Press Release
Hizb ut Tahrir is Not Working to Overthrow the Kenyan Government

Media agencies reported a case that is facing Arkanudin Yassin an activist of Hizb ut Tahrir who was arraigned in Milimani Courts Nairobi on Wednesday the 9^th March 2016; with charges of harboring Caliphate thoughts of which he wants to overthrow the Kenyan Government. NTV referred to Arkan as a “Hate Preacher”.

Since the Caliphate ideas are Islamic and are propagated by the International Islamic Political Party of Hizb ut Tahrir; therefore we wish to expound on the following:

Hizb ut Tahrir was established in 1953 as an Islamic Political Party that aims to re-establish Islam as a State in the Muslim world. Hizb ut Tahrir has never and will never use violence or military acts as its means to re-establish the Khilafah "Caliphate" (Caliphate) upon the method of the Prophethood.

Khilafah "Caliphate" had been the primary ruling of Islam that ruled half of the world including some areas of Africa. For a period of 13 centuries, the Khilafah "Caliphate" anchored tranquility, peace and security to all people Muslims and non-Muslims. As Islam made compulsory the acts of worship like Hijab, Prayers and Fasting, it also made compulsory the act of re-establishing the Khilafah "Caliphate". Hizb ut Tahrir carries an Islamic position that after the Destruction of the Khilafah "Caliphate" in 1924 it has become compulsory for Muslims globally to resume the Islamic way of life through the re-establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" in the Muslim lands. Hizb ut Tahrir carries the task of such propagation throughout the Muslim world including Kenya and East Africa in general.

The work of Hizb ut Tahrir in nations like Kenya is to build an Islamic Concept to the Muslims on Islam so they so that they conceptualize it and have a genuine Islamic Personality. Hizb ut Tahrir does not work to re-establish the Khilafah "Caliphate" in Kenya nor overthrow the Kenyan government because Kenya does not meet the Legal Islamic criteria for commencing and re-establishing the Khilafah "Caliphate". For over 20 years now, Hizb ut Tahrir in Kenya has never been involved in any acts of violent or killings of any nature.

In its conferences and symposiums, Hizb ut Tahrir invites scholars from all walks of life and from Muslims and non-Muslims to collectively participate with them in intellectual discussions that depict the greatness and capability of Islam in solving the political and socio-economic predicaments facing the world today. Hizb ut Tahrir carries the Islamic Propagation by illustrating that Islam is a comprehensive guide to life and which has all the solutions bedeviling humanity. Also, it believes that the world today is in catastrophes due to the western colonial ideology of Capitalism. An ideology carried by the West that plunders the resources of young countries including Kenya. Hizb ut Tahrir has no relation to any groups that use war as means to re-establish the Khilafah "Caliphate".

As for referring Arkan to a ‘Hate Preacher’, this indeed is hatred incitement against Islam and its propagation. And we know that one of the weapons used by the West to portray Islam in a bad light is the media outlets. Regularly most of the top media do not provide an objective and fair platform to propagate Islam; but instead they are inclined to despicable propaganda while not caring to listen to the genuine and true version of Islam. And we openly know that media outlets often can be used to plunge a country in turmoil including Religious War.

Shabani Mwalimu
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in East Africa