Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain Demands Retraction and Cessation of Offensive Caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

In response to the publication of offensive caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by European media outlets, Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain makes the following demands:

1) We demand that European governments exert pressure on their media outlets to retract the offensive caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), apologise for the offence caused and guarantee no further repetition of such abuse.

2) We demand sincere and robust intellectual debate regarding Islam and the West, not insults, draconian laws and vilification.

3) We demand that the rulers of the Muslim world immediately sever diplomatic and economic relations with those European governments that continue to allow these offensive caricatures to be published.

We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Muslim brethren around the world in their boycott of products and services from European companies that do not openly and unreservedly condemn these insults.

At this juncture, we reiterate the need for Muslims to protest peacefully and responsibly in the face of this deliberate provocation.

To press for these demands Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain will be:

• Participating in a national unity demonstration in Central London on the 18th of February 2006.
• Launching a web based worldwide petition campaign on its UK website for Muslims and non-Muslims enraged by these insults to join this petition and voice their protest.
• Sending delegations to the diplomatic missions of European governments and Muslim countries in London to make these demands.
• Interacting with western academics, thinkers, religious leaders, journalists and politicians to highlight the need for sincere and robust debate and dialogue.

Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain
4th February 2006