Hizb ut-Tahrir, which urged Australian Muslims to boycott democracy in “this godforsaken country”, is to hold study sessions in Sydney .
The sessions, to coach its followers in how to achieve their goal of an international Islamic state, will be part of an “intensive workshop” planned for this weekend in Bankstown, southwestern Sydney, and follow a convention attended by hundreds of Islamic activists last Sunday.
“The call for Khilafah (the Islamic state) is now echoing from all parts of the Muslim world,” the Australian branch of the party claims in promotional material for the workshop, where topics will include Islamic political and economic theory and the steps needed to implement sharia law.
Security experts have urged the federal government to take steps to curb Hizb ut-Tahrir’s activities, including re-examining whether the group should be banned in Australia.
The former head of international counter-terrorism for the British police Special Branch, Nick O’Brien, who is now associate professor of counter-terrorism at Charles Sturt University, said Hizb ut-Tahrir’s advocacy of military attacks on Israel warranted a re-examination of a ban.
“Any organisation that tries to justify killing any innocent people has crossed the line, and I think many people would think HT (Hizb ut-Tahrir) has done that. I think there’s a very good case in Australia for looking at exactly what they say and what the evidence and intelligence on them is, and if that intelligence case is there to ban it, I think it should be considered by the government.”
While Hizb ut-Tahrir says it opposes the use of violence in its quest for a caliphate and does not condone terrorist acts, it supports militant strikes against Israel and attacks on Western forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute said the government should look at “all legal options” available to it to curb HT’s activities. ASPI director of research programs Anthony Bergin said these included the revamped sedition laws, which made it an offence to urge a person to assist an enemy that is at war with Australia.