London, UK, February 12 2008 – Foreign secretary, David Miliband argued in a speech today that there is a "moral imperative" to intervene – sometimes militarily – to help spread democracy throughout the world. Miliband seems intent on committing the UK to more disastrous interventions, that will inevitably lead to civilian deaths. Given its two century track record, we would argue that there is a "moral imperative" for the UK to stay out of the affairs of Muslim world.

In his speech titled The Democratic Imperative, he also argued that fostering democracy in the Middle East "is the best long-term defence against global terrorism and conflict" despite the "mistakes" in Iraq and Afghanistan. The facts do not support his case, with the world less secure and more divided since the launch of the ‘war on terror’.

Commenting on the speech Dr Imran Waheed, media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said, "Gordon Brown said that British laws must be based on British values. Today, Miliband is saying that the rest of the world’s laws must also be based on British values – imposed by force if necessary. To insist on imposing secular liberal democracy despite recent polls that show that the vast majority of people in the Muslim world want an Islamic form of government, is arrogant supremacist and doomed to failure. The Muslim world has seen the numerous attempts to establish secular systems over many decades. All have failed. The British government, so emphatic in its rejection of accomodating even a morsel of Islamic law into its civil code, cannot expect a successfully imposition of a system foreign to Muslims in their countries."

"To talk of ‘mistakes’ in Iraq and Afghanistan is an amazing understatement. Iraq has been weakened by sanctions, had its infrastructure and institutions destroyed, and been victim of an invasion that has killed over 650,000 innocent Iraqis."

"In Afghanistan, corruption, poverty and insecurity have all worsened under occupation and violent incidents are up 20% in the past year. This ‘free, democratic’ Afghanistan has levels of poverty comparable to sub-Saharan Africa and now has 120,000 women and 60,000 children who are amongst its new drug users, giving a meaning to ‘liberation’ that is entirely in keeping with intervention by liberal capitalist states."

"Western governments show no sign of wanting to leave the Muslim world to shape its own future and political destiny. Stability can only come when a system of government enjoys the trust and confidence of the people and that will only come when Islam lies at the heart of that system. The people of the Muslim world want to remove their repressive regimes and establish the Caliphate – a representative and accountable system of Islamic governance."

"Perhaps Miliband should be starting his global march for democracy in the UK, where up to 40% of the electorate do not vote, and people do not trust politicians, who are tainted by scandals about expenses, cash for peerages and the funding of political parties."

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