Alternative Visions Part 3A: Shaykh Anwar al-Awlaki

Shaykh Anwar al-Awlaki is a popular Islamic teacher and speaker. He was born in New Mexico, and has received most of his Islamic education in Yemen where he currently resides. Shaykh al-Awlaki was an Imam at several masajid in the United States including Dar ul-Hijrah in Falls Church, Virginia which is one of the larger masjids in the United States. At one point, Shaykh al-Awlaki was definitely a rising star amongst the Orthodox Muslim mainstream in the U.S., Shaykh al-Awlaki’s captivating teaching style made his cd sets on The Lives of the Prophets, The Hereafter, The Life and Times of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, the Life and Times of Umar bin al-Khattab, and the Seerah of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) extremely popular especially among the Orthodox Muslim and activist Muslim youth. Shaykh al-Awlaki was a major speaker at at least one ISNA convention (sorry ISNA, but I don’t think this is a secret) and was a spokesperson for the Muslims following the 9/11 attacks. Since that time Shaykh al-Awlaki’s outspoken clarity concerning the Global War on Islam has resulted in him spending time in a Yemeni prison and being as best as I can tell barred from returning to the United States. It has also made him basically unmentionable by the mainstream Muslim establishment, although his popularity amongst the Orthodox Muslim youth, especially those who are activists and those who are interested in seeking knowledge, has only continued to grow as a result. Shaykh al-Awlaki is one of those rare speakers that combines articulateness with being blunt and clear and fearless in his analysis. Most people who are articulate and can speak well use those skills in order to make less clear what they are actually saying or in order to speak to multiple audiences at once, or to create “plausible deniability” in the future if someone wants to come after them for what they “seem to be saying.” There may be reasons for all of this, but when someone speaks clear and directly (as Allaah (swt) says speak clearly and directly to the point Surah Ahzab Ayah 70) then it naturally appeals to people, even when people don’t agree with everything you say. This is why someone like Al Hajj Malik Shabazz became beloved even by people who did not agree with some of his message, because they knew where he stood, knew he was on their side, and loved how he spoke the truth. All of which makes Shaykh Anwar al-Awlaki and his thought a perfect topic for my “Alternative Visions” series!

Although Shaykh al-Awlaki has a good deal of audio on many topics which is available on the internet (here is a good place to start for those interested), for the purposes of this post in this series I’m going to focus on Shaykh al-Awlaki’s lecture “The Battle of Hearts and Minds” and a recent post on his website in which he answered a question about the method for establishing the Khilafa.

In the Battle for Hearts and Minds (.pdf transcript here) Shaykh al-Awlaki’s first public lecture since he was released from his imprisonment, he basically focused on addressing the infamous (at least in the Muslim community) Rand Report entitled Civil Democratic Islam (.pdf here). This report, written by Cheryl Benard, the wife of Zalmay Khalilzad (who also worked at Rand for many years when the Democrats were in power). Khalilzad is a long time neocon (who was born in Afghanistan) who served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, U.S. ambassador to Iraq, and is currently the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Shaykh al-Awlaki talks about how the report discusses the ongoing struggle amongst Muslims generally to define what exactly Islam means and how it relates to the political systems in Muslim lands. Ms. Benard calls for the United States to get involved in this ’struggle’ and to actively back Muslim voices which are seen as being more friendly to the U.S. Specifically, Ms. Bernard calls for financial backing for so-called “moderate” Muslims. Shaykh al-Awlaki makes it clear that the Rand definition of a “moderate” Muslim is really not a Muslim at all and so he coins the term “Rand Muslim” to describe those who meet the tests set out by Rand. These include:

1) Being in favor of liberal democracy as understood in the west.

2) Being opposed to the Shari’ah as the source of law.

3) Not being now in favor, nor ever having favored the use of force, even in defending Muslim lands which have been invaded by foreign forces or are currently occupied by foreign armies.

Ms. Benard also specifically mentions favoring “Sufi” versions of Islam, in the vastly oversimplified belief that Sufis are supposed to be pacifist and less likely to favor jihad as physical struggle. Shaykh al-Awlaki specifically mentions that there have also been Sufis who have favored and led jihad, but these are not the type of Sufis that Ms. Benard and Rand are interested in backing.

Of course, it is the mere idea that the United States government and its agents, who do not believe in Islam, do not believe in the Prophet Muhammad (saw), or the Qur’an should take an active role in trying to “change Islam” is what is most offensive to the believing Muslim (while it may make perfect sense to the Machiavellian disbelieving servant of empire).

Ms. Benard and Rand recommend that the U.S. should subsidize publication of the works of these “Rand Muslims.” It should especially promote their ideas to the Muslim youth. It should introduce their ideas into Islamic educational curriculum. It should encourage the celebration of pre-Islamic culture in Muslim societies. As I mentioned previously, it recommends that the teaching of pacifist, quietist Sufis should be promoted.

