By Faisal | Published:
November 17, 2009
A shortened version of this article has been published on Comment is Free
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It is now clear US Army Major Nidal Hasan had a series of connections to the Islamist cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki . For those of us who have studied, with increasing concern, the extreme teachings of this cleric, this tragedy is the inevitable consequence of un-checked Islamist radicalisation. This situation has been made all the more distressing by the apparent lack of concern shown by the US Intelligence and Military authorities in taking Awlaki’s influence seriously.
Even before Major Nidal had fired a single bullet in Fort Hood, the US authorities knew about his increasingly vocal radicalisation and that he had attended the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Virgina at the time Awlaki was its head Imam. Nidal had also been the subject of an FBI investigation after it was discovered that he made communication with Awlaki by email. There was certainly no lack of overt clues.
Posted in Islamism | Also tagged al-Qaeda, Anas al-Tikriti, Anwar al-Awlaki, Cageprisoners, Cordoba Foundation, East London Mosque, Inayat Bunglawala, Islamic Forum Europe, Moazzem Begg, Muslim Association of Britain, Osama Saeed |
By Guest | Published:
November 12, 2009
This is a guest post by Al-Qanaas Al-Masri
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The head of the Civil Service Islamic Society, Azad Ali, has today sought to clarify his long-standing support for Anwar Awlaki, the pro-jihadi preacher who apparently inspired, and possibly orchestrated, the recent Fort Hood shootings in the US.
The Times has quoted Ali as saying of Awlaki’s views: “I reject them and disassociate myself from them completely”. The Islamic Forum Europe’s website additionally reports that Ali additionally said that:
My article talking about Mr Awlaki was specifically referring to his lectures on Companions of the Prophet and other similar lectures. I am not aware of his comments regarding Major Nidal Hasan other than the text you sent below. If these comments are indeed Mr Awlaki’s then I reject them and disassociate myself from them completely.
By Guest | Published:
November 9, 2009
This is a guest post by al-Qanaas al-Masri
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Azad Ali, the head of the Civil Service Islamic Society, has called on Muslims to ‘resist’ the government’s counter-terrorism ‘Prevent’ programme.
Ali, who also works at HM Treasury, said that the Prevent programme aimed to ‘hurry people away’ from the Muslim religion and to ‘help non-Muslims increase in their hatred of Muslims’.
Writing on 18 October on the web forum of Easy Talk, a radio programme which he hosts every week, Ali wrote:
Ali posted this statement only a day after ranting on his 17 October Easy Talk programme against the government’s policy of banning foreign extremists from coming to the UK, telling listeners:
‘I think the Home Office made a fantastically stupid, stupendous mistake when they created their list of individuals that they would ban. It was crazy and it was never going to work and they’ve got egg on their face now.’ [55:45]