Very few Germans have heard of it, but there is a case slowly working its way through the administrative courts that could strongly influence Germany's strenuous and popular efforts to deal with what officials consider a threat from Islamic militants living here. The case has been filed by Hizb ut-Tahrir, or Party of Liberation, an Islamic group with members in many European countries. Its overriding objective - if far-fetched - is to unite the entire Muslim world under a single caliph, or supreme theocratic leader, reviving a system that has not existed since the early decades of Islamic history. While the group freely operates in several European countries, with its largest membership, its supporters say, in Britain, it was banned two years ago in Germany by the interior minister, Otto Schily, who accused it of "spreading violent propaganda and anti-Jewish agitation." The group is seeking to overturn that ban in Federal Administrative Court in the eastern German city of Leipzig, which reviews decisions by government ministries.
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