NSW urges ban on radical Muslim groupSunday Jan 28 13:26 AEDTThe...

NSW urges ban on radical Muslim group
Sunday Jan 28 13:26 AEDT
The NSW government has urged the federal government to ban the radical Muslim group Hizb ut-Tahrir as hundreds of its supporters meet in Sydney on Sunday.

The group, known for its anti-democratic, anti-Semitic views, is holding a day-long conference at Lakemba, the suburban heart of Sydney's Islamic community.

The keynote speaker is the group's Indonesian chairman Ismail Yusanto who previously has called for US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to be jailed for war crimes over the 2003 Iraq invasion.

NSW Police Minister John Watkins called on the federal government to follow in the footsteps of several European and Middle Eastern countries and ban the group in Australia.




"It really is the federal government's responsibility to make determinations about banning fundamentalist groups that espouse shocking ideas, and we're calling on the federal government to do so," he said.

"This group has been banned in overseas jurisdictions.

"I understand that there are law enforcement officials that would like to see it banned here in NSW and indeed in Australia.

"I don't know why the federal government won't take action in this regard."

Mr Watkins said police meanwhile would monitor the group's activities.

"We're keeping an eye on this group and what they say to ensure that they stay within the law," he said.

The meeting is taking place at a Lakemba function centre, after Bankstown Council withdrew permission for Hizb ut-Tahrir to use the town hall.

Topics such as the creation of an Islamic caliphate - a super-state under Sharia law - are being discussed at the conference.


©AAP 2007