In the Name of Allah, Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem
Dear Respected Brothers – Assaalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh
Alhamdulillah this year’s conference went very well indeed, by the Permission of Allah Almighty.
It was the conclusion to a month of Hizb ut-Tahrir events around the world in Indonesia [130 000 attendees across 29 conferences], Malaysia, Australia, Tunisia, Netherlands and USA.
Our great thanks to those brothers who attended and also to those who sent their apologies that they couldn’t attend. Special thanks to the brothers who spoke on the day: Shaykh Haitham Haddad, Brother Mohamed Ali and Professor Hassan Ko Nakata.
The conference supported the Muslims calling for change across the world, but also put forward a future vision based on Islam – something we know is much maligned and misrepresented in the Muslim world.
Speakers spoke of the ‘old politics’ of nation states – which even Europe has tried so hard to overcome through political and economic union; client states sustaining the interests of the wealthy elite and external powers; the tyranny of dictatorship and the corruption that goes with democracy [exemplified by democratic politics in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Westminster]. They addressed the current failing economic order that has widened the wealth inequality, institutionalized poverty, inflated food prices and brought instability across the world.
This was contrasted with the potential ‘new politics’ based on Islam: accountable government; electing the ruler who rules by the justice of Islam, not the corruption of capitalism; unification of resources; implementing much-needed security for the people. People were reminded that the Islamic Khilafah system is not untested and that it was as ridiculous to suggest that looking to Islam as a political system was going back 1400 years as it would be to say that those who wanted democracy were going back 2500 years to the age of Ancient Athens. The Khilafah state led the world in science and technology and can do so again. The audiences were reminded of the inaugural speech of Sayyidina Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) who said the weakest would be foremost in his eyes until their rights were restored. Moreover, the speakers proposed Islam’s economic and political solutions for a variety of problems affecting the Muslim world.
The conference ended with Taji Mustafa reminding Muslims of their responsibilities in the UK: that just as oppressed Muslims across the world were struggling for a political change, Muslims here are facing a challenge to our beliefs and values and will have to struggle hard to safeguard these in our communities and defend those ideas (e.g. shariah and Khilafah) which are crudely labeled ‘extremist’ and said to be unacceptable for implementation in the Muslim world.
Muslims living in the west have a crucial role to understand and explain how Islam can bring solutions to the problems facing ordinary people. We pray this conference went some way towards this. Inshallah we will send out links to the talks as soon as they are ready and would welcome your feedback.
Your brother
Abdul Wahid
Chairman, UK Executive Committee
Hizb ut-Tahrir – Britain
9th Shaban 1432 / 11th July 2011
Please use this PDF of this letter to inform friends, family and those who would be interested