This is a guest post by Amjad Khan
I have often been struck by the human ability to self-delude. In the political sphere, this is a frequently observed phenomenon, with individuals often remaining fixated on a particular worldview in spite of the facts on the ground. One of the more extreme cases of this ‘ideology before reality’ phenomenon is Islamist group Hizb ut Tahrir (HT).
Groups like HT, the BNP or the SWP, seek to latch onto popular causes in order to use them to promote their own twisted understanding of the world. In the case of HT, this has been observable with the Arab uprisings. From the speeches of activists to the messages on placards, it is abundantly clear that the Arab uprisings are not about Islamism. Rather they are about freedom, democracy, accountable governance and basic services. Yet in spite of this, HT continues to maintain that the MENA region is on the verge of becoming an Islamist super state.
In truth, the Arab uprisings are a kick in the teeth for HT. For years they have been calling for the people of the MENA region to rise up and remove their corrupt dictators. Now that the region is on the verge of change, HT is nowhere to be seen. In fact, there is no significant HT presence in any of the countries that are going through transition and hasn’t been for decades. HT only ever seems to be able to recruit angry young science students in the west who are going through a rebellious phase. Hence, the best they can do about the Arab uprisings is hold a conference in East London to discuss the issue which attracted 300-400 local youth and was met by protests. This comes on the back of HT supporters being rejected by Libyan and Egyptian anti-regime protestors in London earlier in the year. This is all a far cry from 10 years ago when HT would attract 4000-5000 at their annual events and 300-400 hundred at local events in places such as Croydon or Walthamstow.
In spite of their rapidly declining support base and obvious lack of support for their ideology in the MENA region, HT public rhetoric continues to reflect the deluded thoughts of its leaders who still believe they are on the verge of victory. However, internally the group is deeply demoralised. Many high profile defections, public ridicule and a declining support base have taken their toll. They have an aging leadership that has been unable to recruit fresh blood and Muslim groups are becoming keener to distance themselves from them. The group is on the verge of something but I assure you, global domination it is not.
