IN January 2024, the British government labelled Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT) as the 80th proscribed terrorist organisation, raising significant questions about balancing the protection of democratic institutions against subversive ideologies and preserving freedoms of speech, assembly, and association. Since the 1980s, HuT has engaged in radical but peaceful activism in Britain. The key question now is whether this ban will deter its members, make monitoring easier for the authorities, allow for legal challenges from supporters, and impact Britain’s democratic credentials.

HuT was founded in 1953 by Sheikh Taqiuddin Nabhani, a diaspora Palestinian and graduate of Al Azhar University. He believed that the political decline of Muslims worsened after the abolition of the caliphate and the division of the Middle East into various states. He envisioned a political party grounded in Islamism that would counteract these developments and restore Muslim unity and political strength.

Promoting a pan-Islamic narrative, HuT aims to establish an ideological Islamic state. Its reverence for the Ottoman Empire attracted followers who hoped HuT would revive the caliphate, overthrown in 1924, and unite Muslims worldwide as a single nation. HuT........

© Dawn