UK Home Secretary James Cleverly put a draft order before Parliament on Monday to declare Hizb ut-Tahrir a terrorist group under the Terrorism Act 2000, making it an offence to belong to the group.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is an Islamist political group that operates in 32 countries worldwide but is banned in several states, including Germany and Egypt. It aims to establish the Islamic Khilafah, which, according to their website, involves “presenting the Islamic solutions to address contemporary problems, political activism and ultimately working for political change in the Muslim countries in a non-violent way.”

Since the attacks by Hamas on October 7, the group has not condemned the actions of Hamas. Under UK law, specifically the Terrorism Act 2000, the Home Secretary can “proscribe” an organisation based on an assessment “that it commits or participates in, prepares for, promotes or encourages, or is otherwise concerned in terrorism.” This means that it becomes a crime to belong to that organisation, invite support for it, arrange meetings in support of it or wear clothing that signifies a person is a member or supporter, among other offences. The maximum sentence for such an offence is 14 years.

The Home Secretary stated that Hizb ut-Tahrir is “an antisemitic organisation that actively promotes and encourages terrorism, including praising and celebrating the appalling 7 October attacks.” He went on to say, “Proscribing this terrorist group will ensure that anyone who belongs to and invites supports for them will face consequences. It will curb Hizb ut-Tahrir’s ability to operate as it currently does.”

Hizb ut-Tahrir responded on Twitter, stating that they rejected the notion that they are anti-semitic or encourage terrorism. They stated that in their work “to establish the Islamic Khilafah (Caliphate), Hizb ut-Tahrir has never resorted to any sort of violence or armed struggle.” They went on to state that they would challenge the proposed proscription “using all available legal means.”