This is a guest post by Al-Qanaas Al-Masri
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Since taking office, President Obama’s administration has tried hard to break with Bush-era ‘them and us’ rhetoric and reach out to ordinary Muslims around the world.
However, I don’t think that anyone thought this policy would include publicly sucking up to Hizb ut-Tahrir, a group which, much like al-Qaeda, aspires to create a global, totalitarian and expansionist Caliphate.
And yet, as Counter Terrorism News website reveals, this is precisely what has now happened.
On Sunday, Dalia Mogahed (pronounced ‘mujahid’), a high-profile member of President Barack Obama’s Faith Advisory Council, spent 45-minutes on the Islam Channel’s programme ‘Muslimah Dilemma’ alongside fellow guest, Nasreen Nawaz, HT’s national women’s media representative (the video is available here).
There are some initial problems with this:
- The Islam Channel is a hardline wahhabi/Islamist outfit run by Mohammed Ali Harrath, a convicted terrorist who is wanted by Interpol.
- The ‘Muslimah Dilemma’ programme is an HT-run programme whose producer, Casa Sharif, and host, Ibtihal Bsis Ismail, are all active members of HT.
- The appearance of such high-profile member of the US government alongside an HT guest risks legitimising HT in the eyes of ordinary Muslims.
Even more problematic, however, is that Mogahed, best known for her work with the pro-Islamist, Saudi-funded academic John Esposito, did not once challenge HT’s speakers during the 45-minute discussion.
This was despite the fact that Nawaz was introduced as “the Women’s Media Representative for the pan-Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir” and that during the programme, Nawaz openly:
- Called for the re-creation of “Islamic Khilafah state” in which women are “not permitted to hold a position of leadership in government”.
- Called for Sharia law to be “the source of legislation” and for “strict regulation in terms of social laws” (explicitly saying that “men and women cannot socialize” and “they cannot be alone together”).
- Attacked secular “man-made law” and the west’s “lethal cocktail” of “liberty” and “capitalism” which they blamed for “promiscuity”, “pornography”, “teenage pregnancies” and “adultery”.
In addition to not directly challenging HT on a single one of these issues, Mogahed additionally cited evidence from surveys that neatly backed up HT’s regular claim that “the Muslims” are calling for the implementation of a hard-line version of Sharia law and the creation of a despotic and repressive Caliphate. For instance, at one point, Nawaz explaining how HT’s Caliphate will work, saying:
For example, you have political parties underneath an Islamic Khilafah state. This is all defined by the Islamic state—this is all defined by the Islamic texts. You have political parties where women again are encouraged to be a part of. You have a mechanism called the majlis al-ummah, which is the consultative body that holds the ruler to account and advises the ruler. You have the Qadi Muthalim, the court of unjust acts, where a woman can directly account the rulers of her society. These are some examples of the issue of governance and the principles of governance in Islam.
Mogahed responds, not by challenging Nawaz’s laughable claims that HT’s various absurd inventions like the “Majlis al-Ummah” are “all defined by the Islamic texts” but by saying:
I think the solutions are many and quite complicated. [In] certain societies the issue is around the lack of money and [in] other societies resources are plentiful. What Muslims around the world tell us that they believe is a key to progress is attachment to their spiritual and moral values. They really do see, many of them, that Islam offers a solution for their problems and that they see Islam as their society’s greatest asset. When we asked people what they admire most about the Muslim world, what they tell us is their attachment to Islam, Islamic values, even the value of hospitality, the value of family. So I think that whereas people around the world do feel that the problems are diverse, many many of them do mention Islam as a as a part of that solution. When we asked people what Muslims can do to help themselves, one of the most frequent responses is for them to unify and another is for them to follow Islam and and make it a greater, more authentic part of their lives.
So, in other words, Dalia Mogahed, advisor to Barack Obama, by failing to clearly say that very few Muslims actually agree with HT’s aims instead implies that HT are not only right but their ideology is also popular among Muslims around the world. Ibtihal Bsis Ismail, the HT presenter of the programme, loved this response so much that she ended the show by inviting Mogahed to talk about her future reports on the ‘Muslimah Dilemma’ show:
I think we’d love to have you on personally to discuss the findings of those surveys once they come out. I want to say Jazakallah kheir to my guest Dahlia Mogahed from the United States of America and Jazakallah kheir to Nasreen Nawaz, women’s media representative for Hizb ut-Tahrir.
