Plans by pan-Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir to hold a national conference have prompted widespread concern among Australian political leaders following a stark warning from the nation’s top security chief. On 12 November 2025, Sky News reported that ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess had warned of “provocative behaviour” and possible radicalisation risks. The article begins:
Pan-Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir’s plan to hold a national conference in Sydney, premised on the message that Islam is the change “the world desperately needs”, has prompted concern from senior state and federal political figures. Delivering the 2025 Lowy Lecture on Tuesday, the Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Mike Burgess, said Australia had never faced “so many different threats” at once and stressed social cohesion was “under siege”. The spy chief also compared tactics used by Hizb ut-Tahrir, an international pan-Islamist and Islamic fundamentalist political organisation, with those employed by neo-Nazis. He said the religiously motivated organisation’s “provocative behaviour, offensive rhetoric and insidious strategy” was “very similar” to that of the National Socialist Network. “The organisation’s condemnation of Israel and Jews attracts media attention and aids recruitment, but it deliberately stops short of promoting onshore acts of politically motivated violence,” Mr Burgess said.
Key Points
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Pan-Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir intends to hold a national conference in Sydney, drawing concern from authorities.
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ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess has warned of “provocative behaviour” and possible radicalisation risks.
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Multiple Australian politicians have voiced outrage and called for greater scrutiny of the event.
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The planned gathering has sparked debate about the limits of free speech and national security.
Hizb ut-Tahrir Influence Operations: Digital Propaganda and Transnational Network
Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami (HT), founded in Jerusalem in 1953 by Taqiuddin al-Nabhani, operates as a transnational Islamist organization in over 40 countries with the stated goal of establishing a global Islamic caliphate. The organization applies 20th-century totalitarian political technology, melded with Islamic ideology, and analysts compare its structure to that of a disciplined Marxist-Leninist party where internal dissent is neither encouraged nor tolerated.
HT has developed sophisticated digital operations to circumvent national bans and sustain its ideological campaign. The group maintains an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube while hosting content on servers outside restricted jurisdictions and frequently changing domain names to avoid blocking. Research identifies HT as utilizing psychological operations through front organizations, with individual members sometimes belonging to more than a dozen groups simultaneously to create the impression of widespread ideological support.
The organization spreads what researchers characterize as a counter-narrative promoting Muslim grievance and victimhood while oversimplifying global politics into a binary worldview where the West opposes Islam. This narrative of grievance can result in identity crises for some Muslims, opening pathways toward radicalization according to European government studies. Investigations have revealed that more than 25 convicted terrorists, including key ISIS figures, had prior associations with HT before joining violent extremist groups.
The United Kingdom designated HT as a terrorist organization in January 2024, citing antisemitic content and promotion of terrorism, including praise for the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. The organization is currently banned in at least 13 countries, including Germany, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia, though it continues to operate freely in the United States and Australia.
External References:
- Hizb ut-Tahrir: An Emerging Threat to U.S. Interests in Central Asia — The Heritage Foundation
- Platforming the Caliphate: Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Digital Strategy and Radicalisation Risks — GNET
- Hizb ut-Tahrir — Counter Extremism Project
Islamist Distortions: Hizb ut-Tahrir a Breeding Ground for Al-Qaida Recruitment — Journal of Strategic Security
Disclaimer:
The Global Influence Operations Report (GIOR) utilizes AI throughout the posting process, including the generation of summaries for news items, introductions, key points, and, often, the “context” section. We recommend verifying all information before use. Additionally, all images are generated using AI and are intended solely for illustrative purposes. While they represent the events or individuals discussed, they should not be interpreted as real-world photography.
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