Breaking: Extremist Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki Endorses Ft. Hood Massacre: "Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing"
By Evan Kohlmann

Extremist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki has just issued a new entry on his blog titled, "Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing." Excerpts from the entry are reproduced in part below:

"Nidal Hassan is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people. This is a contradiction that many Muslims brush aside and just pretend that it doesn’t exist. Any decent Muslim cannot live, understanding properly his duties towards his Creator and his fellow Muslims, and yet serve as a US soldier. The US is leading the war against terrorism which in reality is a war against Islam. Its army is directly invading two Muslim countries and indirectly occupying the rest through its stooges. Nidal opened fire on soldiers who were on their way to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. How can there be any dispute about the virtue of what he has done? In fact the only way a Muslim could Islamically justify serving as a soldier in the US army is if his intention is to follow the footsteps of men like Nidal. The heroic act of brother Nidal also shows the dilemma of the Muslim American community. Increasingly they are being cornered into taking stances that would either make them betray Islam or betray their nation. Many amongst them are choosing the former. The Muslim organizations in America came out in a pitiful chorus condemning Nidal’s operation. The fact that fighting against the US army is an Islamic duty today cannot be disputed. No scholar with a grain of Islamic knowledge can defy the clear cut proofs that Muslims today have the right -rather the duty- to fight against American tyranny. Nidal has killed soldiers who were about to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in order to kill Muslims. The American Muslims who condemned his actions have committed treason against the Muslim Ummah and have fallen into hypocrisy... The inconsistency of being a Muslim today and living in America and the West in general reveals the wisdom behind the opinions that call for migration from the West. It is becoming more and more difficult to hold on to Islam in an environment that is becoming more hostile towards Muslims. May Allah grant our brother Nidal patience, perseverance and steadfastness and we ask Allah to accept from him his great heroic act. Ameen."

The full document is available from the NEFA Foundation website.
November 9, 2009 12:20 AM Link
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2009/11/br...cleric_anwa.php

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
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2009/11/in...od_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
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2009/11/fo...al-awlaki_g.php