Extremist Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki endorses Ft. Hood Massacre

Investigating Ft. Hood: Anwar al-Awlaki's "Constants on the Path of Jihad" By Evan Kohlmann

One of the key questions for investigators who are now looking into potential links between radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and the accused perpetrator of the massacre at Ft. Hood, Maj. Malik Nidal Hasan, is understanding to what degree al-Awlaki's extreme sermons may have influenced Hasan's actions. Toward that end, they should be keeping an especially close eye out for one such al-Awlaki sermon in particular--"Constants on the Path of Jihad"--which itself is based upon an Arabic-language text penned by the founder of Al-Qaida's network in Saudi Arabia, Yousef al-Ayyiri. In order to bring al-Ayyiri's words to an English-speaking audience, al-Awlaki dedicated a lengthy lecture to his work--a lecture that over time has become the "virtual bible" for lone wolf Muslim extremists. In "Constants", al-Awlaki argues:

“Jihad does not end with the disappearance of a person. Jihad must continue regardless because it does not depend on any particular leader or individual… Jihad does not depend on any particular land. It is global. When the Muslim is in his land, he performs jihad… No borders or barriers stop it. The message cannot be conveyed without jihad. If a particular people or nation is classified as… ‘the people of war’ in the Shariah, that classification applies to them all over the earth. Islam cannot be customized to suit the conditions where you are, for instance Europe.”

According to Awlaki, al-Ayyiri also instructed that “victory” cannot be limited to mere “military victories” alone, and should also include “sacrifice. The Mujahid sacrificing ‘his self’ and his wealth is victory. Victory of your idea, your religion. If you die for your religion, your death will spread the da`wa… Allah chooses Shuhada (martyrs) from amongst the believers. This is a victory.”

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2009/11/investigating_ft_hood_anwar_al.php

Followers of Anwar al-Awlaki Giddily Celebrate Ft. Hood Massacre By Evan Kohlmann

Supporters of radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki--whose name has surfaced in connection with the investigation of Major Malik Nidal Hasan--are now championing Hasan's murder of thirteen U.S. military personnel last week at Ft. Hood in Texas. Upon learning of initial media reports of the Ft. Hood massacre, one frequent visitor posted a comment on al-Awlaki's blog, "Oh Allah, direct your forces against America, the centre of kufr and fasad. Oh Allah, direct your forces against America, the centre of kufr and fasad. Oh Allah, direct your forces against America, the centre of kufr and fasad... Mash’Allah another good news reaching us from Texas: more Kafir US soldiers in the Filthy U.S. Army base in Fort Hood, were smoked by the their own today:"

Reflecting on Maj. Hasan's actions at Ft. Hood, a second user added, "The American soldiers fight/ kill innocent Muslims in Iraq/ Afghanistan/ Somalia etc. We should support the Muslims that resist these attackers of our religion... May Allah (swt) support the Mujahideen all over the world and punish the hypocrites in the Dounya and Aghiraa. The only question that a Muslim can ask is; Why would a fellow muslim condem an attack on the American forcers? Why not do doea[sic] for the muslim soldier that risked his live to kill 13 American soldiers (who may have fought and killed innocent Muslims in Iraq/ Afghanistan)."

November 8, 2009 11:20 PM   Link 

Thanks for this Snuffy, I wasn't aware of these articles.  I posted a comment in the original Fort Hood story the day of the shootings in response to one of the Army General's saying "there's no evidence to support this as an act of terrorism"....I felt that was ignorant and typical "politically correct" word-play.  Sadly, this is one of the many times in life where I really wish I couldn't say "I told you so".

I feel nothing but sorrow for the families of these soldiers, and can only hope justice is preserved despite the smoke screens of PTSD and "not a terrorist".

Why does this surprise anyone that he is connected with extremism? I believe that Malvo the Dc sniper is connected somehow as well it's just we were not told. 1000s more "peaceful" muslims in our milatary. Anyone else worried about them? The only way this is ever going to end is....... total elimination of ones enemies. One side will kill so many of the other side that they can no longer put up a fight. The way we fight wars now days, probably not going to be us. TexRat

