An Islamist extremist group whose goal is to establish a Muslim caliphate in the Muslim world, expanding to encompass the whole globe, has been spreading leaflets of hate in Sydney—legally.

Hizb ut-Tahrir, a virulently anti-Western group espousing the destruction of Israel and the establishment of universal sharia law, operates freely in Australia. In Britain, Prime Minister Tony Blair has called for the banning of the group because of its alleged connection to the London bombings; in Germany it is already outlawed. It has been described, even among Muslims, as a “conveyor belt to terrorism.” The group regards suicide bombers as martyrs and promotes the killing of Jews.

In Australia, however, Hizb ut-Tahrir is not deemed radical enough to be considered a terrorist group.

The group has distributed leaflets in Sydney suburbs calling for jihad to destroy Israel. The pamphlet concerned features a graphic picture of a bloody sword piercing the heart of the Middle East and calls for violence against Israel. Hizb ut-Tahrir held a meeting in Sydney in August to promote the idea that “Israel is an illegal state that Muslims will never accept.” The Daily Telegraph reported that Hizb ut-Tahrir representatives have even been allowed into Sydney Boys High and Sydney University to promote their propaganda.

Australia, under its Prime Minister John Howard, is one of the few countries strongly supporting the United States in the war against terror, and yet, its own political correctness and “tolerance” forbids it to outlaw what is to all intents and purposes a terrorist organization inciting hatred and encouraging jihad in its midst. This Western inclination to be unconditionally tolerant of those who are decidedlyintolerant reveals an unwillingness to comprehend the grave threat that terrorism poses.