A controversial Islamic group accused of being anti-Semitic hate mongers and condoning the murder of gay people recently held a conference at Alexandra Palace in north London, to the disgust of local Conservatives. Thousands of Hizb ut-Tahrir supporters gathered for the conference on how to realise the Khilafah – a global Islamic state.
Last month, Conservative leader David Cameron asked Prime Minister Gordon Brown why the group was not proscribed in the UK. Mr Cameron said: “People simply won’t understand why an organisation urging people to kill all Jews hasn’t been banned.”
Justin Hinchcliffe, of Haringey Conservatives, told the Muswell Hill Times: “Hizb ut-Tahrir is a fascist-Islamic organisation. Jihad (holy war), anti-Semitism, homophobia and misogyny are what it stands for. If Labour wants to be tough on terrorism it should ban such hateful groups instead of eroding the civil liberties of the law-abiding majority. Meanwhile, the bosses at Alexandra Palace should be ashamed of themselves. Clearly, they have placed profit above ethics, community relations, security and common sense. We don’t want these hate-mongers in Haringey.”
Inayat Bunglawala, assistant secretary general of The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), told the Muswell Hill Times he did not believe banning the group was the answer but that the MCB strongly disagree with the group’s position of non-participation in the UK electoral process. “The best way is surely to challenge some of their ideas and show clearly why integration and greater participation in the mainstream political process is a more fruitful path for all concerned.”