Press Release
London Demonstration at Turkish Embassy: Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain demands the release of Party members in Turkey

Two days before the holding of Hizb ut-Tahrir - Wilayah of Turkey's conference in Istanbul, and one day after the distribution of the Hizb's statement on the occasion of the tragic anniversary of the destruction of the Khilafah "Caliphate" at the hands of Britain and its agents from the Arabs and Turks, and two days after the holding of Hizb ut-Tahrir's Muslim Scholars (Ulema) Conference in Indonesia, on the morning of the 24^th  July 2009, Turkish security forces arrested over 200 members of Hizb ut-Tahrir in over twenty cities. These arrests clearly reveal the bankruptcy of the Erdogan regime.

Despite propaganda to the contrary, it is clear that members of Hizb ut-Tahrir were arrested for simply using political means to re-establish the Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate", a call that the regime or its foreign masters cannot stomach.

Taji Mustafa, media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain said, "The rulers of Turkey's continuing claims to be Islamic are losing credibility day by day, a facade to cover its real policy of upholding a Kemalist constitution which wants to demolish any semblance of Islam within society."

"The mass arrests by the Turkish regime are symptomatic of a government under severe pressure, as its own citizens in great numbers now openly challenge Turkey's secular system by calling for the Khilafah "Caliphate". In a country where it still remains a crime to insult the memory of Mustafa Kemal, more and more Muslims in Turkey are now directly challenging Kemal's disastrous legacy. The arrest of so many members of Hizb ut-Tahrir is therefore an attempt by the regime to regain its political grip especially as the United States seeks Turkey's help in Iraq and to support NATO's failing Afghan campaign as well helping in the so called Middle East peace process."

"Until now, Turkey shackled in its Kemalist straitjacket has repeatedly failed to meet the country's challenges under successive regimes despite the sincerity of the Muslims of Turkey. Instead of replacing the oppressive Kemalist constitution with the Khilafah "Caliphate", Erdogan and his cohorts continue to rule Turkey along secular principles whilst arresting sincere members of Islamic groups. Instead of working to rid the American occupation of Afghanistan, Turkey as a NATO member is actively supporting this brutal war through the use of its own military. Instead of working to remove US presence from Iraq, Turkey's rulers have been helping the Americans through the use of the Incirlik airbase. Instead of seeking strength through political unity with the rest of the Muslim world, the Turkish elites somehow think the anti-Islamic EU will be its saviour. Instead of sending its armed forces to defend Muslims who are being brutally treated across the globe, Turkish leaders can only espouse cheap rhetoric while imitating the same polices at home."

1. Turkey's government should abandon the Kemalist path it is pursuing and its naïve EU membership bid and instead work to foster political unity in the wider Islamic world i.e. a Khilafah "Caliphate" that unites all Muslims.

2. The Turkish government should immediately release all members of Hizb ut Tahrir and others who are seeking to change the un-Islamic Turkish system by non-violent means.

3. Turkey should abandon the NATO alliance, an organisation that is determined to occupy Muslim lands and whose new Secretary General is on record of having supported the Danish cartoons that insulted our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw).

4. Turkey should end its deep political relationship with Israel and should instead be standing up with other Muslim states against the Israeli occupier.

5. Turkey should not fall into the trap that claims that the only path to modernity and prosperity is secular democracy. The Muslim world when it implemented Islam in its entirety and was united was a giant in global affairs. It led in science, prosperity, health care and was responsible for dragging Europe out of the dark ages.

"America's War on Terror, the collapse of the capitalist economic model and the poor performance of the US and Israeli military in recent years clearly show that a new strategy is not just obligated by our Islamic beliefs but is viable in terms of implementation. Turkey has considerable economic potential, is located at key strategic waterways and energy resources, it has a large and growing population and has a powerful military. A strong Turkey is a critical component if unified, with the rest of the Islamic world to create a new transnational Khilafah "Caliphate" state to meet head on the major powers of the 21st century."

"Hizb ut-Tahrir is working throughout the Muslim world, building the momentum to re-establish the Khilafah "Caliphate". These cowardly arrests by the Erdogan regime will do nothing more than strengthen the resolve of our members to further this call and only demonstrates the desperation of this regime in the face of growing popularity of Hizb ut-Tahrir."

[Ends]

Notes for Editors:

The peaceful demonstration on Saturday 8th August 2009 at 1:30pm, Turkish Embassy London [43 Belgrave Square, SW1X 8PA] where there will be various speeches.

Hizb ut Tahrir Britain