Hizb ut-Tahrir calls for 'State of Jihad' in Tunisia

The Tunisian Liberation Party (Hizb ut-Tahrir) has called for "a State of Jihad" against evil, during a political forum in the province of Bizerte, on Sunday. The event titled, "The ability of Islam and the nation to manage the battle," was supervised by Rida Belhaj, the media spokesperson of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Belhaj explained that the battle is the ideological and political struggle, adding that the ideal state is one that "exercises jihad and pushes away evil from the nation." He added that the state is the sole entity responsible for the application of jihad and not individuals and parties. Hizb ut-Tahrir is renowned for its belief in the state of caliphate, which conflicts with the concept of the modern state, including the formation of parties and holding elections . It was given a party licence in Tunisia on July 17, 2012. The statements come as Tunisia battles an uncertain security situation, with extremist Salafi groups adopting al-Qaeda's ideology of jihad.