several groups operating in Thailand. More than 5,000 people have been killed since the conflict reignited in the Muslim-majority region in 2004. Malaysian PM Najib Razak and his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra are to meet in Kuala Lumpur. Their annual meeting is expected to include talks on the insurgency in the south as well as cross-border trade, said the Bangkok Post newspaper on Wednesday. Malaysia has been acting as a facilitator for the negotiations between the Thai government and the Muslim rebels and is likely to host any peace talks. The document signed in Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, will begin a "dialogue process", said officials. More details of the agreement will be made public after the two prime ministers meet; Malaysian officials were quoted by Associated Press news agency as saying.
Abu Hashim
