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| Maher al-Jabari: Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman Ilene R. Prusher |
Palestinian group sounds like Al Qaeda but forgoes violence
Hizb ut-Tahrir moves to fill void left by Hamas in the West Bank
from the January 22, 2008 edition
Page 2 of 3
The group is gaining supporters in other cities, too. In August, a major rally in Ramallah drew 20,000 people, according to official estimates. In the same week, demonstrations were held in other Muslim countries where the group is popular, with some 80,000-100,000 people attending a massive gathering in Jakarta, Indonesia. The rallies were called to coincide with the anniversary of the official 1924 dissolution of the caliphate – carried out by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey – following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire.
Many analysts see the demonstration against the Annapolis peace conference in November, during which Palestinian police killed Hisham al-Baradi, one of Hizb ut-Tahrir's activists, as a major turning point. Mr. Baradi has since been deemed a shahid, or martyr, allowing the group to ratchet up its rhetoric as a group persecuted not just by Israel, but by Palestinian authorities as well.
"We were attacked by the oppressive Palestinian police forces, and one our members was killed," says Mr. Jabari, adding that several hundred of their activists were also arrested in recent months, most of them later released. "They must be afraid of us," he concludes.
No peace talks with Israel
Additional evidence of this, he says, is the arrest of about 30 Hizb ut-Tahrir activists while President Bush was speaking alongside Mr. Abbas in Ramallah on Jan. 10. The activists handed out fliers decrying Bush, Abbas, and any Palestinian working towards a two-state solution alongside Israel. Instead, the group argues that the entire umma, or Islamic nation, should unite to overthrow the Middle East's many Western-backed states, emirates, and kingdoms – none of which, they say, are in line with Muslim ideals.
One of those who was arrested was Abdul-Nasser al-Baradi, the older brother of Hisham, who was killed in November. While Hisham was alive, he convinced Abdul-Nasser of Hizb ut-Tahrir's ideas, the elder Baradi says in an interview at his late brother's home, which he visits daily to help his brother's two surviving widows and seven children. One of them is Izz ed-Din, 14, who says that Hizb ut-Tahrir has the key to succeeding where democracy – which the group openly rejects – has failed.
"I'll give you an example," the high school freshman says. "Islam says if you steal, the punishment is to have your hand cut off. A democratic regime might not come to such a conclusion."
Hizb ut-Tahrir's leaders here say that other Islamic strictures would apply: they would ban the sell of alcohol in public, for example, but non-Muslims would be free to drink it in private and maintain their own religious practices at home.
The boy's uncle, Abdul-Nasser, puts the issue of why Palestinians are turning to Hizb ut-Tahrir into a broader perspective. "It's only natural that people feel threatened by the PA and look at it as a collaborator. People feel the Palestinian Authority is not with the people," he says.
"Hamas started with a similar ideology, but time has proven that the liberation of Palestine is not going to go according to Hamas' route, through resistance." At the same time, he says, Palestinians don't think that the answer lies in Fatah's approach – a negotiated settlement with foreign intervention and aid.
"The only route is with the march of armies under the rule of the caliph," he says. Anything else, including tit-for-tat violence and especially peace talks, is a waste of time. "Talks are not only useless and futile, but they're very destructive. These negotiations are only geared to protect the security of Israel. The majority of people support this view and support Hizb ut-Tahrir, Thank God, even though the media is hiding that."
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