Rand Muslim “Shaykh” Hisham Kabbani

For those who are not Rand Muslims, they are thereby obviously “extremists.” These people should be labelled always as terrorists and cowards, and we see that this is something the West constantly practices and which, according to Shaykh al-Awlaki many Muslims have followed in this like “parrots.” As Shaykh al-Awlaki mentions in a particularly powerful passage of his lecture:

“According to Bernard, we are not supposed to show such an admiration, we should never even cast them as “evil heroes”! And then she specifically wanted them to be presented or cast as disturbed, and cowardly. And this “cowardly” thing, we have been hearing it again and again. And I am amazed to see that some Muslims, like parrots, are repeating this accusation, and praise is to Allah, I fail to understand how, the Israeli soldier wearing
his bullet proof vest, and his steel helmet, cowering behind the pile of sand bags and still runs away from the stones thrown by Palestinian children is courageous! While the Palestinian children charging at the soldiers full speed, armed with nothing but rocks and wearing nothing but trousers and t-shirts are cowards! I fail to understand that! And the American “heroic” soldiers, fighting from the comfort of their armored Bradleys and Strikers but nevertheless boiling inside layers of bullet proof gear in the boiling heat
of the Iraqi summer, are “courageous” while the Iraqi Mujahideen armed with nothing but the light weapons of Guerilla war-fare are “cowards”!
And what I really fail to understand, is how can the martyr, the Shaheed, who willingly and happily, hands over his soul to Allah, who walks towards his faith, with pleasure, and faces death with a smile, what I fail to understand is how can you call such a person a “coward”! But that is what they have been called. And that is what the parrots in the Muslim world have been repeating, that these peoples are cowards.”

The next recommendation is that stories of corruption, immorality, etc. should be promoted about the “extremist” Muslims. This of course means, that if these Muslims, have not committed any crimes you simply make things up or take basic Islamic beliefs and actions and criminalize them. Shaykh al-Awlaki specifically cites what the govenrment did with Imam Jamil Al-Amin (May Allaah free him!) in this context. One can also look to examples like Shaykh Ali al-Timimi (May Allaah free him!), John Walker Lindh (May Allaah free him!), or Muhammad Salah (May Allaah free him!). The only notion of criminalizing any aid or support for a “designated terrorist” organization and then being able to designate whomever you wish as a terrorist organization is nothing less than the criminalization of being a Muslim and daring to support any cause not approved by the U.S. government. (I continue to believe that the only response to this that will be effective at the end of the day is to demonstrate the pure injustice of such laws by mass civil disobedience in which the Muslims in hundreds of thousands publicly and openly support these groups in ways which are clearly moral and right, daring the government to punish us for it. Until then, it will continue to pick off the truly strong among us, but those seen to be weak because they are not supported by the community).

Imam Jamil Al-Amin

Also among their techniques are to instigate and promote infighting amongst the Muslims, including promoting certain thinkers that they like. Also, spreading wicked reports about any Muslims that dare to stand for the implementation of Islamic Law, or Shari’ah. The United States spends more than 50 percent of the world’s total defense spending. The United States spends more on killing and warfare than the next 14 greatest spending countries combined. Both presidential candidates in the U.S., including the great Muslim hope, Barack Obama, are calling for “INCREASING” U.S. military spending? Really? Really.

But despite all of that, the plans of the United States are not working. The Islamic revival is continuing. The evil nature of U.S. plans are clear to most Muslims, especially the youth and especially the active practicing Muslim youth living in the U.S. itself. They plot and plan, but Allaah is the Best of Planners. In fact, the popularity and understanding of the true message of Islam continues to grow in the Muslim world and the concept of re-establishing the Islamic State, or re-establishing the Khilafah is everywhere seen as much more realistic and likely than it was even 15 years ago.

Still, the road ahead will not be easy. Here are Shaykh al-Awlaki’s recommendations:

1) We should present the Islamic point of view on contested issues, speaking clearly on the nature of the Islamic State, the supremacy of Shari’ah, the necessity of Khilafah, and our true points of difference with the concept of democracy.

2) We should beware of anything American, since the U.S. government has made clear its strategy and desire to use many different means including cultural sources such as music, comics, television stations, etc. to promote its own agenda.

3) If the enemies of Islam have set it as their strategy to discredit Muslims with unacceptable views, it should be our obligation to promote the courageous scholars and da’ees (callers to Islam, Islamic speakers and teachers) who are upon the truth.

4) Promote and spread the material of Truth.

5) Engage in Jihaad of wealth and of the tongue as the Prophet (saw) said to engage in Jihaad with our lives, our wealth, and our tongues. Spreading the truth is a jihaad of the tongue.

6) Encourage Muslims awareness of their true identity and history.

In my second post on Shaykh Anwar al-Awlaki I will talk about Shaykh Anwar’s recent statements about the method of re-establising Khilafah and a few minor areas where I perhaps disagree with Shaykh Anwar al-Awlaki (May Allaah (swt) protect and preserve him and keep him free!)

Tags: anwar al-awlaki, cheryl benard, jamil al-amin, khilafah, rand report, zalmay khalilzad