Wow.  I'm just as outraged at the loss of innocent life as any American and for that matter human being.  As a Muslim that chose to pursue an advanced degree instead of becoming an officer in the USAF, I find no inherent contrdiction in protecting my home from terrorist, no matter what their creed or background.  To constantly assert, without evidence, that the Major's crime was motivated by religion and not some other form of psychological malady just continues to feed the vicious cycle of venomous discourse. While I am not attempting to eschew the issue of Islamic extremism, I want to make certain that people understand that 1.5 billion people cannot be summarized by the words of 'experts,' religious or otherwise.  There are millions of Muslims who have immigrated or converted in the U.S. who would never, under any circumstances, take the lives of innocent people.  Mr. Al Awliki's statements are a testimony to the poisounous rhetoric feeding the fire both sides of the situation: for Muslims his is a 'leader,' and therefore owner of knowledge.  To the west he is an 'expert' representing ALL Muslims, which of course is a falacy and a literal impossiblity. We need to open our eyes.  The world is in chaos and if we think blaming one entity for its declining nature is a solution then truly we have little understanding.  Very few issuse in the world today are afforded the nature of black and white right and wrong, cause and effect.  Let us never be diluted enough to take such polemic stances, no matter what our personal beliefs.

He should pay dearly for taking the lives of so many.No religon should justify murder.He clearly is a murder Islamic or not. If he was a christan he would be a murder.Murder is murder no matter what your religon is Unstable minds could use any reason they wany but it does not make it right.Place him next to the christan Casey Anthony and let them fry together for there good deads.Ones as a mother the other a a man of faith.      

This individual is nothing more than a traitor & a coward. He took an oath to our country and betrayed our soldiers. There are several options that he could have chosen if he did not want to go to war.  This act is and should be considered a terrorist act.  In Iraq & Afghanistan soldiers are prepared for and at least have a chance to defend themselves in some instances. This coward had no regards for any of the families of these brave men & women. This coward should be treated as a terrorist and a traitor.

This is the time I hope that American politicians understand the urgency to discharge Muslim soldiers fron our armed services. We cannot have the ennemy in our army to fight against us. They may be U.S. citizen, but their religious beliefs outweigh their civic responsibilities toward the country. All Muslim should be discharged in the U.S. Army. If not we ar going to pay a heavy death toll. It is time to wake up. Paluchi 

Commentary: Hasan's conspiracy mentors
Washington (UPI) Nov 9, 2009 - Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is the proverbial canary in the mine. Gunning down 12 soldiers and one civilian, and wounding 31 was not a random act of violence by an army psychiatrist who was slated to deploy to Afghanistan, an evil war in his mind, where American infidels are killing good Muslims. As the Virginia-born major told a female neighbor in his apartment complex, "I'm going to do good work ... more

A Commentary From Blackfive On The Massacre At Fort Hood First responders prepare the wounded for transport in waiting ambulances near Fort Hood's Soldier Readiness Processing Center Nov. 5, 2009. U.S. Army photo

Really General Casey? -- Black Five

Start with a horrific act of murder -- and that is what happened, murder -- and a lot of confusion. Rule to remember is that the initial reports are always wrong, especially when dealing with national mainstream media. The locals did better, but they too were dealing with the fog.

Mix in a typical dose of immediate denial of terrorism by the Federal Government, well before any basic facts are known. Typical, and has been the playbook since 9/12 (and one that needs to be dropped).

Read more ....

More News On The Fort Hood Shooter

Fort Hood shooting suspect conscious, talking, hospital says -- CNN
Report: U.S. Knew Hasan Sought al Qaeda -- CBS News
Fort Hood gunman Nidal Malik Hasan tried to contact Al Qaeda and U.S. intelligence knew - report -- Daily News
Authorities Scrutinize Links Between Fort Hood Suspect, Imam Said to Back al-Qaeda -- Washington Post
Fort Hood Gunman Gave Signals Before His Rampage -- New York Times
Hasan Enjoyed Strippers, Witness Says -- CBS
Fort Hood Gunman Gave Signals Before His Rampage -- New York Times
Dark Motives of Army Base Killer -- Times Online
Congress to study whether Army missed signs before Fort Hood rampage -- Dallas Morning News

Since When Is an Attack on a Military Base 'Terrorism'?
by Glenn Greenwald

US Admits No Evidence of Hasan Ties With Militants Speculation Flies Based on Mosque Army Psychiatrist Went to Nearly a Decade Ago by Jason Ditz, November 09, 2009

Fort Hood suspect warned of threats within the ranks
Cited stress facing Muslims Hasan spoke at Walter Reed in 2007
By Dana Priest
Washington Post Staff Writer

