Islamic State is ‘an American creation’, claims Extremists Hizb ut-Tahrir

The British radical Islamist group, Hizb ut-Tahrir, has accused the US of funding violent Islamic extremists, ISIS.

Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) Britain, considers Islamic State (ISIS) to be “an American creation” formed “to give [Islam] a bad name”. These allegations come after the leader of ISIS, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, died in a US special forces raid in Syria on Thursday. 

HT representative, Yahya Nisbet, claims that ISIS is “no longer a convenient tool” for the US, making their leader “expendable”.

This theory began in Egypt in 2014 when social media users shared screenshots and extracts of Hillary Clinton’s autobiography, purportedly called "Password 360”. A particular passage, conceding that the United States engineered ISIS, sent shock waves throughout the Middle East. 

The book referenced is, in fact, called “Hard Choices” and contains no such passage. Although proven to be false, the fictional conspiracy was reported as fact by news organisations in Egypt, Palestine, Tunisia, Jordan and Lebanon. As a consequence, Beirut’s US Embassy was forced to post a clear-cut denial on it’s Facebook page, stating: “Any suggestion that the United States ever considered recognising the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as anything other than a terrorist organisation, or had any role in its creation, is patently false.”

The conspiracy theory later became popular among anti-Zionists in Britain, with a guest calling into BBC 5 Live Breakfast programme proclaiming that Mossad and the CIA planned to train ISIS “for over a decade” calling it a “Zionist plot”. 

 The long and complex history of the relationship between the US and the Muslim Brotherhood serves as a backdrop to many conspiracy theories throughout the Middle East. Although the White House denies any formal contact, examination of the WikiLeaks documents confirms that contacts of varying kinds have existed since the 1980’s. 

Conspiracy theories are frequently used by Extremist groups as a method of recruitment, and to push radical agendas. A 2018 study at The University of North Florida found 50 examples of conspiracy theories in both Hizb ut-Tahrir and ISIS propaganda material.

Despite HT claiming to be non-violent, members of the pro-caliphate Islamist organisation, such as the notorious “Jihadi John”, have been linked to violent acts across the world. Although banned in more than a dozen countries, it “functions without any problems” in the UK, with London being at the very centre of the global movement.

After the 7 July attacks, Tony Blair pledged to ban HT but was met by legal obstacles. David Cameron also later voiced plans to ban the group, saying: "We are clear that we must target groups that promote extremism, not just violent extremism.  I would like to see action taken against Hizb ut-Tahrir."

In 2021 the two ex-prime ministers backed a report by The Commission for Countering Extremism which said new criminal offences should be introduced to ban 'praising and glorifying' terrorism.

In April 2021 the new Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act received Royal Assent. Home Secretary, Priti Patel, claimed 'It marks the largest overhaul in terrorist sentencing and monitoring in decades'. Despite stricter monitoring and longer jail terms, it's scope may be insufficient to halt the use of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories to promote radical agendas.