Hizb ut-Tahrir: The Untold History of the Liberation Party

by Reza Pankhurst

Overview

Although Hizb ut-Tahrir, an international pan-Islamic political party, regularly holds conferences from Jakarta to Ramallah attended by tens of thousands of people, little is known about the organisation, which was founded in 1953, be- yond generalities and conjecture. Its members are repeatedly arrested in Russia, Central Asia, Turkey and across the Middle East, and since the Arab uprisings it has emerged as an influential political actor in Tunisia, has a growing profile in Egypt, and is making a visible impact in the Syrian revolution. It is also paradoxically often dismissed as inconsequential despite its call for the implementation of Islam and the establishment of a universal caliphate across the Muslim world. Hizb ut-Tahrir: The Untold History of the Liberation Party uncovers the history of the glob- al Islamic political party, based upon a diverse array of archival research, internal documents, multiple interviews and other sources to build an authoritative account of the party as told from inside and out. From coup attempts in Jordan, sending delegations to meet Sadat, al-Gaddafi and Khomeini, and the execution of hundreds of its members in Libya and Iraq, Pankhurst's book blends political, intellectual and personal history, moving from global, regional and local perspectives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849044035
Publisher:	Hurst
Publication date:	09/15/2016
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 5.70(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Reza Pankhurst is a political scientist and historian, specializing in the Middle East and Islamic movements. He has a PhD from the London School of Economics, where he previously completed his MA in the history of international relations. He is the author of The Inevitable Caliphate? A History of the Struggle for Global Islamic Union, 1924 to the Present, also available from OUP.

Table of Contents

Foreword xv

Introduction 1

The untold history 6

Bringing history to life 11

1 Taqiudeen al-Nabhani (1911-1948) 17

Sheikh Yusuf al-Nabhani 21

Taqiudeen al-Nabhani: the formative years and the end of the Ottomans 29

The return to Palestine, working life and the Nakba (Catastrophe) 35

2 The Birth of Hizb-ut-Tahrir (1948-1953) 41

'When severe shocks in the society produce a common feeling' 43

Al-Nabhani and the Muslim Brotherhood 45

The beginnings 54

Making it official 60

3 Trying to Enter Society (1954-1959) 67

From emergence to lift-off 71

Campaigning far an Islamic state 76

Parliament and beyond as a platform 81

Between leadership struggles and growing pains 87

Entering society with Nasser at the doorway 94

4 Establishing the Caliphate (1960-1968) 103

Interacting with society 105

Mass support and 'caesarean sections' 111

Preparing for birth 121

Attempting 'caesarean section' 130

5 The Long Wait (1969-1977) 137

The second coup attempt and other Jordanian affairs 139

Government in waiting 147

Tumbling to reassessment 155

The end of an era 166

6 Reviving the Revivalists (1977-1990) 171

In Libya-Delegation to Muammar Gaddafi 175

Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution 185

Between Arab pressure and global expansion 196

7 A Global Party (1990-2012) 205

Heartland problems, hinterland success 208

Reaction to the war on terror 220

To Western eyes 225

The opening of the political space 234

Conclusion: 'A Remarkably Persistent Organization' 243

Appendix I Constitution 249

Appendix II Literature 253

Appendix III Illustrations 255

People and events 255

Notes 263

Select Bibliography 297

Index 311