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/09/AR2009110903618_pf.html

To say it's your duty to take human lives to please your religion is ignorant! Muslim faith does not belong anywhere if it involves killing. Thats not a religion, its murder! And for anyone to support a mass killing because he had 'Religious reasons" is even more shocking,and especially ignorant. Mindless sheep who have nothing to believe in but killing the infidels.Ha ha ha ha What a joke! God Bless America!~

I DONT BELIEVE ANY GOD WOULD CONDONE KILLING.  ISLAMICS LOVE TO HIDE BEHIND THEIR RELIGION..BULLS%%T.  IF "ALLAH" ACCEPTS THIS THEN HE IS NO GOD THAT I WOULD EVER WANT TO FOLLOW. THE MAN KNOWS WHAT HE WAS DOING AND THIS SHOULD SHOW THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT WE CANNOT KEEP LETTING FOREIGNERS INTO OUR COUNTRY. BORN IN THE USA STAY IN THE USA BORN OUT OF THE USA STAY WHERE YOU ARE.   PEOPLE TALK DOWN AMERICA SO MUCH BUT SO MANY PEOPLE TRY TO ENTER.  WE MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT.

Who Is the Imam Consulted by the Ft. Hood Assassin? By Douglas Farah

Sue Schmidt of the International Assessment and Strategy Center has just published an extensive piece on the background of Anwar al-Aulaqui (AKA Anwar Al-Awlaki), the imam who have helped radicalize Maj. Malik Nidal Hasan. it is a sobering reminder of how the radicalization process works, particularly if one looks at that background and the posting of my colleague Evan Kholmann to get a sense of what he actually said.

November 9, 2009 10:04 PM   Link

NEFA: Backgrounder on Anwar al Awlaki By Madeleine Gruen

This backgrounder on Anwar al Awlaki, written in February of this year, is now posted here for the first time.

U.S. government agencies are increasingly concerned about the ability of pro-Jihad ideologues to use the Internet to incite U.S.-based Muslims to conduct terrorist attacks. Indeed, there have been several terrorism cases in the years since 9/11 in which actors based in Western countries were influenced by lectures, writings, and videos downloaded from the Internet.

Anwar al Awlaki (a.k.a. Anwar al Aulaqi), an American who lives in Yemen, who is regarded as an Islamic scholar, may be a key player in Al-Qaida’s efforts to radicalize and incite American Muslims to commit terrorist acts.

A U.S. citizen,1 al Awlaki was born in New Mexico in 1971.2 After his father completed his
college studies, the family returned to Yemen, where al Awlaki remained until 1991, then he came back to the U.S. to study for a B.S. in Civil Engineering at Colorado State University. He then went on to San Diego State University for a Master’s in Education
Leadership.3 While in San Diego, he served as an imam at Rabat mosque.4 In 2001, he enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Human Resource Development at George Washington University, where he worked as the Muslim chaplain. At that time, he was also an
imam at Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, VA.5 He left the U.S. in 2002 and lived in London,where he also gained a following. He moved to Yemen in 2004.

The rest of the report can be viewed here.

Investigating Ft. Hood: Anwar al-Awlaki's "Constants on the Path of Jihad" By Evan Kohlmann

One of the key questions for investigators who are now looking into potential links between radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and the accused perpetrator of the massacre at Ft. Hood, Maj. Malik Nidal Hasan, is understanding to what degree al-Awlaki's extreme sermons may have influenced Hasan's actions. Toward that end, they should be keeping an especially close eye out for one such al-Awlaki sermon in particular--"Constants on the Path of Jihad"--which itself is based upon an Arabic-language text penned by the founder of Al-Qaida's network in Saudi Arabia, Yousef al-Ayyiri. In order to bring al-Ayyiri's words to an English-speaking audience, al-Awlaki dedicated a lengthy lecture to his work--a lecture that over time has become the "virtual bible" for lone wolf Muslim extremists. In "Constants", al-Awlaki argues:

“Jihad does not end with the disappearance of a person. Jihad must continue regardless because it does not depend on any particular leader or individual… Jihad does not depend on any particular land. It is global. When the Muslim is in his land, he performs jihad… No borders or barriers stop it. The message cannot be conveyed without jihad. If a particular people or nation is classified as… ‘the people of war’ in the Shariah, that classification applies to them all over the earth. Islam cannot be customized to suit the conditions where you are, for instance Europe.”

