A Muslim father from Derby who made an application to adopt a child has been flagged up by Derbyshire Police as a possible “risk” to children because he shared articles from Hizb-ut Tahrir’s website on Facebook.

His internet activities were mentioned  in his Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check – which helps employers and others to make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. His enhanced DBS check stated the following:

“Other relevant information disclosed at the chief police officer(s) discretion.

On 27th December 2014 Mr xxxxxx uploaded and shared a link from the Hizb-ut Tahrir website.

On 2nd October 2014 Mr xxxxxx uploaded and shared another link from the Hizb-ut Tahrir website about the discontinuance of the prosecution of an ex-Guantanamo Bay detainee who had been arrested and charged with terrorism offences. [Charges were subsequently dropped]

The Hizb-ut Tahrir is described by official government departments as a non-violent extremist Islamic group that promotes a radical Islamic ideology. They support the creation of an Islamic state governed by strict Shari’ah law. Shari’ah law is a violent law that enforces capital punishment for apparent minor indiscretions and discriminates against women. Shari’ah does not recognise any other religion and does not accept anyone who is not Muslim. Although not a proscribed group in the UK it is proscribed in other parts of the world.

After careful consideration the chief officer of Derbyshire Constabulary believes that this information ought to be disclosed because we believe it is relevant to consider the risk of harm if a vulnerable child were to be placed in a family where Hizb-ut Tahrir and Shari’ah law is supported. Hizb-ut Tahrir rhetoric is anti-Western, anti-establishment and not accepting of any other religion or belief. If Shari’ah law were to be practised within the family, it could potentially breach a number of UK laws. Therefore, on this occasion, the risk of harm to children outweighs the impact of disclosure of the information on the private life Mr xxxxxx.”

Regarding this matter, Hizb ut-Tahrir in Britain makes the following points:

A) The issue confirms the fact that ‘Prevent’ – upon which such guidance has surely been made – is nothing to do ‘terrorism’ and everything to do with political beliefs and religious values.

B) That Derbyshire police have used sharing a comment piece about the release of Moazzam Begg – when a highly politicised case against him collapsed – indicates the level of political dissent that is being clamped down on by the British State.

C) That Derbyshire police have used Hizb ut-Tahrir’s support for Shari’ah as a reason to penalise the applicant indicates the growing supremacist nature of secular liberal states. They echo the comments of Sir Peter Fahy, the police officer in charge of Prevent who said Britain was in danger of becoming a police state – and the police themselves of become “thought police”.

D) The way the British state is currently dealing with Islam is nonsensical. The Shari’ah laws that apply to governance, criminal law, the judiciary, economics and finance (which George Osborne seems to see as a nice little money earner for the UK) and that regulate the relationships between men and women in society is what Hizb ut-Tahrir works for in the Muslim world. It does not work for this in the UK. However this same Shari’ah has a role in individual and family life that we would encourage all Muslims to apply in their lives, as much as possible. It obliges a man to make an effort to provide for his family. It obliges both parents to make sure all children, male or female, are educated and encouraged to be moral and upright people. It forbids either parent from abandoning their family responsibilities. It obliges the Muslim to be good neighbours, not to neglect those in need nor cause harm to people. Does Derbyshire police really have an issue with these things?

E) This matter, taken in conjunction with the recent draconian Ofsted inspections that make accusations of “extemism” imply that personal beliefs that do not originate from secular liberal norms are unwelcome in modern Britain.

F) Muslims need to understand and raise awareness about this attempt to forcefully assimilate them – to compel them to adopt secular liberal values as their new religion, publicly and privately. It is not simply insisting that they should be silent in the face of oppressive domestic and foreign policies, rather they should be cheerleaders for it.

G) We urge Muslims to hold fast to the noble Islamic values and speak out truthfully where they see injustice.