This post comes from the blog of Anwar al Awlaki

The jihad movement around the world has witnessed a surprising growth during the past few years. After 9-11 America had succeeded in pulling together an international coalition in order to fight the mujahedeen. It invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, put pressure on governments around the world to throw anyone with association with Jihad behind bars and to stop the flow of money into Jihad movements. All over the world the mujahedeen have suffered an international effort under the leadership of America to bring an end to Jihad. But Eight years later the mujahedeen are wining on every front and are expanding into new ones. It appeared difficult back then to imagine that the world would be the way it is today just 8 years after 9-11.

That is because Rasulullah(saaws) said: “A group of my ummah will continue fighting in the path of Allah and they will not be harmed by those who are against them.”
The American people gave G.W. Bush unanimous backing to fight against the mujahedeen and gave him a blank check to spend as much as needed to fulfill that objective. The result? He failed, and he failed miserably. So if America failed to defeat the mujahedeen when it gave its president unlimited support, how can it win with Obama who is on a short leash? If America failed to win when it was at its pinnacle of economic strength, how can it win today with a recession – if not a depression- at hand?

The simple answer is: America cannot and will not win. The tables have turned and there is no rolling back of the worldwide Jihad movement. The ideas of Jihad are proliferating around the world, the mujahedeen movements are gaining strength and the battlefields are expanding with the mujahedeen introducing new fronts.

In Afghanistan the rural areas are mostly under the control of the Taliban and there is a steady improvement in the growth and strength of the mujahedeen. In Iraq even though the US claims an improvement in the security situation but one needs to ask the question at what cost is that achieved? The amount of money America is spending on Iraq with a recession at hand is unattainable.

The Jihad of this era started in Palestine, followed by Afghanistan, then Chechnya, then Iraq, then Somalia, then the Maghreb, and the new front might very well turn out to be Yemen.
And when this new front of Jihad starts in Yemen it might become the single most important front of Jihad in the world.
Why? First, the Arabian Peninsula has always been a land of mujahedeen even though there has been no fighting occurring on its soil. In Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, and Iraq the participation of mujahedeen from the Arabian Peninsula represented the largest block of foreign mujahedeen. When Jihad starts in the Arabian Peninsula, Jihad would be coming back to its home.

Second, he Arabian Peninsula is home to Makkah and Madinah. To free the Holy places from the rule of apostasy and tyranny is to free the heart of Islam.
Third, the rulers in the Arabian Peninsula are playing a central role in the fight against Islam especially the al Saud family. The al Saud of today are the Abdullah bin Ubay of yesterday. They have perfected the art of hypocrisy.  They fight Islam in the name of Islam. They wear cloaks of sheep on hearts of wolfs. There cannot be Islamic rule and a return to khilafah without removing them from existence and this is the responsibility of the mujahedeen of the Arabian Peninsula.
America and its allies in the area are plotting against the mujahedeen, nevertheless their growth increases by the day. May Allah grant the true believers victory and grant them steadfastness on His path.
Their intention is to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will complete His light even thought the disbelievers may detest it. (al Saff 61)

Finally online for download:

http://www.hoor-al-ayn.com/lectures/anwar-al-awlaki/

This set of lectures is the third and last part of “The Life of Muhammad (saaws)”. This set covers the last five years of the life of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (saaws) from the fifth year of Hijra to the tenth. It includes the important events of the truce of Hudaybiyyah, the battle of Khaibar, the battle of Mu’tah, the conquest of Makkah, the battle of Hunain, the battle of Tabuk and finally the passing away of the seal of the Prophets.

This from the blog of Sh. Anwar al Awlaki:

