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| Australian's passport seized in Jordan |
| News - Hizb ut-Tahrir |
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Jordanian authorities have confiscated the passport of an Australian citizen who is a member of a Muslim group that advocates a global Islamic caliphate. Ismail al-Wahwah, from Bankstown, is a member of the global organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir (Liberation Party). His passport was confiscated on Thursday when he arrived at Amman airport. He had been on the Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia and had returned to Jordan to visit family before returning to Australia.
He was not arrested but is unable to leave the country and is staying with family. The Australian spokesman for Hizb ut-Tahrir, Uthman Badar, criticised the confiscation in a statement this afternoon and alleged Jordan's main spy agency, the General Intelligence Directorate, was involved. "The corrupt and illegitimate ruling systems, which represent neither Islam nor Muslims, need to be uprooted entirely and replaced with the system of Islam which safeguards the rights and dignity of all citizens," he said. A spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: "We are aware of media reports that an Australian has had his passport confiscated upon arrival in Jordan last week. The Australian embassy in Amman has not received any requests for assistance." It is not the first time Sheik al-Wahwah has encountered immigration problems. In 2007 he was one of a number of Hizb ut-Tahrir members who were denied entry to Indonesia after landing in Jakarta. They had been planning to speak at an international Hizb ut-Tahrir conference, which was attended by as many as 100,000 supporters. The group is banned in numerous Middle Eastern countries including Jordan. Dylan Welch 14th November 2011 Source: SMH |