Saudi Arabia investing in Hizb ut-Tahrir

'Saudi Arabia is funding a number of European departments of Hizb ut-Tahrir,' the Dutch Intelligence Service (AIVD) revealed at a conference of the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington. According to a staff member 'the Saudis are still poised to play an active role in radically Islamic movements. They have great sums of money at their disposal, and it is difficult to refuse the Saudi dollars.'

Hizb ut-Tahrir is continuously monitored by the Dutch Intelligence Service. According to a 2004 report on Islamic radicalization, From Dawa to Jihad, the organization has a strategy of secretive jihad. 'Officially, Hizb ut-Tahrir claims to reject violent jihad, but its supporters have been involved in anti-semitic incidents and incitement to acts of violence in a number of European countries' (p. 46). In other words, Hizb ut-Tahrir's strategy falls within the (popular) definition of taqiyya, the licence to lie to non-Muslims. The AIVD calls the organization 'a threat', because it seeks 'to secretly promote violence through the cultivation of a radical and puritan form of Islam' (p. 45).

According to the AIVD, the Hizb ut-Tahrir considers itself not yet strong enough to actually use violence. In the mean time, it seems to use those Saudi dollars to boost Islamic consciousness amongst Dutch Muslims. In Dutch cities with concentrated populations of Muslims, Hizb ut-Tahrir regularly spreads pamphlets regarding the creation of a global caliphate. More recently, it organized an internet petition against the 'slandering of Islam' by Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party.

The petition, by the way, is exemplary of the monstrous alliance between Muslim extremists and Dutch progressives in the battle against "Islamophobia". So, on 20 January, we have Abdelaziz calling for the victory of Islam over the infidels, and Rik raging against Geert Wilders' opposition to Islam:

Abdelaziz (7:10 CET): 'Islam will prevail, and we, with the help of the New Prophet, will defeat the Impostor and the disbelievers. Inshallah. My life and death truely belong to Allah. Subhanellahthala.'

Rik (8:42 CET): 'I am against the raking up of differences that in reality aren't that big, and that have nothing to do with Islam as a religion. Someone so deranged to see Islam as a problem is unworthy of freedom of speech. Unnecessary extremists such as Wilders must be stopped to prevent things from getting worse. He is a threat to our peaceful society.'

Note that Rik's stance is remarkably close to the statement by Okay Pala, the Dutch leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir, that 'we reject freedom of speech, because we reject democracy'. And in this political climate, there seem to be plenty of opportunities for Saudi investors indeed.