Any army in the world exists with the sole purpose of defending the people from their enemies. But the armies of the Muslim world exist with the sole purpose of defending the interests of the enemies from the Muslims!
This is one of the most ironical situations in our history!
These armies serve two purposes: Defending the King or President along with their associates and secondly, defending the interests of the enemies of the ummah, the Zionists and Crusaders.
These armies are blocking each and every attempt to re-establish Khilafah and Islamic law. They stand against those who want to establish Islam through Jihad and they even stand in front of those who seek to reach government through peaceful means as what happened in Algeria in the past.
In other words, there can be no Islam with the presence of these armies. The Islamic rule states that whatever is needed to establish an obligation becomes an obligation. Establishing Islamic sharia is an obligation, and fighting in the cause of Allah is an obligation, and if that cannot be achieved except by fighting against these armies then that becomes an obligation.
These armies are the defenders of apostasy in the Muslim world. They fight against Sharia and kill the Muslims who attempt to bring it back. They are fighting on behalf of America against the mujahideen in Pakistan, Somalia and the Maghrib.
If this is the case with these armies how could anyone place the blame on the ones who fight them, accusing them of fighting against Muslims?! What kind of twisted fiqh is this? The blame should be placed on the soldier who is willing to follow orders whether the order is to kill Muslims as in Swat, bomb Masjids as with the Red Masjid, or kill women and children as they do in Somalia, just for the sake of a miser salary. This soldier is a heartless beast, bent on evil, who sells his religion for a few dollars. These armies are the number one enemy of the ummah. They are the worst of creation. Blessed are those who fight against them and blessed are those shuhada who are killed by them

The blessed Islamic Awakening has reached South African shores…

One day that could change your life…forever

“And Our Word (Decree) has already preceded for Our servants, the Messengers. That indeed, they would be those given victory. And that indeed, Our soldiers will be those who overcome” (TMQ As Saaffaat: 171-173)

“Indeed Allah gathered up the earth for me so that I saw its eastern and western parts, and indeed the dominion of my Ummah will reach whatever was gathered up for me from it” (Sahih Muslim)

Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam is reported to have said: “Allah shall raise for this Ummah at the head of every century a man/someone who shall revive for it its religion” (Sunan Abu Dawud)

Confirmed Guest Speakers:
Shaikh Tariq Appleby (South Africa)
Shaikh Anwar al Awlaki (Yemen – Live link up)
Shaikh Abdullah al Faisal (Jamaica)
Shaikh Feiz Muhammad (Australia – 1st Lecture tour to South Africa)

Download the latest Awlaki lecture

“And what is the matter with you, that you fight not in the cause of Allaah…” In the lecture Anwar Al-Awlaki gives the audience a much needed reminder, using the Qur’aan and Hadeeth, to give a solution to the humiliated Ummah. Reminding us that “our honour is in our religion” and so we should return to it, if we wish to see the return of al Islaam. Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki delivered this lecture entitled “State of the Ummah” on 1st March 2009 via Teleconference to our brothers and sisters in Pakistan.

Download from Al-Ghurabaa.com

From Anwar Al Awlaki’s blog

It is 1430 Hijri. Our good deeds, our sins, and the thoughts that passed through our minds in the passed year are all sealed in our books of deeds for us to read when we meet our Lord. This moment is a chance for us to plan for the next year. To plan to be a better Muslim.

We are living in special, dangerous and trialing times. The youth of the ummah need to rise to the occasion. There is a saying: “The problems of today were caused by our fathers and will be solved by our children.” This saying represents the ultimate level of lack of responsibility. Sadly enough we are reflecting such a mentality in our actions and words. But let us change that. Let us say that the problems of today are because of us and we are the ones who will change them insha Allah.

So here is where our world stands today. Its realities and our aspirations:

Palestine: Gaza is suffering its worst bombardment in recent history. Yes, the Israeli’s may have the upper hand in the conflict today but lets not lose sight of the whole picture. Do you remember that until some years ago the Jews where still talking about a kingdom extending from the Nile to the Euphrates? Where did all of that talk go? Today they are happy to build a wall around themselves in a strip of land so small it could fit in the state of Florida seven times. They want to be left alone. Their foolish imperialistic wishes are gone forever. The resistance of the Palestinian people has brought them down from their dream world back to reality.

There was a time when we were being fed conspiracy theories of the invincible Jew. We were being told that the Jew controls everything through secret orders. The Freemasons were everywhere, in government, in media, in business, everywhere. We were told that the Mossad knew everything. We were told that we are a helpless, weak, and defeated people so we might as well just give it up and submit. We were being told that their technologies are so advanced and we are so backward that we have no chance of resisting. Today Palestine is suffering, but their youth have proven the conspiracy theories wrong. They have showed us that the stone is mightier than the tank. They have shown us that we do not need to be equal to them in technology before we resist them. They have proven to us that if Allah is with you no one can defeat you.

I am not dismissing the theories of Jewish domination altogether because the Jews have been for the last few centuries working their way up. But their centuries of hard, and relentless work; their lobbying for control around the world, their wealth and genius, their advanced weaponry, their secret orders, and their worldwide power will be smashed on the rock of Jihad. Allah says: “Whoever Allah humiliates no one can honor.” The Jews will be humiliated and no one, not the US, not Europe, noone can protect them from the Muslim swords when even the rocks and trees will testify against them. That day is coming.