This interview has already been a massive boost to HT. HT’s main UK website has put the youtube clip on the front-page of its website – as has HT’s branch in Australia. Good work Dalia!
How the hell are ordinary Muslims meant to challenge Islamist groups like HT (as they are constantly being urged to do) when the very same groups are simultaneously being promoted and empowered by those in positions of power in the Whitehouse and elsewhere?
39 Comments
You people are mentally ill- so appearing on a TV programme with someone means you agree with them ?
And I never realised John Espisto was linked to al Qaida – then again some of your neo-con loonies believe Barack Obama is a Muslim
Dalia Mogahed produced a detailed survey of Muslims attitudes . Because the scientifically done surveys results contradict your beliefs you refuse to accept them. Pure fanaticism
You want Mogahed to deny the facts of her comprehensive survey? How rational and scientific you are. True inheritors of the Enlightenment !
So did you see its documentary yesterday on Palestinian and Israeli young people working and living peacefully together?
Urged by whom?
Only someone paranoid or insane would believe this was the Whitehouse promoting HT
Neither did I – especially as the above the line article makes no such claim whatsoever, Bleh.
I always knew HT was set up and run by the neo cons in America, this is the smoking gun. HT are agents of the West, supported to destroy Islam.
There I can do conspriacy theory too.
There is such obvious hypocrisy from HT here. Firstly, they have never given a damn what ordinary people want, they believe in imposing their ideology on the masses against their will if necessary. So this sudden fascination with opinion polls is laughable. Secondly, just saying we want more Islam or more Shariah is not the same as saying we want the HT style political system since there are diverse intepretations of Shariah and political systems within the Islamic tradition. The surveys rarely probe into such nuonces. Finally, recent election results in numerous populous Muslim majority countries completely contradict the findings of these opinion polls, Islamist parties have been losing support everywhere. Opinion polls in such places are clearly methodologically flawed, they use small samples, ask vague questions and fail to do the necessary background research.
“You people are mentally ill- so appearing on a TV programme with someone means you agree with them ?”
Dalia Mogahed should at some point during this 45-minute show have challenged HT’s views – particular when its aims such as banning women from senior political positions were so clearly stated during the programme.
“And I never realised John Espisto was linked to al Qaida – then again some of your neo-con loonies believe Barack Obama is a Muslim”.
Please provide evidence of where I said that John Esposito was “linked to al-Qaeda”. What neo-con loonies believe is of no interest to me.
“Dalia Mogahed produced a detailed survey of Muslims attitudes . Because the scientifically done surveys results contradict your beliefs you refuse to accept them. Pure fanaticism.”
The survey did not provide any evidence to back up HT’s claims that Muslims support the introduction of hardline sharia law and the re-creation of a Caliphate. At some point during the 45-minute discussion, Dalia should have made this point unambiguously clear.
“You want Mogahed to deny the facts of her comprehensive survey? How rational and scientific you are. True inheritors of the Enlightenment !”
No. I would like Mogahed to stand by the actual results of her survey – rather than allowing HT to deliberately distort them. I would also like her, as a Muslim and as a advisor to Obama and as a human being, to actively and publicly challenge HT’s rhetoric and its absurd fascist fantantasies. This should not be too much to ask!
Al-Qanaas.
altMuslim, back in July, spent an entire thread bigging-up HT… and not publishing a single comment by anyone remotely critical of Hizb ut-Tahrir. I wonder why?
http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/3210/
To be fair, the article on altMuslim’s site was fairly critical of the conduct of HT – without any real commentary on their Islamism, however. More a series of anecdotes about their impracticality and propensity for bun-fighting. All fairly light-weight and hardly penetrating in its critique.
What disturbed me, however, was that I and a few others offered comments to altMuslim on the thread there, all very critical of HT’s underlying ideology and practices… and not one single such comment was published. Nor did the editors offer any explanation for their conduct despite repeatedly being asked.
Tant pis.
That’s a bit like the HT website which does allow anything but ass licking comments. Freedom of speech is merely a western ideal to be exploited not a principle Islamists believe in.