According to Awlaki, al-Ayyiri also instructed that “victory” cannot be limited to mere “military victories” alone, and should also include “sacrifice. The Mujahid sacrificing ‘his self’ and his wealth is victory. Victory of your idea, your religion. If you die for your religion, your death will spread the da`wa… Allah chooses Shuhada (martyrs) from amongst the believers. This is a victory.”

It is thus perhaps little surprise that Anwar al-Awlaki's name and his sermon on "Constants on the Path of Jihad" seem to surface in every single homegrown terrorism investigation, whether in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, or beyond. For a sense of what role Awlaki and his message play in these cases, take for instance the New Jersey-based conspirators behind the attempted terror plot at Ft. Dix. The following is an excerpt from my expert report submitted on behalf of prosecutors in that case (available on the NEFA Foundation website):

"I have been provided with the preserved digital contents of a computer marked as “Dell Desktop from Duka” by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey which contain records of a user (or users) downloading and listening to Shaykh Anwar al-Awlaki’s English-language audio sermon teaching the lessons of Yousef al-Ayyiri’s “Constants on the Path of Jihad.” Stored under a “My Documents\My Received Files” folder by a registered user named “Elvis”, the “Dell Desktop from Duka” also contains a physical copy of the same audio sermon by al-Awlaki explaining “Constants on the Path of Jihad.” On March 9, 2007, Dritan Duka and Shain Duka were recorded discussing the importance of “Constants on the Path of Jihad” with other alleged conspirators and a cooperating witness. Shain Duka commented, “...as I was saying Serd… about Anwar al Awlaki… You gotta hear this lecture… you gotta hear it… The title? The title is Constance of [UI].” Dritan Duka echoed, “You gotta hear this lecture, this brother [UI] him locked up in Yemen, Anwar al Awlaki the Imam in Washington DC, they kicked him out of the US and now they locked him up in Yemen. He was talking about Jihad [holy struggle] the truth, no holes barred, straight how it is!” Later, during the same conversation, the group of men listen to an actual copy of Anwar al-Awlaki’s sermon on “Constants on the Path of Jihad.” While the audio recording plays in the background, Shain Duka insists to them, “You gotta listen to this [UI]… He has a whole volume of this lecture.” Dritan Duka added, “You can’t buy it nowhere… He’s in jail, they arrest him, he’s on house arrest… For stuff like this, in Yemen.” Shain Duka concurred with Dritan’s assessment: “You can’t find it… In his own country they locked him up for speaking like this… That’s a good lecture, huh brother? … There’s no lies with this guy.” One of the other men listening—Gregori Ilichenko—praised al-Awlaki and his interpretation of “Constants on the Path of Jihad”, responding, “Mad good son.” Separately, in early 2007, the subject of “Constants on the Path of Jihad” came again several times during recorded conversations involving Eljvir Duka. In February 2007, Duka repeatedly instructed an unidentified male to download a copy of Anwar al-Awlaki’s English language lecture: “I would like you to go on the JusOne news to this website and I can give you my password, it’s a it’s a lecture by Imam Anwar [ph] [UI]… It’s called the Constants of Jihad, the Constants of Jihad and this, ever since I heard this lecture brother I want everyone to hear about it. You know why, because he gives it to you raw and uncut… this is the truth I don’t give a damn what everybody says this is Islam, this is the truth right here. So he doesn’t sugar coat, he doesn’t have any boundaries to the truth in this, and it’s very why- why am I stressing this point, because we’re living in a time people were confused Muslims themselves they’re confused… About our own brothers, you understand? So this lecture is very necessary for people today, if you’re concerned… [It is] verbal, audio, you have to download it... let me know what you think of it when you hear it… One of the best lectures I ever heard ever.” On April 12, 2007, Eljvir Duka was recorded during a telephone conversation he initiated with an unknown male. Duka asked, “Look, what time you open till? …I wanted to know... do, do you have, ah, ‘The Constants-,’ ‘The Constants of Jihad’ by Anwar al Awlaki? … It’s six, yeah, six CD’s I believe… Is there anyway you can order it for me? …in Arabic I think it’s ‘Sowhabist [PH] al la dar [PH] al Jihad.’ …So, um, ‘Constants of Jihad’ in English… by Anwar al Awlaki.”

November 9, 2009 08:35 AM   Link 

US imam wanted in Yemen over al-Qaida suspicions.

DOD worker assessed Fort Hood suspect months ago.

US knew of Fort Hood suspect’s tie to radical cleric. More news here and here.

FBI reassessing past look at Fort Hood suspect.