Iraq: The US has come to the conclusion that they cannot do the job alone and they must seek the assistance of the munafiqeen (hypocrites.) With all of the outside and inside forces combining efforts to fight the carriers of the truth in Iraq our brothers do not need to win in order to be victorious. All what they need to do is hang on. If they succeed in that they are winning. The invader cannot stay there forever. Allah know best but it seems that outside circumstances around the world may ultimately come to their relief.

Somalia: This must be the best news of the year. Al-Shabab are wining on all fronts. Insha Allah we should witness the announcement of the establishment of an Islamic emirate. Ethiopia is tired of fighting a proxy war on behalf of America. They want to be paid for it and apparently they are squabbling over the wages. But that should not imply that the Shabab are now safe. I am sure the Shabab know that they should not be carried away by the momentary victory they are witnessing because the plots of the enemies of Allah are already underway. When the Muslims were proud of their numbers in Hunayn they lost. The sea around Somalia is aleady occupied under the pretext of protection from piracy. This year could witness aerial bombardment with a renewed ground force invasion as a possibility. Al Shabab are now faced with the daunting task of establishing and running a government. However, their special circumstances demand that they focus the majority of their effort not on the establishment of government but on the preparation for the next stage of their guerilla warfare. Allah says: “And prepare against them whatever you are able of power.”

Afghanistan: The mujahideen are winning, NATO are loosing, and Karazai is still wearing that green thing. Obama is all hyped up about bringing an end to terrorism by focusing on Afghanistan. I pray the brothers teach him and his forces some good lessons this year.

Around the world: The separation of believers from hypocrites which precedes any Muslim victory is underway. The phenomenon of “RAND Muslims” is on the rise . But on the other hand, the Muslims who hold firm to tawhid and have their loyalty to Allah, His Messenger and the believers and who announce their disavowal of the disbelievers are also on the rise.

Dawa will carry on, tarbiyyah will carry on ,and Jihad will carry on. And all of these are building stones for the ummah in its next stage. If Allah wants an end he prepares the means to it. Allah wants victory for this ummah and Allah is preparing the means for that. Let is not sit on the sidelines. Lets be part of that victory.

Anwar Al Awlaki’s thoughts on the current Gaza Massacre by Israeli forces, reading his post I can see this is going to stir some strong debates & over time seperate of Imaan & Nifaq.

May Allah forgive the shuhada of Gaza and we ask Allah to grant the mujahideen victory.

These are a few thoughts on the meaning of what happened and is happening in Gaza:

First: We have been successfully desensitized by the enemy. The meager response to this atrocity is nowhere close to the support that is expected from the Muslim Ummah for a part of it that is suffering in pain. Rasulullah(saaws) waged war on the Jews for their attack on one Muslim woman. So far the death toll is approaching three hundred and all what we see is condemnations, demonstrations and Arab leaders calling for another useless summit. This necessitates that we raise the awareness of the people around us to what is happening and what our responsibility is.

Secondly, this should be an additional piece of evidence for what is already obvious to many since a long time ago which is that the current

leadership of the Muslim world is bankrupt. It is a totally impotent leadership. The governments of the Muslim world cannot be fixed but needs to be uprooted and removed altogether. This conclusion has been reached by many in the Muslim world but sadly enough there are some who would still argue on behalf of the ones who failed us and betrayed us. The fact is that our kings and presidents have reduced themselves to the role of defending their own interests and the interests of the modern crusaders. They train their armies and security forces on how to crack down on Muslims not on their responsibility of defending Muslim interests. They have treated the masses of the Muslim ummah with suspicion and contempt. Lets not be fooled by the “condemning” of the Muslim leaders . In fact Egypt is a participant in the attack on Gaza since it is them who are laying siege on Gaza. If a Muslim thinks about Jihad today the first who would stand in his way are the governments of the Muslim world.

Thirdly, the illegal state of Israel needs to be eradicated. Just like Rasulullah drove them out of the Arabian peninsula the Jews of Palestine need to be driven out to the sea. There are no Israeli civilians unless they are Muslim. When the enemy targets our women and children we should target theirs.
Allah says: “So whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you.” [al-Baqarah 194]

We ask Allah to elevate the pain of our families in Gaza, to assist them, and to grant them victory.

