Press Release
The Suez Canal: A Look at Trump’s Statements and the Egyptian Regime’s Position
(Translated)

In yet another display of arrogance, U.S. President Donald Trump declared on the "Truth Social" platform that American ships should pass through the Suez and Panama Canals free of charge, claiming that the United States “created both canals.” He assigned his Secretary of State to pursue agreements that would institutionalize this colonial demand.

This provocative statement sparked a wave of official and media outrage in Egypt. A member of the Defense and National Security Committee in the House of Representatives condemned it, considering it a violation of Egyptian sovereignty. Despite the public anger, the regime itself responded with silence, reflecting its weak stance in the face of international dictates, its submissiveness and allegiance to the colonial West, and its total inability to defend sovereignty, or even the most basic semblance of ‘national’ dignity.

The Suez Canal is a vital artery for global trade. According to data from the Suez Canal Authority for 2023, over 26,000 ships passed through the canal, generating revenues of about $9.4 billion. It accounts for 12% of global trade volume and 30% of international container shipping. Yet despite its immense importance, control over it remains subject to the colonial international system, which imposed the Constantinople Convention of 1888, obligating Egypt to allow free navigation through the canal to all nations — including hostile non-Muslim states. However, the management and sovereignty over the canal remain with the Egyptian state, which has the right to impose transit fees. Nevertheless, this very legal framework is a product of the international order imposed by colonial powers in the 19th century, at a time when the Islamic Ummah was undergoing political and military collapse.

Trump’s statement is a clear expression of the West’s doctrine toward Muslim lands. They view our resources as common property for themselves and regard us as dependent colonies lacking true sovereignty. They consider their interference in our affairs to be a legitimate right. This is part of an old-new colonial policy, as articulated by Lord Cromer when he said, “We did not occupy Egypt for Egypt’s sake, but for our own interests.” Trump is now reviving this same shameless logic, under regimes loyal to their Western masters.

The waterways that run through Muslim lands are part of public property and must be administered according to the rulings of Islamic law, not by man-made laws or colonial treaties. In Islam, the straits and waterways located within Muslim lands are governed by the following rules:

1. Full sovereignty over them belongs to the Sharia, its rulings, and the authority of Islam, represented by Al-Khilafah (the Caliphate).

2. Passage through them is to be regulated according to what the Khilafah (Caliphate) deems to be in the interest of its citizens, not according to agreements imposed on the Ummah.

3. Imposing transit fees or prohibiting the passage of ships is legally permissible. As for hostile states, especially colonial ones, their passage is strictly forbidden.

The Suez Canal is an inseparable part of Egyptian land, which itself is part of the Islamic world. Therefore, it must not be relinquished, subjected to international organizations, or obligated to unconditional free passage. This cannot be achieved except through the establishment of the second Khilafah Rashidah (rightly-guided Caliphate) on the method of the Prophethood, one that unites the Muslim lands and restores their authority over their resources. The people of Egypt Allah’s shield on Earth, must earnestly work with Hizb ut Tahrir to establish it.

[يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اسْتَجِيبُواْ لِلّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُم لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ]

“O you who have believed, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.” [Surat Al-Anfal:24]

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Egypt