London, UK, August 4th 2008 – Following recent allegations by the Chinese government, repeated by some media outlets, that Hizb ut-Tahrir was involved in an attack on a Chinese border post that killed 16 Chinese policeman, Taji Mustafa, Media Representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain points out the following for the record:

(1) We reject these baseless allegations. It is well known that since its formation in 1953, Hizb ut-Tahrir has engaged solely in political work to re-establish the Islamic Caliphate in the Muslim world. Such allegations are frequently made by the tyrants of the Muslim world, such as Karimov or Mubarak, in order to provide a justification for the brutal suppression of the party’s political activities.

(2) The Chinese regime harshly represses its Muslim citizens under the cloak of the "war on terror". Mosques have been demolished, Imams imprisoned for organising pilgrimage to Makkah and Muslims are intimidated. Despite this harsh oppression, Islam in the region is experiencing a resurgence that is replicated throughout the whole of Central and South East Asia, with the growing desire of the masses to call for the return of Islam to state and society.

(3) It is likely that these events will be used by the Chinese government to further increase the oppression of Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Muslims of China. The Chinese government will continue to arrest, imprison, torture and intimidate the Muslims of China, merely emulating the example of Western governments which have consistently used the "war on terror" to silence political dissent and fight the growing popular support for the Caliphate in the Muslim world.

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