World AIDS Day: Hizb ut-Tahrir Calls for Stonings, Whippings, Islamic Caliphate

http://www.realcourage.org/2009/12/world-aids-day-hizb-ut-tahrir-calls-for-stonings-whippings-islamic-caliphate/

On December 1, 2009, as groups concerned about the AIDS disease sought public awareness and prevention, the anti-freedom Islamic supremacist group Hizb ut-Tahrir held its own protests in Indonesia rejecting condoms and AIDS prevention measures and demanding the creation of an Islamic supremacist caliphate . AFP reports that "700 members from the Muslim Women of Hizbut Tahrir" were involved in the Indonesia protests. As AIDS continues to grow in Indonesia, Hizb ut-Tahrir is promoting an anti-condom campaign as part of its efforts to promote Islamic supremacism in Indonesia and globally.

Hizb ut-Tahrir's goals including ending democracy and freedom, and the promotion of an Islamic supremacist caliphate, including calling for the "death penalty" for those "traitors" who leave Islam. U.S. President Obama's adviser on Muslim affairs Dalia Mogahed has joined Hizb ut-Tahrir in a public interview conducted by a supporter of the British Hizb ut-Tahrir organization.

: World AIDS Day: Hizb ut-Tahrir Demonstrates Against Homosexuals, Calls for Global Islamic Supremacist Caliphate (AFP/File/Bay Ismoyo)

There have been repeated attempts to make homosexuality illegal in Indonesia, as prostitution and drug use are currently. The Aceh province of Indonesia has made homosexuality a crime under Sharia law punished by public whipping and steep imprisonment, as well as stoning for other offenses against Sharia.

While AFP, MySinChew/AFP, and the Jakarta Globe have focused on Hizb ut-Tahrir's (HT) rallies and comments regarding ending the use of condoms and enforcing Sharia law as a way to control AIDS risks, none of the mainstream media have noticed Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia's web site report quoting Dr. Muhammad Usman and others at a Hizb ut-Tahrir event calling for "stoning to death" and "whip a hundred times" individuals as part of Hizb ut-Tahrir's answers to the AIDS problems. The HT report also states condoms are ineffective because "whereas the pores of condoms was only able to hold the sperm, not the size of the HIV virus is much smaller."

The Jakarta Globe reported that "Ahead of World AIDS Day on Tuesday, members of the group Hizbut Tahrir took to the streets in several major cities, including Jakarta, Solo, Yogyakarta and Makassar in South Sulawesi. 'We urge everybody to support the application of Shariah in an Islamic caliphate so that, God willing, all of us will be free from the threat of HIV/AIDS,' Hizbut Tahrir spokeswoman Febrianti Abassuni said in a statement." Calling "homosexuals the agents of immorality," Hizb ut-Tahrir called for an end to programs providing condoms in Indonesia.

BBC reports that "AIDS activists say promoting condom use is a huge challenge in Indonesia as there is strong resistance from religious and conservative groups." While AIDS in Indonesia grew predominantly from drug use, increasing growth is reportedly sexual based. BBC reports that "[r]ecent data shows over 18,000 people have the disease - and that number has jumped from last year."

While Hizb ut-Tahrir and other groups seek to prevent condom distribution and use, AIDS has spread dramatically throughout Indonesia. AFP reports that "around 270,000 Indonesians are estimated to be infected with HIV, and AIDS has claimed about 8,700 lives in the Muslim-majority nation of 228 million people, according to the UNAIDS agency."

Reports have shown significant growth in AIDS among heterosexuals.

In a separate report, BBC reports that in the United Kingdom, 60 percent of new AIDS cases are appearing among Muslims. In the BBC report, "According to Dr Shima Tariq, who has studied the transmission of HIV, more than half of newly diagnosed patients caught HIV through heterosexual sex, and two-thirds of them are of black African origin or descent. But most of this group are not Christian: six out of 10 are Muslim."

Resources - Hizb ut-Tahrir AIDS Day Reports:

AFP: "Indonesian militants call for sharia law to stop HIV"

AFP/MySinchew.com: "Indonesian Islamists protest condom use for preventing AIDS"

Jakarta Globe: "Hard-Line Indonesian Muslims Seek Shariah End to HIV"

Bernama: "Indonesia Intensifies Efforts To Fight AIDS"

BBC: "Indonesia HIV-Aids 'spreading through sex'"

Jakarta Post: "AIDS cases stay high, prevention efforts remain ineffective"

: A woman walks past by a sign advising people to wear Muslim attire at Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh. A local lawmaker says a controverisial bill allowing Shariah-style stoning and caning has gone into effect in the province. (Photo: Heri Juanda, AP)