Press Release
Indian Authorities Ban Hizb ut Tahrir, Based on False Allegations
(Translated)

On 10 October 2024, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs banned Hizb ut Tahrir, declaring, “Hizb-Ut-Tahrir (HuT) is an organisation which aims to establish Islamic state and Caliphate globally including in India by overthrowing democratically elected Governments through jihad and terrorist activities by involving citizens of the country.”

The allegation that Hizb ut Tahrir carries weapons is false allegation. Hizb ut Tahrir does not carry weapons, because that contradicts the methodology of the Prophet (saw) in establishing the Islamic state, as he (saw) relied on political work and did not use material work. When the people of the Second Pledge of Aqaba (the Pledge of Support) asked his permission to fight the people of Mina, he, peace and blessings be upon him, answered them by saying, «لم نؤمر بذلك» “We have not been ordered to fight yet.”

The allegation that Hizb ut Tahrir is aiming to establish Khilafah (Caliphate) from the outset in India is also false. India is not considered by the Hizb as a country in its majal (area of work), just like Europe, the Americas, and Australia. Hizb ut Tahrir limits its work to establishing the Khilafah in the countries of its majal.

The Indian authorities are inciting fear without any moral or legal grounds. Their stances are in line with the right wing narrative that claims Hindus are endangered because of the very existence of Muslims and Islam. How can an individual’s opinion, on a single social media account, be considered an anti-election campaign, outweighing the electoral franchise of a billion voters and destabilizing the elected government of an entire nation? How does India proudly present itself as the world’s largest democracy, but then brutally persecute Muslims for expressing their religion? Do those authorities not consider that Islam ruled most of India for centuries, and was a caring guardian for the Hindus, whilst they remained a majority? So how now, without any authority, do the Muslims of India pose an existential threat to Hindus?

As for democracy, Islam has prohibited Muslims from participating in any legislative process that is not based on the Noble Quran and Prophetic Sunnah. Muslims believe that none other than Allah (swt) has the right to legislate laws. The Noble Quran prohibits referral to non-Islamic authority, Taghut, clearly. Allah (swt) said,

[يُرِيدُونَ أَن يَتَحَاكَمُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱلطَّٰغُوتِ وَقَدۡ أُمِرُوٓاْ أَن يَكۡفُرُواْ بِهِۦۖ وَيُرِيدُ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنُ أَن يُضِلَّهُمۡ ضَلَٰلَۢا بَعِيدٗا]

“They wish to go for judgement (in their disputes) to the Taghut (false judges) while they have been ordered to reject them.” [TMQ Surah An-Nisaa 4:60]. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said,

«كُلَّ عَمَلٍ لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا فَهُوَ رَدٌّ» “Every action that is not from our matter is rejected.”

By criminalizing deeply-held Islamic opinions, how does the Indian government hope to maintain its economic ties with the wider Muslim world? The thoughts that Hizb ut Tahrir holds are already held by an Ummah of two billion people around the world, whose people yearn for Islamic ruling and Muslim unity. As for Hizb ut Tahrir itself, it is leading the call for the Khilafah (Caliphate) in the Muslim World and has been seeking to establish it for more than seventy years, in dozens of Islamic countries.

So let the Indian authorities come to their senses. Let them abandon their false allegations and scaremongering. Let them end their persecution of Muslims who are merely practicing their Islamic rituals. Let the fair minded people of India, including those within their human rights organizations, media outlets and legal fraternity, call for the end of the persecution of Muslims for their beliefs.

[وَمَا نَقَمُوا مِنْهُمْ إِلاَّ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ]

“And they resented them only because they believed in Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy.” [TMQ Surah Al-Buruj: 8].

The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir