The pan-Islamist caliphate movement, "Hizb ut-Tahrir," is banned in Germany, but operates via a proxy, "Muslim Interaktiv." On October 12, 2024, Muslim Interaktiv joined with a local Palestinian group in the city of Hamburg, "Hamburger Bündnis für Palästina," to organize a large protest, attracting many young Muslim men who had been raised in Germany. The rally was initially registered with the city of Hamburg as a solidarity gathering to raise awareness of global Muslim suffering, focusing on issues such as the persecution of the Uygurs in East Turkistan. The demonstration, however, swiftly shifted to calls for the establishment of a caliphate in the Middle East, asserting that a caliphate was the sole solution to the war in the Middle East. Caliphate advocacy is a common pattern, voiced in previous protests orchestrated by Muslim Interaktiv. Despite Hizb ut-Tahrir being banned in Germany since 2003, its proxy, Muslim Interaktiv, has exploited legal loopholes to continue the activities of the banned group, mobilizing young Muslims and capitalizing on the current acute crisis following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks on Israel.
Muslim Interaktiv leader Raheem Boateng makes the sign of the tawhid - meaning God is One - accompanied by a quote by Boateng: "We have dared to speak about the caliphate - about the caliphate as a solution for the Near [Middle] East."[1]
Before The October 12 Rally
An activist with Muslim Interaktiv called for participation in the demonstration on October 12 in the Hamburg district of Sankt Georg, saying: "In unison, we will start a campaign to protect our brothers and sisters who are being oppressed, and against whom a genocide is even being carried out. Don't think that your participation will have no effect. Occupation, expulsion and genocide: For too long, people have relied on external institutions and sentiments of power. It is time that the Ummah recognized its true potential, and to make use of it, without external influences. Only this way can we can protect ourselves, in the long run, against occupation, expulsion, and genocide."[2]
In another speech before the demonstration, the same activist prepared his listeners for the true incentive of the gathering, and the motivation to join the movement - to seek the formation of a caliphate. He said: "One hundred years ago, the Islamic world lost its place as the absolute world power by being divided into over fifty weak nations. What followed was humiliation and massacre! Muslims were killed on all fronts around the globe, be it the massacres in Kashmir, the carpet bombing in Syria, the Uyghurs killed in concentration camps, the U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, or the genocide in Palestine. They are all disasters! They are all disasters, yes, but they are the result of the greatest disaster for Muslims. The disaster of March 3, 1924, the day the Ummah lost its shield. This is the reason why the Ummah suffers from occupation, expulsion and genocide [...]"[3] On March 3, 1924, the Ottoman Caliphate was abolished by a decree of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
At Hamburg Rally, Demonstration Quickly Turns From Plight Of Uyghurs To War In The Middle East To Caliphate
On October 12, 2024, the Hamburg gathering seemed to primarily attract young and middle-aged Muslim men, many of whom appear to have been raised in Germany. The event organized by the Islamist group, Muslim Interaktiv,[4] and the "Hamburger Bündnis [Alliance] für Palästina,"[5] was initially registered as an assembly to raise awareness of Muslims suffering around the globe: occupation, expulsion, and genocide. This assembly was ostensibly held to protest what the organizers called the genocide of the Uyghurs in East Turkistan.
The tone of the rally swiftly shifted away from the Uyghurs to the war in the Middle East, and then to a call for the establishment of a caliphate as the only solution to the plight of Muslims globally. As in previous demonstrations organized by Muslim Interaktiv, which also included loud calls to form a caliphate, police were present in large numbers, but took no action.
An activist from Muslim Interaktiv calls to people to attend the October 12 demonstration.
Given public concerns, the approved protest, which drew 2,000 people, was shortened from the originally planned three hours to 40 minutes. There was no violence.
Is Muslim Interaktiv Exploiting Legal Loopholes To Conduct Constitutionally Compromising Activities?
