Islamist Group’s Oz Safe Haven

The Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir is using its Australian branch to run digital influence campaigns in the United ­Kingdom, Pakistan and Bangladesh – countries where it has been banned as a terrorist ­organisation.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is a global ­Islamist organisation headquartered in Lebanon that ­advocates for the re-establishment of a Muslim caliphate.

Despite calls from Jewish leaders for it to be banned as an anti-Semitic organisation that supports terrorism, it is legal in Australia and operates as a not-for-profit organisation under NSW law.

Figures linked to Hizb ut-Tahrir also run registered charities that can accept tax-deductible donations.

Until January it had also ­operated for many years in the UK.

But after a press release emerged in which the group praised Hamas for the bloody October 7 attacks on Israel, Britain’s Home Secretary James Cleverly banned it as a terrorist ­organisation, describing it as an “antisemitic group that ­actively promotes and ­en­cour­ages terrorism, including praising and celebrating the appalling 7 ­October attacks”.

The UK ban followed earlier bans in Pakistan (2004) and Bangladesh (2009).

It has recently been reported that Hizb ut-Tahrir has cov­ertly operated a front group named “Stand4Palestine” in Australia, which has infiltrated pro-Palestinian demonstrations on university campuses, glorifying terrorism and calling for boycotts of Jewish-owned businesses.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said the threat posed by Hizb ut-Tahrir in Australia must be taken seriously.

“While our social cohesion is under unprecedented pressure it is advocating and promoting terrorism across the world, even in our democratic allies that have rightly banned it,” he said. “Our authorities gave Hizb ut Tahrir an inch and it’s taken a mile.”

A spokesman for Hizb Ut-Tahrir in Australia declined to comment.