London, UK, June 13 2007 – In a message to the Muslim community, Hizb
ut-Tahrir Britain, has reminded them of the challenges in the months
ahead and urged them not to be used "to fuel dangerous political
agendas".
The message says, "June and July could well be difficult months for
the Muslim community. If the past two years are anything to go by, the
second anniversary of the 7/7 attacks will see as much media focus fall
on pointing a finger of collective blame on the Muslim community as it
will on any dignified commemoration of those who died."
"It is surely no coincidence that John Reid has tabled his new anti-terror bill at such an emotive time…It is in Reid's interest that there is as much negative publicity as possible this summer to maximise his chances of realising his former Stalinist tendencies (he once famously admitted to once having been a communist). Unfortunately in the past we have seen Muslims fall into a trap of fuelling this negative publicity by unwise (even if well intended) actions. It is imperative at this time that Muslims learn from the past mistakes – be they from the time of the offensive cartoons or the time of the Israeli attacks on Lebanon where the public sympathy that existed evaporated over night."
"We have to voice our concerns in a way that wider society can understand and agree with. We cannot demonstrate or argue in a way that simply reinforces stereotypes and allows the government to perpetuate a 'moderate-extremist' divide and rule strategy. Such a strategy seeks to damage a growing consensus amongst all Muslims and many non-Muslims on these vital political issues."
[Ends]
Notes to Editors:
The full text of the message can be obtained from our website.
CONTACT:
Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain
+44(0)7074-192400
press@hizb.org.uk
www.hizb.org.uk