Great post, Egyptian Hunter.
Dalia Mogahed (pronounced ‘mujahid’)
Being as you’re a Sa’eedi from Dirda (Girga to us Cairenes), I wouldn’t expect you to get this right, what with pronouncing qaaf like ‘geem’ and jeem like ‘daal’
Thanks Hakem. Yeah – I know about the ‘j’ becoming a ‘g’ in Egyptian (think Gamal Abdel Nasser!) but it was really to help out folks who were thinking ‘mogahed – what kinda Arabic name is that?’ It was also, dare I say it, a bit of a cheap tabloid jibe – i’m afraid that we all have our moments of weakness!
Just came across this thread. We do not censor comments for ideology, only hostility to other commenters. Feel free to reprint here (and in the original thread, if you like) your critiques of HT. There are nearly 2,000 articles on altmuslim.com and I doubt you’ll find any sympathy for HT in any of them.
Shahed
Thanks for the response. However, your comment is not so, unfortunately.
You censored comments that were directly critical of HT ideology and political practice and then failed to respond to any of the so censored commentors, despite being repeatedly asked to explain your actions. It is a shame that it has taken exposure here for you to seek to redress that now.
The article in question was an extremely light-weight and anecdotal account of some of the less than useful antics of HT. It entirely failed to criticise either the ideological stance of HT, nor its evident extremism.
Further, most of the comments on that altMuslim thread were simply from HT supporters and members discussing the character of the allegedly coming HT Caliphate.
Also, many thanks for giving me permission to publish something on this website. I was unaware you were an editor of Spittoon.
I’m not an editor here – only at altmuslim. As I mentioned before, feel free to repost your HT critiques in the altmuslim thread if you wish. Your comments were pulled for hostility and no other reason, and we don’t have the time to respond to all the emails we get.
Hum…
Actually my comment was “hostile” only to HT – an organisation that you evidently have quite a soft-spot for.
My comment was not hostile to the author of the piece, nor to any other commentor. As you are not an editor at altMuslim, I would be fascinated to know how you know so much about this issue.
I utterly refute your attempts to smear me on this site and continue to hold in fairly low-regard a site such as yours that engages in crude censorship in the service of such vileness as Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Perhaps Shahed might care to share with us his thoughts on the persistent allegations linking some of the senior figures at altMulism with JI and MB front organisations?
Apologies – you *are* an editor at altMuslim.
That actually makes it worse, not better, Shahed.
I knew you were not an editor here, actually. I was being sardonic.
Oh, just one more thing – I would be fascinated to know how you know my comments were “abusive” – as I posted them under a different nickname and from a different email address. I’m afraid even my IP was different, as I most often use a proxy for security reasons.
Pray tell.
Are you Shahed Amanullah, the editor-in-chief of Altmuslim?
A few points in response:
a) I do not have the particulars of your comments, as we process too many to keep track of. I’ve told you our policy, and there are several people who help enforce it. Judging by your tone above, I’m not surprised your comments were deleted.
b) I don’t take kindly to accusations upon myself or my editorial team. If you have specific questions for me, feel free to ask. If you have questions for the others, ask them. I can’t speak for them.
c) As for HT, JI, and other foreign ideologies: I find them irrelevant at best and dangerous at worst when it comes to the successful integration of Muslims into American life. They have no place on US soil. Furthermore, I have never in my public life within the Muslim community and in interactions with any Muslim organizations heard anyone espouse teachings, positions, etc. of HT or similar foreign groups. (If I did, I would repeat my position above to them).
If those answers aren’t enough for you, then I’m sorry. I’m moving on w/my day.
Shahed
As I have pointed out, above, this would be next to impossible as they were posted under a different nickname, using a different email account, running under a proxy server.
I would be grateful, then, if you might retract your statement that my comments were “abusive”, as you have just admitted that you have absolutely no evidence to support this false claim.
As little as I take kindly to ill-informed and false accusations made against me by you and your editorial team. I have made no false accusations against yourself or your editorial team – I have simply pointed out that – for whatever reason – comments critical of HT made by myself and others were mysteriously censored by your editorial team. You have yet to show any reason for these actions.
