Press Release of Hizb ut Tahrir Indonesia
Welcoming Islamic New Year of 1437 Hijri

Alhamdulillah, we have entered the new year of 1437 Hijri. However, despite the passing of the years, people still suffer from considerable hardship. President Jokowi and his administration initially expected to bring this country to a better direction, has never been able to fulfill its promises. New problems arise while old problems remain unsolved. Social, economic, political, cultural and educational life became disorderly. The increasing prices of goods and services make life become more difficult even just to make ends meet. As a result, people continue to live in misery. The number of poor people increases and so does the rate of unemployment. Crime is rampant everywhere. Despite various steps taken by the government, the problems have not been overcome thoroughly.

Hizb ut Tahrir Indonesia argues that the various measures taken by the government would not suffice because the measures do not touch the substantial problems that drive the emergence of various problems.

The root of the problem is due to the implementation of the secular system, particularly the system of capitalism – liberalism which regulate the economic, political, social, cultural and educational fields since the independence of Indonesia. It is believed that any systems except the Islamic system will definitely be bad for the whole life of people, as proven from more than 70 years of Indonesian independence, the systems have repeatedly plunged the country into crises. The situation is worsened by the escalating grip of neoimperialism in this country. For this reason, Hizb ut Tahrir Indonesia realizes the importance of the implementation of Islamic system originating from Islamic law to be implemented in society and in state.

The application of Islamic Sharia is the duty of every Muslim, regardless their backgrounds of organizations, political organizations, professions, ethnicities and positions. Factually, this call is also a concern of every Muslim, including that of Hizb ut Tahrir Indonesia, to significantly overcome various problems having gripped the country until today. It is the application of Sharia that will bring goodness to all people in this country because Islam serves as blessing for the whole world (rahmatan lil alamin).

However, despite the demands of the application of Sharia as a solution to this, multidimensional crises become stronger in various regions in Indonesia, it is acknowledged that the enforcement of Sharia needs honest work and sincere continuous efforts supported by various components of people to achieve the goal. That is the reason why Hizb ut Tahrir Indonesia sees the need for intensive efforts on an ongoing basis to provide comprehensive information, explanations and insights about Islamic law to people, in order to 1) Form awareness and public opinion about the importance of the application of Islamic law to save Indonesia from falling into the deeper abyss of adversity due to various pressuring problems. 2) Form awareness and public opinion about the breadth, integrity and resilience of Sharia to resolve the problems of life and the obligations of their application by every Muslim and by the state. 3) Build a strong desire of the people to live under the shade of Islamic law. Furthermore, in the coming years Islamic law is expected to be more "well-accepted by public", so that Islamophobia or Shariaphobia no longer exists. People who already have the awareness of the importance of Sharia will be the main drivers for the enforcement of Sharia by the state.

In this regard to these problems, especially to welcome the Islamic New Year of 1437 Hijri, Hizb ut Tahrir Indonesia:

1. Calls upon the Muslims, particularly central and local government officials, leaders of political and Islamic organizations, house members in central or regional levels, officers and members of Indonesian military / police, Islamic clerics, journalists, scholars, entrepreneurs and worker unions, as well as the youth and students to seriously fight for the establishment of Islamic law in the country. They have to deliberately put the struggle for the enforcement of Sharia as the main agenda. Indeed the practice of Sharia laws in personal life and apply them to the life of people and the state as well as to abandon neoliberalism and neoimperialism are the duties of every single Muslim, and the most obvious manifestation of the practice of hijrah in a non-physical sense as meant by the Prophet (saw), that those who emigrate (hijra) are those who leave what is prohibited by Allah. After all, where else we would return, after the destruction of socialism and then capitalism, neoliberalism and neoimperialism increasingly show their viciousness, if not to Islam?

2. Call upon the Muslims wherever they are to improve faith, brotherhood, unity and solidarity of the Ummah in the coming year of 1437 Hijri and to rise up and unite to apply Sharia, re-establish the Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate" upon the method of the Prophethood that will keep and liberate every inch of Islamic land, against neoliberalism and neoimperialism and to realize the return of the Izzul Islam wal Muslims.

Mohammed Ismail Yusanto
Official Spokesman of Hizb ut Tahrir in Indonesia

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