Germany's Office for the Protection of the Constitution banned the caliphate movement of Hizb ut-Tahrir, classifying it as "extremist." Yet the group still operates as Muslim Interaktiv. The new group exploits legal loopholes to freely continue its activities on German soil. Images of young men chanting the takbir ("Allahu Akbar") and the tawhid while hoisting the Quran, are often accompanied by the white flag of Hizb ut-Tahrir, whose flag -white, embossed with bold, black calligraphic lettering spelling the shahada, ("There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet,") is easily recognized. Palestinian flags have also become a familiar sight on German streets since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.
A young male at the rally sits on the shoulders of another, hoisting a large Hizb ut-Tahrir flag. Other participants hold signs and banners inscribed with messages calling for the "Protection Campaign for Lebanon."
Muslim Interaktiv: Background
Muslim Interaktiv is led by a German-Ghanaian convert to Islam, Raheem Boateng. He has consistently attracted attention by organizing demonstrations and by maintaining an active and professional social media presence. Muslim Interaktiv and Islamist groups alike frequently gather in public spaces to promote their ideologies, particularly attracting large numbers of young people - young men are the primary targets. The attacks on October 7, and the subsequent war on Hamas, have been tremendous opportunities for Muslim Interaktiv to advance its message. Muslim Interaktiv vehemently and passionately denies Israel's right to exist.
Raheem Boateng, the face of Muslim Interaktiv, explains in a TikTok video three facts that must be understood about what he calls the genocide in Gaza. First, Boateng claims that the "masks of all rulers in the Islamic world have now finally fallen. The ongoing genocide for almost a year has shown us that these rulers are nothing more than traitors to the Ummah. Being silent bystanders watching the unfolding of the genocide, clearly proves that they are not acting in the interest of the Ummah, but rather in the interest of their masters in London and Washington. Muslims must no longer place their trust in their corrupt regimes." Second, he criticizes the "highly praised" values of the West, including freedom of expression, right to life and human rights - he say these are mere illusions. The United Nations is given as an example that remains nothing more than "a tool in the hands of the colonial powers," which does not have true authority to secure peace and justice.
Third, he claims that 100 years of Muslim suffering should have already taught Muslims across the globe that there is no political alternative to improve their situation than to reinstate a caliphate. Western ideas, including secularism, liberalism, and nationalism, are the catalysts for the "catastrophic situation in the Middle East," he said. Thus, Boateng argues that only a righteously guided caliphate will be the solution to lasting peace in the Middle East; he claims this has been successfully proven for centuries.[6]
On October 7, 2024, Muslim Interaktiv posted a video on TikTok of Boateng expressing his anger, sorrow, and deep frustration over the ongoing suffering in Gaza. He accuses the world, particularly Muslim leaders, of betrayal and complicity, claiming that for 365 days, Gaza has been subject to genocide, with atrocities having now become normalized, while emotions are desensitized to the suffering of his Muslim brothers and sisters. He harshly condemns the idleness of the leaders of 57 Muslim countries, accusing them of watching rather passively as Palestinians endure what he describes as "hell on earth." He condemns the global community, particularly those supporting what Boateng understands as the "false narrative of Zionist self-defense," labelling Israel as a "construct of hypocrisy and lies." The oppression and displacement of Palestinians has been occurring for more than 75 years, according to Boateng. He emphasizes that nothing compares to the great suffering in Gaza of the last year, with 49,000 people massacred in the most brutal way, Boateng asserts, while being deprived of basic necessities like food and medicine.
In the face of these hardships, the leader of Muslim Interaktiv praises the faith of the Palestinians, asserting that their commitment to Islam remains strong and grows stronger with time, even causing the world to tremble. However, he regrets that their resilience has not been met with support from the global community. Exhibiting his religious convictions, Boateng promises that those responsible for the crimes in Gaza will face divine justice on the Day of Judgment, as foreseen in the Quran. Boateng explains that this calls for unity among the Ummah, and insists that the suffering must be part of a greater plan by Allah, preparing Muslims for something significant. The only solution, according to Boateng, is the implementation of an Islamic system, which is portrayed as the final hope for Gaza and the broader Middle East. He cites surah al-Baqara, ayat 42: "And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know [it]."
