Hizb ut Tahrir Canada, a controversial Islamic activist group, says it is cancelling its upcoming Khilafah Conference 2025, which was set to take place in Hamilton on Jan. 18.
“This decision was necessitated by circumstances that were beyond our reasonable control,” the group said on its website.
The group faced backlash earlier this month from Hamilton’s mayor, local and national organizations after announcing its plan to host the conference in the Ontario city.
The event was originally supposed to take place in Mississauga, but was then relocated after a strong response from Mayor Carolyn Parrish.
According to the event’s webpage, the conference’s purpose was to discuss “eliminating the obstacles that are delaying” the return of the caliphate — or leader of the Muslim world.
Statement on behalf of the Government of Canada regarding the upcoming Hizb ut-Tahrir conference. <a href=”https://t.co/7r4v86L1Wn”>pic.twitter.com/7r4v86L1Wn</a>
—@RachelBendayan
The group is not listed as a terrorist entity by the Canadian government, but Associate Minister of Public Safety Rachel Bendayan said in a statement on Monday the government is now assessing whether the group should be added.
In her statement, on behalf of the Canadian government, she said reports of the conference going ahead were “deeply concerning.”
“Hizb ut-Tahrir has a documented history of glorifying violence and promoting antisemitism and extremist ideology,” said Bendayan.
She said the group supports “banned terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah,” and has celebrated “attacks on innocent civilians, including Oct. 7.”
“We unequivocally condemn their activities and the holding of such a conference,” read the statement.
By Tuesday, the group had announced the event was being cancelled.
The group said in a Jan. 6 statement that it “categorically rejects the use of violence,” following backlash from local groups.
It also said it only has one objective, establishing “the resumption of the Islamic way of life through the re-establishment of the khilafah (caliphate).”
To do this, it said it promotes Islamic values within the Muslim community and pushes back against “the corrupt foundation of liberal democracy and the erroneous thoughts that emanate from it.”
Hamilton groups, mayor respond to cancellation
In online posts, Hizb ut Tahrir Canada described Israel as a “criminal Zionist entity” that needs to be defeated. One conference topic was supposed to be on how only the caliphate will “liberate Palestine” and that “everything else is a distraction.”
The Hamilton Jewish Federation (HJF) shared a statement Tuesday from the The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) that it was “relieved” the conference was cancelled.
“We will continue to urge the Government of Canada to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir as an illegal terrorist organization,” read the statement, signed by Michelle Stock with CIJA.
The HJF said earlier this month it “promptly informed the mayor’s office and urged them to respond decisively and swiftly,” when it heard about the event.
<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/HamOnt?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#HamOnt</a> – Together we stopped this divisive and hateful conference. Thank-you to every Hamiltonian who reach out by phone, email, or social media to share their concerns with me and my office. <br><br>We will continue to stand up against hate in all its forms. As Mayor, I remain… <a href=”https://t.co/l3A0SD3L2a”>https://t.co/l3A0SD3L2a</a>
—@AndreaHorwath
On Tuesday, Mayor Andrea Horwath thanked those who reached out to voice their concerns about the “divisive and hateful conference.”
She had expressed “significant concerns” over the group and its conference and said she had been in direct contact with Hamilton police, who were “closely monitoring the situation.”
“There is absolutely no place in our city for individuals or groups spreading messages of division or intolerance,” said Horwath in a statement on Jan. 6.
Hizb ut-Tahrir Canada said then the criticism was “baseless.”
Group banned in the UK
The group has been banned by the U.K. government from operating within its borders and described as an “antisemitic organization” that “actively promotes and encourages terrorism.”
The ban came into effect in the months after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages — 100 of whom remain in Gaza, according to the Israeli government. In response, Israel then launched a war in Gaza and has killed around 55,000 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
Hizb ut Tahrir is based in Lebanon and operates in at least 32 countries, according to the U.K. statement.
Netherlands-based think tank, the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, called the ban “highly problematic” and a “political act.” They said the group is “demonstrably non-violent,” in an article published on its website in January 2024.
