Hizb-ut-Tahrir

Although Hizb ut-Tahrir, an international pan-Islamic political party, regularly holds conferences from Jakarta to Ramallah attended by tens of thousands of people, little is known about the organisation, which was founded in 1953, beyond generalities and conjecture.

Its members are repeatedly arrested in Russia, Central Asia, Turkey and across the Middle East, and since the Arab uprisings it has emerged as an influential political actor in Tunisia, has a growing profile in Egypt, and is making a visible impact in the Syrian revolution. It is also paradoxically often dismissed as inconsequential despite its call for the implementation of Islam and the establishment of a universal caliphate across the Muslim world.

Hizb ut-Tahrir: The Untold History of the Liberation Party uncovers the history of the global Islamic political party, based upon a diverse array of archival research, internal documents, multiple interviews and other sources to build an authoritative account of the party as told from inside and out. From coup attempts in Jordan, sending delegations to meet Sadat, al-Gaddafi and Khomeini, and the execution of hundreds of its members in Libya and Iraq, Pankhurst’s book blends political, intellectual and personal history, moving from global, regional and local perspectives.

‘Nowhere have I read a more lucid, accessible and well-researched history of Hizb-ut-Tahrir.’ – Madawi Al- Rasheed, Visiting Professor, LSE Middle East Centre, and author of ‘The Son King’.

Author Biography

Reza Pankhurst is a political scientist and historian specialising in the Middle East and Islamic movements, and the author of The Inevitable Caliphate? (also published by Hurst). He holds a doctorate, and a master’s degree in the History of International Relations, from the London School of Economics.