Last month we discussed the convention that was to be held in Chicago planned by the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir (HIHZ’-buht-ah-tuh-REER’). It was to be their second Chicago convention, the first held in 2009.
The event was supposed to be held on July 11 at the Marriott hotel in Oak Brook but the hotel chain canceled their reservation at the end of June offering no explanation to the Muslim group.
It is possible that the hotel got complaints about the upcoming Islamist gathering. Last year’s Islamist event in Chicago pulled counter protests and news coverage. Perhaps the hotel did not want such negative publicity again — though one does wonder why the hotel agreed to take the convention in the first place.
Hizb ut-Tahrir has been connected to terror groups and at least one former member claims that the group is a “jihadist recruitment factory” and says they are a dangerous group.
The 2009 conference was titled, “Fall of Capitalism & Rise of Islam.” Hizb ut-Tahrir advocates a world-wide Islamist state, a single, world-wide caliphate and this year’s conference was to be titled, “Emerging World Order: How the Khilafah Will Shape the World.”
Hizb ut-Tahrir is considered a terror supporting organization by the U.S. government despite that it has never been convicted of anything or had charges leveled against it. But this alone should have prevented Marriott or any other American facility from agreeing to host any event sponsored by the group.
Marriott saw good sense, if only belatedly.
Warner Todd Huston’s thoughtful commentary, sometimes irreverent often historically based, is featured on many websites such as Breitbart.com, among many, many others. He has also written for several history magazines, has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows.
