Social Democrat calls for Hizb ut-Tahrir ban after school campaign

A Social Democratic spokesperson has called for Hizb ut-Tahrir to be investigated with a view to banning the organisation after it launched a campaign aimed at Muslim students. DR reports.

Thomas Skriver Jensen, the Social Democrats’ spokesperson on immigration and integration, said he wanted the organisation’s role in Denmark examined. He described Hizb ut-Tahrir as anti-democratic and said its campaign amounted to an attack on Danish values.

Under the headline “Stand firm in your Islamic identity and wear it with pride”, Hizb ut-Tahrir told new students that many would encounter a youth environment where behaviour, norms and lifestyles that did not accord with Islam were presented as natural or desirable.

“We must fight the completely crazy Hizb ut-Tahrir and its attacks on Danish values,” Skriver wrote on Facebook.

Speaking on the radio programme P1 Morgen, he said the first step in confronting the organisation should take place in individual classrooms. He also said schools and other educational institutions needed to be equipped to reject extreme views.

“This is a culture war in our upper-secondary schools and vocational colleges,” Skriver said.

Previous efforts to consider a ban

The possibility of banning Hizb ut-Tahrir has previously been examined several times under Section 78 of Denmark’s Constitution. On each occasion, the director of public prosecutions found insufficient evidence that the organisation itself had an unlawful purpose or used illegal means as part of its activities.

“It is no secret that if it were a real possibility to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir, I would think it was a good idea. I believe it is an anti-democratic organisation,” Skriver said.

He acknowledged that introducing an actual ban would not be straightforward, adding that he intended to investigate whether it could be done.

Hizb ut-Tahrir defends its values

In its letter to Muslim students, the organisation also warned of pressure to adapt to a culture in which following one’s desires and participating in what it called a shameless and limitless youth culture was portrayed as normal and valuable, while Islamic values were presented as old-fashioned, restrictive or foreign.

Several politicians have strongly criticised the campaign. Immigration and Integration Minister Morten Bødskov called it “very worrying”, while Church Minister Ida Auken wrote on Facebook: “So, dear young Muslims: Say no to Hizb ut-Tahrir.”

Hizb ut-Tahrir media representative Elias Lamrabet defended the campaign, saying there should be room for Islamic values among young people. He said Muslim young people and adults should be able to maintain their own set of values and live according to their convictions.

Lamrabet said Islam prohibits sexual relations outside marriage, alcohol consumption and behaviour he described as shameless, limitless and immoral. He argued that the alternatives presented by Islam, including responsibility, dignity, virtue and competence, were values that should be promoted among all young people in Denmark.

Skriver said the organisation’s communication attempted to portray it as sympathetic and accused it of putting pressure on young people and exercising social control. Lamrabet called the idea of a ban “an admission of failure”, arguing that responding to views with bans and sanctions rather than arguments was a sign of powerlessness and spiritual poverty.

What is Hizb ut-Tahrir?

Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Islamic political party that seeks to unite all Muslim nations in an Islamic state, or caliphate. It opposes democracy and advocates a society based on Islamic law, or sharia.

The organisation is estimated to operate in more than 40 countries, although it is banned in many of them. It began operating in Denmark in the 1990s, and its membership is uncertain.