Chicago: Anti-Democracy Hizb ut-Tahrir Event
Canceled at Marriott Hotel

June 28, 2010
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

http://www.realcourage.org/2010/06/chicago-ht-2010/

The Chicago
Marriott Oak Brook hotel states that the July 11
public conference by the Hizb ut-Tahrir America will not
be held at that location. The anti-democracy
political group, Hizb ut-Tahrir America, had widely promoted the
Chicago Marriott Oak Brook hotel as the site for their second public
conference, through social media and YouTube.
Responsible for Equality And
Liberty (R.E.A.L.) learned today that the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook
hotel has decided that the hotel will not to be the site for that
event. The Hizb ut-Tahrir America has not yet advised its supporters of
the planned change, and is not available for comment.

Human rights activists had been informing Chicago area hotels of Hizb
ut-Tahrir America's decision last year to distribute
pamphlets
calling for the "death penalty" for those who seek freedom of religion
to leave Islam. At Hizb ut-Tahrir America’s July 19, 2009 event in
Chicago, they distributed a pamphlet
(page 62) that supports killing those individuals who leave Islam as
guilty of "treason and a political attack on the Khilafah."

The Hizb ut-Tahrir America
website promoting this year's conference in Chicago promotes links
to the main Hizb ut-Tahrir website, Khilafah.com, where this pamphlet is
still distributed online by Hizb ut-Tahrir.

In 2009, Hizb
ut-Tahrir America (HT) also had difficulty keeping a conference
location for their July 19, 2009 conference. The 2009
HT event was originally scheduled to be held at the Aqsa School, an
Islamic school located in Bridgeview, Illinois, until it
was canceled on June 29, 2009; this happened after HT's 2009
conference was clarified as an event to promote the Khilafah (Islamic
caliphate). In
2009, CBS News reported that "The school's business manager Rana
Jaber said the group misrepresented the goal of the conference when they
booked it as they claimed it was going to be a bazaar type event where
tradition food and clothing would be sold." However, by
July 1, 2009, the HT event was eventually relocated to the Oak
Lawn, Illinois Hilton, where R.E.A.L.
led a pro-democracy demonstration outside the July 19, 2009 event,
challenging Hizb ut-Tahrir's views against democracy, human rights, and
religious freedom.

When asked by R.E.A.L. today about this year's Hizb ut-Tahrir event, the
Oak Lawn, Illinois Hilton has stated that it is not holding this
year's Hizb ut-Tahrir conference. Other Marriott
hotels in Oak Brook are also not holding the event, although
apparently there had been consideration to moving the event at one point
to August 1, 2010. Marriott
event planning reservations stated that Hizb ut-Tahrir does not
have a conference planned at their facilities according to their current
records. In terms of Starwood facilities, R.E.A.L. has confirmed that
the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, and the Chicago Westin are also
not holding the July 11, 2010 Hizb ut-Tahrir conference. Starwood
national reservations also states that their records show that the
Four Points by Sheraton Chicago is not holding the July 11, 2010 Hizb
ut-Tahrir conference.

Over the past six months, Hizb ut-Tahrir America has been holding "webinar"
Internet-based seminars promoting the Islamic caliphate and jihad.
Hizb ut-Tahrir America also held another
public conference in another Chicago suburb in December 2009.

On December 20, 2009, Hizb
ut-Tahrir America held a smaller conference at a government-managed
community center in the Chicago suburb of Lombard. The Lombard city
government did
not respond to concerns about HT's distribution of pamphlets in Oak
Lawn, Illinois calling for the death penalty for those who seek
religious freedom. At the December
2009 event at the Lombard community center, Hizb ut-Tahrir America
denounced democracy, denounced "the Kafir," and urged Muslim attendees
"do not take the Jews and Christians for your allies." HT also blamed
U.S. President Obama as part of a plot to take over Muslim-majority
nations.

Hizb ut-Tahrir rejects
democracy because it "is the rule of people, for the people, by the
people." (page 24) Hizb ut-

Tahrir has called
for Muslims to boycott voting.

HT has had a history of seeking
to promote
a global Islamic caliphate government, in seeking
to train teenagers for "jihad" (page 37), has reportedly
been involved in threats against Jews, Hindus, and has reportedly
threatened Muslim university officials. HT
also rejects the "gender equality movement" for women's rights,
saying that women must pursue a global Islamic caliphate instead.

British media have
reported that intelligence sources state that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
spent time with Hizb ut-Tahrir, and that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was
"former member of the Jordanian branch of Hizb."

Muslim
democratic leader Dr. Zuhdi Jasser has denounced Hizb ut-Tahrir
America as "a conveyor belt to terror," but also stated that we "change
the narrative and start to promote groups that are reformist," and
"prove how invalid their [HT's] ideas are..." Dr. Jasser leads the American Islamic Forum for
Democracy (AIFD).

On June 18, we
challenged Hizb ut-Tahrir America to a public debate on their view
of an Islamic caliphate versus R.E.A.L.'s support for democracy and
human rights. They have not replied. We continue to leave that offer
open, and we invite them to publicly debate such views at R.E.A.L.'s July 11, 2010
pro-democracy event in Washington D.C.

On July 11, 2010 (the previously scheduled date of the Hizb ut-Tahrir
conference in Chicago), Responsible for Equality
And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) has planned a public event at 2 PM at the Lincoln
Memorial Reflecting Pool steps in Washington DC to promote
democracy, equality, and liberty. We choose that spot where Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. stood - with his courage of compassion years ago - on
the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Steps, and called out to the
American conscience "I have a dream." We too have a dream of being
united in support democracy, equality, and liberty. We know that
realizing such a dream entails the responsibility of standing together -
not just on what we oppose - but also on what we believe.

We urge all Americans, especially Muslim Americans,
to join us in our nation's
capital on July 11, 2010 (the planned date of the Hizb ut-Tahrir)
conference to send a message to those who seek to attack democracy and
freedom, that we will stand united for such freedoms together - as one
nation, one people, - responsible for equality and
liberty - for all.

We urge other Muslims and all others in America who also share our
commitment for such freedoms, especially
for religious freedom to contact Responsible for
Equality And Liberty via email at info@realcourage.org .

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See additional
R.E.A.L. postings on the anti-democracy Hizb ut-Tahrir movement at:

http://bit.ly/htwatch

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