FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

18th July 2003
http://www.1924.org/press_releases/index.php?id=607_0_8_0_M
ac 22 July 2003

CONTACT:

Dr Imran Waheed
Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain
Suite 298
56 Gloucester Road
London, SW7 4UB, United Kingdom
Tel: +44-(0)7074-192400
Email: press@1924.org
Web: www.1924.org

NATIONAL CAMPAIGN LAUNCH: BRITISH OR MUSLIM?

London, UK, July 18 – Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, the well known Islamic political party, today launches an awareness campaign amongst the Muslim community in Britain to outline the positive contribution Muslims can make to the society in which they live. The campaign will culminate with one of the largest gatherings of Muslims the West has seen, at a national conference at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena on Sunday 24th August 2003, where more than 10,000 delegates are expected to be in attendance.

As increasing numbers of people in the West embrace Islam and a new generation of Muslims establish themselves, some deeply unsettling questions regarding Muslim identity arise. Many Muslims remain uncertain about their future and how they can fit in with British society. Organisers are hopeful that the campaign will address the challenges facing Muslims and build a vision and strategy for Muslims in Britain that will bring fresh ideas into the debate about the role of Muslims in Western society.

Speakers at the conference will include Dr Abdul Salaam, a Chicago dentist, who embraced Islam through Malcolm X, was the personal dentist to Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad and was the Organisation President of the Nation of Islam. Never satisfied with the African nationalism espoused by the Nation, he will discuss how Islam addresses the dilemma of identity for Muslims in Britain.

Dr Imran Waheed, representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain and an organiser of the conference, said, “Muslims in Britain can make an invaluable contribution to society by shaping their character upon the Islamic ideology alone. Rather than adopting the British identity, Muslims should engage in a debate with the wider society on the fundamental failures of Capitalism and in our view the only viable alternative ideology - Islam.”

Notes to Editors:

(1) The venue for the conference is National Indoor Arena, King Edwards Road, Birmingham, B1 2AA. The conference begins at 11.00 hrs BST and ends at 20.20 hrs BST. A press conference will be held in the press lounge at 14.30 BST.

(2) Hizb ut-Tahrir is an independent political party whose ideology is Islam. The party works throughout the Islamic world to resume the Islamic way of life by re-establishing the Islamic Khilafah [Caliphate]. The party adheres to the Islamic Shari’ah in all aspects of its work. It considers violence or armed struggle against the regime, as a method to re-establish the Islamic State, a violation of the Islamic Shari’ah. In the Western world, the party seeks to explain the Islamic ideology to Muslims, to create a dialogue with Western thinkers about Capitalism and its ills and to present Islam as an ideological alternative