A notorious, international pan-Islamist and Islamic fundamentalist organization canceled its yearly event in Canada following public criticism and fears of being banned and listed in Canada as a terrorist organization.
"An extremist group that a number of nations, including the United Kingdom, have labeled a terrorist entity is set to host its annual Khilafah (Caliphate) Conference on January 18 in Mississauga, Ontario."
This can't be real... Is this true?!https://t.co/QW2MybZg8R— Goldie Ghamari, MPP | (@gghamari) January 2, 2025
Hizb ut-Tahrir, which operates in dozens of countries, has canceled its annual Khilafah conference, which was to be held at an undisclosed location in Ontario. The organization, whose stated aim is to re-establish the Islamic caliphate to unite the Muslim community (called ummah) and implement Sharia law globally, also canceled its conference last year after the British government designated the group as a terrorist entity.
The theme of this year’s conference, “The Khilafah: Eliminating the Obstacles that Are Delaying Its Return,” was the same as last year’s. While the event, which was supposed to be held on January 18th, was free, attendees would still need to register online.
Although the organization kept the conference’s location a secret, it was reportedly likely to be held in either Mississauga or Hamilton. Hizb ut-Tahrir previously held similar events in these cities, and both towns have sizable Muslim populations. However, officials of both cities stressed that they would not allow such events to proceed.
The GIC has submitted an urgent letter to Public Safety Canada, calling for the prevention of the upcoming "Khilafah Conference 2025," organized by the extremist Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir in Hamilton, Ontario.
More information: https://t.co/YaJLUxdyxC pic.twitter.com/0yR5NKnfXB— Global Imams Council (GIC) (@ImamsOrg) January 10, 2025
Mississauga’s mayor, Carolyn Parrish, assured that she and the city government would not permit “groups exhibiting ‘contempt or hatred’ in any form.” Hamilton’s mayor, Andrea Horwath, echoed similar sentiments, declaring that she would “unequivocally refuse access to any group that engages in or promotes hatred or any form of divisive behavior,” adding that “Hamilton is a city that stands firmly against intolerance.”
When asked about the event, the city government of Mississauga responded by saying that the city “condemns hate in all forms and does not have a role in approving events which aren’t taking place on City property. At no time was this event to be held at a city-owned/managed facility. The City has a strong Use of City Facility policy, which includes direction about not renting space to groups that promote hate. The City has prohibited this group in particular from booking space in City facilities since 2019.”
Materials for the conference, which were deleted after the event was canceled, included posters and promotional videos that portrayed the West and its Middle Eastern allies as enemies of Muslims and obstacles to the creation of a global Islamic caliphate. They also explained why re-establishing a caliphate is the only solution to liberate Palestine and idealized the former glory of past caliphates, asserting that the Muslim world will rebuild it once more.
"This is the time to overthrow your governments."
You know the Caliphate Conference in Mississauga on Jan 18? Its theme: the "defeat" of all non-Religion-of-Peace world powers.
Meet Mazin Abdul-Adhim of Hizb ut-Tahrir. The group behind it. A designated terror org in the UK. pic.twitter.com/l3Fbj4j1RM— dahlia kurtz (@DahliaKurtz) January 5, 2025
Canadian Jewish organizations also called for the organization to be banned in Canada. The event also attracted the attention of the Global Imams Council, who called on the Canadian government to stop them.
Hizb ut-Tahrir Canada, the group’s Canadian offshoot, described the allegations against them as false and baseless, with previous posts about the conference removed from its Facebook and Instagram pages after the event was officially canceled.
Canada’s minister of public safety, David McGuinty, released a statement last January 13th, saying that Hizb ut-Tahrir Canada has a history of “glorifying violence and promoting antisemitism and extremist ideology,” which includes celebrating the October 7 attacks by Hamas against Israel and supporting banned terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, all of which are “are entirely contrary to Canadian values.”
