A controversial Canadian Islamic group called Hizb ut Tahrir Canada has resumed its annual Khilafah Conference, an event that calls for rule by a global “caliphate” under sharia law.
Hizb ut-Tahrir (“Party of Liberation”) is a worldwide Islamist militant organization whose British branch was banned as a terrorist entity in January 2024. The group has urged violence to annihilate Israel and “liberate” the Palestinians and openly supports the October 7 atrocities perpetrated by Hamas. Its manifesto calls for Islam to “encapsulate” the world, imposing strict Muslim law in every nation.
“Hizb ut-Tahrir is an antisemitic organization that actively promotes and encourages terrorism, including praising and celebrating the appalling 7 October attacks,” British Home Secretary James Cleverly said in January 2024 when announcing the ban.
Canada did not follow suit by banning the group (whose Canadian branch does not use a hyphen in its name) but Hizb ut Tahrir Canada decided to cancel the 2024 edition of its Khilafah Conference after the U.K. ban was declared.
The Khilafah Conference, whose name means “caliphate,” is back on for 2025, and Canadian Jewish groups are not pleased by the news.
Promotional materials for the conference urged Muslims to “become victorious against today’s colonialist superpowers,” and promised attendees they would learn how to “overcome America, Europe, Russia, China, and others from the position we’re in today.”
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“The colonialists will point to their technology, vast armies, giant economies, and their pervasive influence. However, none of this ‘power’ compares to the might of Allah,” Hizb ut Tahrir Canada declared in a video announcing its conference, which has since been deleted from the group’s website.
Hizb ut-Tahrir has an American branch as well and it held a Khilafah Conference in Chicago in March 2024. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) noted the Chicago event “featured speakers who called for an army to invade and destroy Israel, justified the October 7 Hamas terror attack, suggested men should travel to Gaza to fight Israel,” and included some “overt antisemitic rhetoric.”
“As we saw in New Orleans and in multiple terror plots disrupted in Canada in recent months, radicalization is a serious threat to public safety. At a time when demonstrations in Canada are regularly featuring pro-terrorist rhetoric and calls for violence, authorities need to be more vigilant than ever,” Noah Shack of the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs told Canada’s National Post on Monday.
“We are urging the government and national security authorities to prevent Hizb ut-Tahrir from using Canada as a platform for its dangerous agenda,” he said.
Shack also asked the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to vet speakers for the Islamist conference very carefully and deny then entry to Canada if they are “deemed to pose a risk of inciting hate or violence.”
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The Khilafah Conference was initially scheduled for January 18 at a secret location in the Ontario city of Mississauga, on the western border of Toronto, but a public outcry forced organizers to relocate the conference to Hamilton, a smaller port city in Ontario. Hizb ut Tahrir Canada did not explain why it chose Hamilton as its backup location.
Mississauga mayor Carolyn Parish was glad to see them go.
“This very extreme group are moving on to another City for their Jan. 18th conference. On behalf of all the peaceful and respectful residents of Mississauga, we are relieved,” she said.
“Preaching hate of any kind is a federal criminal offense,” she noted. “All we as a municipality can do is not rent our facilities to potential hate mongers, try to track down where the conference is being held and inform the police.”
Hamilton mayor Andrea Horwath was not thrilled to catch the Islamist hot potato.
“Since learning of this event, I have been in direct communication with Hamilton Police Service, who are closely monitoring the situation to ensure public safety,” she said Monday.
“The City of Hamilton enforces strict conditions for all groups or organizations seeking to rent City facilities. We unequivocally refuse access to any group that engages in or promotes hatred or any form of divisive behavior,” she declared.
The Hamilton Jewish Federation said it urged Mayor Horwath’s office to “respond decisively and swiftly” to the conference, while the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center and other groups urged the Canadian federal government to join the U.K. by designating Hizb ut Tahrir Canada as a terrorist organization and shutting down its annual conference entirely.
“This organization speaks to the extremism and radicalization that are becoming increasingly visible and toxic to Canadian society, posing a serious threat to our shared values and public safety through its hateful rhetoric and incitement,” Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center president Michael Levitt said.
B’nai Brith Canada denounced the Khilafah Conference as “a platform for radicalization and hatred” and said it would work with Canadian government at every level to get the meeting canceled.
“We are working to have the conference shut down, but if it isn’t, we will be outside protesting a conference that has declared war against Western civilization, which includes Jews, Christians, Sikhs. Hindus and all non-believers, including Muslims who don’t follow this barbaric doctrine,” Meir Weinstein of Israel Now promised.
It was difficult to say as of Friday whether the Khilafah Conference will proceed, or precisely where it might be held. Horwath’s office and Hamilton police told the Hamilton Spectator on Wednesday they had “no further information to share” about the event.
Hamilton city staffers told CBC on Wednesday that “no group identifying as Hizb ut Tahrir has requested to use city space.”
Hizb ut Tahrir Canada rejected all criticism of the event as “false” and “baseless.”
“The accusations linking the party to terrorism, extremism and violent activities are fabrications aimed at tarnishing its reputation and distracting from its call to establish Islam as a comprehensive system of governance and mercy for humanity,” the group said.
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