Hizb-ut-Tahrir in Central Asia: Building social support
Oliver Roy, one of the leading French political scientists who worked extensively on "a different view of radical Islam", distinguishes Islamism and neo-fundamentalism. While differentiating these two tendencies, he defines that the former seeks to Islamize society by autocratic means from top down, however the latter aims to do the same but through a bottom-up approach. Hizb-ut-Tahrir al Islami, one of the emerging radical group falls rather ambiguously, under the category of neo fundamentalism. It stands apart from other clandestine groups on various strands but most importantly is forbidding the use of violence to achieve its goal of an Islamic state. Although it has a massive international presence in the Middle East, Britain, Indonesia, Bangladesh, it is however most active in the Central Asian region.
There are no exact numbers of HuT members in Central Asia, but it is estimated to be between 20,000 and 100,000 are active members. Most of its members are drawn from the university students, teachers, factory workers and unemployed population.
With the aim of creating an Islamic caliphate state, Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) was founded in 1953 by an Islamic scholar of Palestine named Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani in east Jerusalem. It seeks to unite all Muslim territories within a single state, caliphate, and wishes to create a sharia based Islamic government which will regulate all the aspects of human life through Islamic law or sharia. To achieve its goal, the organization follows a three-stage programme of action which can be characterized as the recruitment of members, then the Islamization of society and the state followed by the final stage where the Islamic state is established, and the message of Jihad is carried to the world. It is viciously anti-western and anti-Semitic and is believed that the western style of democratic capitalism has diverted the Muslim people from Islam. While HuT as an organization believes in non-violent approach, it does operate as an ideological vanguard that acknowledges violence as necessary to overthrow the secular regimes.
Though there are number of factors which has influenced the growth of Hizb ut Tahrir in Central Asia, the political void formed by the collapse of Soviet Union has provided fertile soil for it to achieve support in the changing political order. The ideological vacuum created during the post-Soviet era also gave the organization an easy hand to spread their message of Islam. Furthermore, the poor socio-economic conditions and the authoritative regime of this area attracted the population towards the prospect of an Islamic state. The excluded Uzbek ethnic minorities in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan considers HuT as an opportunity to abandon the repressive regime. Though earlier its emergence in Central Asia was only seen as an Uzbek phenomenon, since the late 1990s it absorbed the other central regions too. With the large influence of HuT’s ideology in particularly Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, the governments have responded by various repressive measures against the members and supporters. There is no specific reason for the minimal presence of HuT in Turkmenistan but some scholars have argued that the severe state repression has left no space for its ideology to gain a foothold.
Interestingly, though the Hizb ut Tahrir believes in the strict interpretation of sharia and Islam, it uses modern technology like the internet to propagate its ideology. To draw young people towards its ideas, Hizb ut Tahrir distributes CDs and literature such as The Institutions of State in the Khalifah, and has a well-maintained website with their thoughts, messages and other information. It has also been found organizing various seminars and public discussions, utilizing every arena in the countries where the group is not banned. Moreover, the large number of social media followers on Facebook shows the strong influence of the outfit. According to US online journal Combating Terrorism Exchange (CTX), Hizb ut Tahrir is gradually increasing its social capital, particularly among the youth by keeping away from violent activities directly. Hizb followers are using various spaces to influence individuals. Mosques are being used after the prayer times to recruit individuals by handing out pamphlets and going into dialogue. Universities are also used to push their global ideology by holding halaaqs or study circles, particularly through the Muslim organizations. In Turkmen prison, it has been found that Hizb ut Tahrir is very active among prisoners and influences them with their organizational ideas. Various splinter groups of Hizb ut Tahrir like Akramiylar in Uzbekistan, Hizb un-Nusrat, Al-Muhajiroun, Palestinian Islamic Jihad has also broadened its primary thought.
Over time, there has been a radicalization of Hizb ul Tahrir, particularly after the events of 2001. In its publication named Al-Waie (Consciousness), the outfit clearly stated the necessity to carry out suicide attacks. In 2003, a British citizen named Asif Muhammad Hani explodes at the entrance to Tel Aviv bar mike’s place. Asif was found to be a close associate of HuT group. Even in 2004 the Uzbekistan government blamed HuT for organizing an uprising against the arrest of around 23 local businessmen. However, they refused to take responsibility.
Hizb ut Tahrir’s growing influence in Central Asia and particularly its strong opposition towards western ideas has in a way threatened US interest in this region. Continued authoritative regimes have created a conducive environment for the growth of Islamic outfit. Moreover, the proximity of central Asia with the two primary bases of radical groups, Afghanistan and Pakistan, also stimulates HuT’s campaign. After the 2020 riots in USA the Australian Muslim preacher Ismail al-Wahwah of HuT group has said that 'It's time to use this opportunity to stand up, and to come back and to take the leadership again,’ He has suggested that these riots would replace USA as global power by Islamic caliphate. However, its emergence as a dominant geopolitical force is unlikely, as the global war on terrorism which often targets Islamic radicalization will not let such a radical group to thrive. To neutralize the efforts of Hizb ut Tehrir, the basic alternative step for Central Asian region is to improve the socio-economic conditions. Political reforms and a setting up conditions for the achievement of social harmony is very much important.
It should be acknowledged that Hizb ut Tahrir is not the only main actor for the destabilization of Central Asia. Fight for power within sub national identities, regional groups and kingship clan groups and the possible revival of IMU can also threaten the central Asian republics. The “great game” politics of Russia, China, and USA for the dominance of Central Asia could also been seen as confrontational towards Hizb ut Tehrir’s goals.
Pic Courtesy-Snowscat at unsplash.com
(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)
Mahima Chouhan is a Postgraduate student of Politics with Specialization in International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her area of interest lies in the cultural and political aspects of West Asia, Central Asia and the challenges of Internally Displaced people and refugees.