I am glad to hear this. It confirms what I have always been led to believe about your stance on such issues, which I have always found both courageous and just.
However, I did not write of your position, but of the position of a number of people associated with AltMuslim.
Many thanks for your reply and I look forward to a retraction of the earlier smear against my good name.
>Oh, just one more thing – I would be fascinated to know how you know my >comments were “abusive” – as I posted them under a different nickname and >from a different email address. I’m afraid even my IP was different, as I most >often use a proxy for security reasons.
I don’t see how or why Shahed should apologize. Especially since you can’t even stand behind your own name but post behind anonymous pseudonyms. More to the point, should Shahed/AltMuslim apologize to an IP address or a real person?
Khalid,
If someone does not know who made a post and then, quite clearly without evidence, makes an accusation against a person – why should they *not* apologise?
Incidentally, I have very good reasons for using a pseudonym. It is quite common on the interweb, you know.
“did not once challenge HT’s speakers during the 45-minute discussion.”
Ed and his ex HT troupe have not learnt much since leaving HT. They think the only way to debate other Muslims is to snipe at them with venom, not to rationally discuss things in a civilised way.
“How the hell are ordinary Muslims meant to challenge Islamist groups like HT (as they are constantly being urged to do) when the very same groups are simultaneously being promoted and empowered by those in positions of power in the Whitehouse and elsewhere?”
Ok lets get the Whitehouse to empower Ed and Majid instead so they can bolster their £80,000 salary for pretending to do work (see comedy document entitled Quilliam progress report 08/09)
Rather that than empowering by default sinister, pseudo-intellectual peddlers of a vicious, bigoted travesty of Islam such as Hizb ut-Tahrir.
yeh last time i checked she is not now and never has been a member of HT.
You would know, would you, Imad?
Oh, but Nasreen Nawaz is the Women’s Media Representative for Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Here she is in an interminably dull video on HT’s own website.
http://www.hizb.org.uk/hizb/multimedianew/video/muslimah-dilemma-afghan-women-law.html#
The author of the above-the-line piece did not even suggest that Obama’s advisor, Dalia Mogahed, was a member of HT.
You did read the piece, I take it?
Ed Hussain was not involved in the broadcast; nor, as far as I am aware, were any other people from QF.
So, you really did not bother to read the piece before commenting?
I suppose it would suit your McCarthyist fantasy for her to come out and state where her allegiances lie. Do you have any proof of her being HT? Other then her speaking on a TV show. If appearing on a show with questionable hosts/co-guests makes you allied to them – we have much bigger problems than Dalia Mogahed.
the author seems to suggest that by Mogahed being on the show she is virtually an honorary member of HT. My reference to quilliam is a reference to the author and the other goons who write for this website and cower behind pseudonyms to disguise their QF identity.
Imad, it is not simply about the fact that Mogahed was happy to lend White House respectability and gravitas to an HT production on a TV channel run by a man wanted by Interpol, the problem is that she wilfully allows her research to be used to bolster HT’s narrative and ideology when even a slightly nuanced reading of Mogahed’s research shows that Muslims around the world do not want HT’s goals. Why is she happy to have her work coopted by HT to support their totalitarian agenda?
Imad,
No-one is, or has suggested that Mogahed is a member of HT.
Nawaz is a member of HT, however.
Yes I do. Hizb ut-Tahrir say that she is a member of their party:
http://www.hizb.org.uk/hizb/who-is-ht/prominent-members/hizb-ut-tahrir-uk-elections-1429-h-2008.html
Note, the inclusion of Dr Nasreen Nawaz, who was elected as HT’s “Women’s Media Representative”.
I am not in any way associated with QF.
It would certainly help if you were to do the same.
Is that Imad Shawbaki crazy HT member who was investigated by Scotland Yard for terrorist links? You HTers see your former comrades everywhere don’t you? Do you think QF was behind the assassination of Kennedy too?
264u
No that was HT
Oh wait but your zionist teacher Alan Dershowitz did say that the killing of Robert Kennedy by Sirhan Sirhan a Christian Palestinian was Americas first example of “Islamic” terrorist. LOL
Amazing ‘yawn’ you know things about me that i don’t and we’ve only just me. Gosh does halaqa teach cold reading now as well?