Protesters Gather Outside Islamic Conference Near Chicago

Protesters gathered outside a Chicago-area hotel Sunday as an Islamic extremist group reportedly linked to Al Qaeda held a conference in an attempt to step up Western recruitment efforts.

Roughly 500 members of Hizb ut-Tahrir — a global Sunni network with reported ties to confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Al Qaeda in Iraq's onetime leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi — met inside a Hilton hotel in Oak Lawn, Ill., to host "The Fall of Capitalism and the Rise of Islam."

Hizb ut-Tahrir insists that it does not engage in terrorism. The organization is not recognized by the State Department as a known terror group. Its supporters, however, blasted capitalism while calling for a rise of Islam during Sunday's conference.

"Free market, organization, capitalization — all has failed and brought disaster to America," said one of the group's speakers.

ON THE INTERNET:

INTERNET-HAGANAH.com: "PRELIMINARY LIST OF 98 HIZB UT-TAHRIR WEBSITES" (July 6, 2009)

HIZB UT TAHRIR.org - (English) Forum: "War on Capitalism"

HIZB UT TAHRIR.org

INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT.org - IPT News: "HIZB UT-TAHRIR: SHARIA TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER U.S. CONSTITUTION Imam Promises to Fight 'Until Islam Becomes Victorious or We Die in the Attempt'" (July 20, 2009)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "HIZB UT-TAHRIR AMERICA: Let's Not Exaggerate; Let's Be Accurate" by Madeleine Gruen (July 19, 2009, 12:47 pm)

FOX NEWS.com: "PROTESTERS GATHER OUTSIDE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE NEAR CHICAGO" (July 20, 2009)

JIHAD WATCH.org: "ISLAMIC SPREMACISTS MEET IN CHICAGO, AMERICAN MUSLIM GROUPS SILENT" (July 18, 2009)

FOX NEWS.com: "ISLAMIC SUPREMACIST GROUP HOLDS FIRST U.S. CONFERENCE" by Diane Macedo (SNIPPET: "Hizb ut-Tahrir often says that its indoctrination "prepares the infantry" that groups like Al Qaeda take into battle, Phares said. "It's like a middle school that prepares them to be recruited by the high school, which is Al Qaeda," he said. "One would compare them to Hitler youth. ...It's an extremely dangerous organization.") (July 17, 2009)

INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT.org - IPT News: "HIZB UT-TAHRIR IN AMERICA: PREACHING HATE, BUILDING A CALIPHATE" (July 17, 2009)

INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT.org - IPT News: "PRO-TERROR GROUP TO MEET IN CHICAGO SUBURB" (July 10, 2009)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "SUPPORT FOR HIZB UT-TAHRIR AMERICA MAY BE SURPRISING" (July 7, 2009)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "HIZB UT-TAHRIR AMERICA CONFERENCE UPDATE: HTA Books Grand Ballroom at Chicago Area Hilton" by Madeleine Gruen (July 1, 2009, 7:35 pm)

COUNTERTERRRORISM BLOG.org: "HIZB UT-TAHRIR AMERICA CONFERENCE VENUE CANCELS" (June 27, 2009)

SHARIA FINANCE WATCH - blog: "HIZB UT-TAHRIR: JIHADISTS TARGET 'CAPITALISM'" (June 21, 2009)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "HIZB UT-TAHRIR AMERICA LAUNCHES WEB SITE TO PROMOTE JULY CONFERENCE" by Madeline Gruen (June 21, 2009, 6:44 am)

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COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "HIZB UT-TAHRIR AMERICA ENTERS PUBLIC STAGE" (June 19, 2009)

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OSINT.INTERNET-HAGANAH.com: "THE DEBUTANTE ISLAMISTS: HIZB UT-TAHRIR AMERICA" (November 18, 2008)

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INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT.org: "SELECT QUOTES FROM HISTORIC 1994 HIZB UT-TAHRIR RALLY IN LONDON'S WEMBLEY ARENA" (July 17, 2009)

INTERNET-HAGANAH.com: "BANNED OUTFIT USING LATEST TECHNOLOGY TO OUTWIT FIA" (SNIPPET: "They are sending out SMS messages to let followers know that they have a new URL for their site.") (July 13, 2009)

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OSINT.INTERNET-HAGANAH.com: ""PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PREVENTS HT'S CONFERENCE AND ARRESTS 100s IN SERVITUDE TO THE ENEMIES OF ISLAM"" (July 5, 2009)

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OSINT.INTERNET-HAGANAH.com (TIMES ONLINE.co.uk): "HIZB UT-TAHRIR PLOTS AGAINST PAKISTAN" (July 5, 2009)

OSINT.INTERNET-HAGANAH.com: "MATERIALS ON RELIGIOUS-EXTREMIST ORGANIZATION "HIZB UT-TAHRIR", WITH PROOFS OF ITS PARTICIPATION IN TERRORIST ACTIVITY." (SNIPPET: "Editorial Note: This is the text of a document found on the website of The General Consulate of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Athens.") (July 4, 2009)

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