Islamists rally to demand creation of Muslim state

By Kathy Marks, Asia-Pacific Correspondent
Published: 13 August 2007


Shouting "Allah is great", and waving black and white flags, about 80,000 members of the radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir gathered in a sports stadium in Jakarta yesterday to call for the creation of a Muslim state spanning the Islamic world.
Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in several countries, including France, Germany and the Netherlands, has a strong following in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim state. Delegates at the Bung Karno Stadium had also come from Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Two speakers - Imran Waheed from Britain, and Ismail Al Wahwah from Australia - were refused entry into Indonesia. The decision by immigration authorities was denounced by Ismail Yusanto, a spokesman for the group's Indonesian branch. "Those responsible for this are being paranoid," he said. "This has hurt our freedom of expression."
Britain has considered outlawing Hizb ut-Tahrir, which was founded in Jerusalem in 1953. But Tony Blair, decided against it, after being advised by police that a ban would merely force it underground.
Critics say that its ideology is close to that of violent jihadist groups, and that it radicalises young Muslims who then choose a path of violence. Hizb ut-Tahrir insists that it opposes violence, and it has denounced terrorist bombings in London, Madrid and Bali. It has a strong presence on university campuses in Britain, some of which have banned it.
The radical Indonesian Muslim cleric, Abu Bakar Bashir, was scheduled to address the biannual international rally. But organisers asked him to withdraw, after police raised security concerns. Mr Bashir served two years in Jakarta's Cipinang jail after being convicted of involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings. The conviction was later overturned by the Supreme Court.
Another hardline Indonesian cleric, Habieb Rizieq, was also advised by police not to attend.
Many of Hizb ut-Tahrir's supporters arrived in convoys of buses from other regions of Java, Indonesia's main island, and neighbouring Sumatra island. Amid music and prayer, speakers called for a renewed commitment to revive the Caliphate - a single state across the Muslim world - through peaceful means.
Mr Yusanto said: "After the destruction of the Caliphate, tragedy after tragedy has descended on the Muslim world. Our nation has been divided into 50, and the infidel colonialists picked rulers in each."
Salim Frederick, of the group's English branch, said: "We need to carry this message from every corner from the east to west, so that on judgement day we can be proud." Erni Tri, a 40-year-old teacher who had driven for two hours with her husband and three children to attend the rally, said that she liked the group because it was "firm and uncompromising towards un-Islamic cultures". She said: "It is driven by love for Allah and has no hidden agenda to get votes or power."
Although the group's gatherings are usually peaceful, the United States embassy in Jakarta had warned its citizens to avoid going near the stadium.
Abdullar Gymnastiar, a popular and moderate Indonesian preacher, said it "hurts our feelings" to be labelled as radical. "We don't tolerate at all to engage in violence, especially terrorist action," he said. Abdul Wahid, chairman of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Britain, condemned the deportation of Dr Waheed. He said in a statement yesterday: "Hizb ut-Tahrir has spearheaded a crucial debate on the future for the Muslim world - an alternative to corruption and dictatorship.
"We hear endless rhetoric about a battle of ideas, but the only action we see are bans, smears and an attempt to silence debate."

Blogger Comment:

Islamists did not attract me when I was in Medical school, though I admired their call for moral purity and living a pure life like early Muslims. The things made me do not allay with them or be in any of their organizations is call for violence to change the moral and oppressive regimes in the Muslim world. Besides, they are too idealist either you are an ultraconservative or you are not one of us. Even the God who created them and me would never expect all of us to be angels or prophets and you end by exclusion of a large sector of Muslims who are faithful but realistic. In the same time they create hate against Islam through violence that encourage the west to maintain status quo of the Arab world. The odd thing the Christians rights who are supposed to be the closest for calling for moral purity to the Islamists are their primary enemy and looking to destroy them in the War of good and evil prior to Christ return. A thing that make the great comedian Bill Maher http://www.billmaher.com/ to almost fall on his belly laughing at that.

Let us be practical if we are going to change the Muslim world and have Caliphate or something close to that:

1- As Muslims we have to unite and have only one Islam. We will have the very devoted like the Sahaba and ordinary Muslims this is the way God created us levels. No sects and not any form of division of Muslims. Just Muslim is the word that was and it should be.

2- We have to understand the difference between using force and being strong and united so we do not need to fight.

3- In most of the oppressive Muslim countries some in the structure are good people and are willing to join our movement when we to stand one hand and overwhelm the tyrants.

4- We have to secure Israel and as honest man it is affidavit and not strategic plan to unite and then attack them like one of their ex-ministers is proclaiming or some in the Christian right are prophesying.

5- Islamists and even Jihadists can join us if they to change their understanding of the difference between being strong and using force. People do not like to be intimidated and meanwhile being strong is an undisclosed politic that all world powers use it to achieve their political goals over centuries.

6- If you read the moral utopia project in my web site you find that a lot of people will resist it not for fear of rise of an Antichrist but it is against the masters who control the world money and politics. The good thing is God in the side of the right people even if this took longer than people expect. God does not need Ben Ladin or few men with beards to achieve his goals.

7- So continue to have such conferences but importantly is to engage all of us and understand the difference between the use of force and being strong. In the process we have to give up some of our egos of who are the persons or organizations who will be leading. It is all of us and if there is Mahdi he is likely will be the guy who passes the microphone around so we could build our consensus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9R9e8jBTkE