Raheem Boateng, in Muslim Interaktiv's TikTok video, calls for the implementation of an Islamic system as the only solution, and emphasizes that the current situation in Gaza is part of an important plan by Allah.[7]
Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, the police conducted several searches of places associated with Muslim Interaktiv. As of this writing, there is no ban on the group's activities. Muslim Interaktiv's activities extend to other European countries.
Muslim Interaktiv's Modus Operandi Makes The Hizb ut-Tahrir A Growing Threat
Today, twenty years after the operational ban of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Germany, the pan-Islamist caliphate movement maintains a stronghold on German soil. Its reach is broader than in previous years, as demonstrated through a highly efficient social media propaganda campaign, conveyed by Muslim Interaktiv and its online hosts, who have become well-known, especially among young Muslims. Muslim Interaktiv is astute regarding legal matters: The group meticulously navigates legal boundaries by knowing precisely what it can and cannot do; its modus operandi is strategically planned. For example, at the October 12 rally, speakers called for a caliphate in the Middle East, but not for one in Germany.
At the rally, Boateng stood at a podium embossed with the logo of Muslim Interaktiv, which depicts a drop of blood engulfing the Kaaba. Surrounded by demonstration participants in Hamburg, Boateng stated: "The best community produced for humankind: you offer the right and forbid the wrong. And you believe in Allah. And if the unjust believe that we have lost our courage under the impact of the war of extermination, then they would have been taught otherwise, right here and now. From the fire that they have ignited with their bombs, forged a [new] generation that is harder and stronger than the generation before. We are here to tell the unjust that they will never have power over us! Never! And they will not decide when, where and how we talk about what you do not want to hear, about the truth of your crimes!"[8]
He continued: "However, we do not apply double standards. We recognize injustice wherever it occurs, we call a spade a spade, and we also name the cause of the problem in the Middle East: The colonial order consists of a nation states built on the ruins of the last caliphate. It is Zionism and Arab nationalism that are enemies of the people of this region. It is the colonial order that can only be overcome by legally-guided [righteous] caliphate: a caliphate that will once again enable Jews, Christians and Muslims to live side by side in peace. The caliphate [means] the end of occupation, expulsion, genocide."[9]
His speech contains the following criticism specific to Germany: "The whole word is witness to occupation, expulsion and genocide, and in Germany this is called self-defense, speaking of a historical responsibility of never again, of a reason of state with which on even justifies one's right to exist [referring to Germany's raison d'etat][...] The legitimacy of the Federal Republic as such, is linked to the security and continued existence of the Zionist project. This is unique in history, and no other state justifies its own existence with that of another state. German citizens are even expected to be willing to defend the security of the Zionists with their own lives. But as Muslims, we cannot remain silent about any injustice, whether in the Middle East or the Far East, neither in East Turkistan nor in Palestine. We are namely not the ones who apply double standards, who allow demonstrations against Communist China without significant repercussions, without questions asked, who take it for granted that you can demonstrate against China, openly communicate your opinion and make political demands."[10]
Raheem Boateng speaks at the Muslim Interaktiv demonstration in Hamburg on October 12.
Above, the photo show attendees at the Hamburg Muslim Interaktiv demonstration hoist the Hizb ut-Tahrir flags, black Tawhid flags symbolizing the profession of a caliphate, and placards and banners inscribed with the messages: "Palestine - Occupation -Expulsion - Genocide;" " Caliphate in the Near East;" "Protection Campaign for Lebanon"; "Protection Campaign for Palestine;" "Stop the war of extermination in Lebanon"; and "Down with the occupation in Palestine." The crowd chanted: "Muslims will not remain silent" followed by the shahada.[11][12][13]
A large crowd of young Muslim men assembled at the Steindamm to begin the demonstration. The accompanying text reads: "The Ummah lives!"[14]