Imam Anwar Al Awlaki’s blog is growing more and more and it seems that the Sheikh himself is getting more ‘into’ it with frequent updates.

Lies of the Telegraph:

The Western media has always been distorting the truth. But that should come as no suprise since they are the descendants of the ones who distorted the books of Allah themselves.
The Daily Telegraph under the heading: “Muslim groups ‘linked to September 11 hijackers spark fury over conference’” have made a few lies against myself. The first: “The End of Time event at the East London Mosque, which is being publicised on internet sites including Facebook, will feature a videotaped lecture from Anwar al-Awlaki, who is banned from entering the United States after allegedly acting as a spiritual adviser to three of the September 11 terrorists.”

The truth of the matter is I am not banned from return to the US. I left the US on my own accord and refuse to return by my own choice. In fact the opposite is true. The US consul encouraged me to return to the US during his visit to me while I was incarcerated. Alhamdulillah Allah has blessed me with living in a blessed land by the witness of Rasulullah. Why should I replace that with life in the US? But I refuse to even visit the US because the US government is not to be trusted as they are liars just like their media. In the article the US Department of Homeland Security, accused me of using video lectures in recent months to “encourage terrorist attacks”.

Not only in the past months but in the past five years I have not published a single video lecture.
The article quotes Charles Allen, America’s undersecretary of homeland security for intelligence and analysis as saying that I was a spiritual advisor for three of the September 11 hijackers. This is a baseless claim that I have refuted again and again during the FBI’s interrogations and with the media. The US government and the media still insist on spreading this lie around.

He also claimed that I target “US Muslims with radical online lectures encouraging terrorist attacks from [my] new home in Yemen”.
I would challenge him to come up with one such lecture where I encourage “terrorist attacks.”
These are examples of lies made in just one article!

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Anwar al Awlaki’s letter to the Somalian Shaban

We are following your recent news and it fills our hearts with immense joy. We would like to congratulate you for your victories and achievements.

Al-Shabab not only have succeeded in expanding the areas that fall under their rule but they have succeeded in implementing the sharia and giving us a living example of how we as Muslims should proceed to change our situation. The ballot has failed us but the bullet has not.
al-Shabab who are with limited resources in an impoverished country are a manifestation of what tawakul on Allah means. We see in them the meaning of “And whoever has taqwa, Allah will make a way out for him. And will provide for him from where he does not expect.” [al-Talaaq 2-3]
The university of the battlefield that al-Shabab have chosen to study at, which is teaching them lessons in honor and steadfastness will prove to be a better tarbiyyah method than the Islamic universities run by Green Zone Scholars under governments headed by pimps that teach them the fiqh of weakness and humiliation.

The university of Somalia will graduate an alumni of judges, administrators, enjoiners of good and forbiders of evil, capable and tested leaders, teachers, imams, and fighters who are hardened by the field and ready to carry on with no fear and hesitation. It will provide its graduates with the hands-on experience that the ummah greatly needs for its next stage.

But their success depends on your support. It is the responsibility of the ummah to help them with men and money.
Al-Shabab have already started a program of enforcement of law that would bring peace and security to the people. They are also applying hudud and fighting against innovations that have been around for centuries. We ask Allah to grant them success.

I would like to take this opportunity to advise my brothers to be kind and soft with the masses; to excuse them for centuries of ignorance and false beliefs; to teach first and hold responsible last. I would advise you to go by certainty and to leave doubts; to prefer forgiveness over revenge. The masses of the people are suffering from the illnesses of tribalism, ignorance, and a campaign of defamation of sharia. Therefore you need to win the hearts and minds of the people and take them back to their fitrah.
Dear brothers may Allah guide you and grant you victory. Only Allah knows that if my circumstances would have allowed I would not have hesitated in joining you and being a soldier in your ranks.

Assalamu alaykum
Your Brother
Anwar al-Awlaki

_______________________________________

And their reply to him

Reply to the Greeting and Advice of Sheikh Anwar AlAwlaki

Sabti 29 Dul-Xijjah 1429 (27/12/2008)

of Sheikh Anwar

O beloved Sheikh Anwar,

We ask Allah to reward you for your encouragement and words of advice. Your words have reached us and, by the will of Allah, we will benefit from your recommendations. The enemies of Islam are increasing their efforts more and more these days and are directing more attention to the media battle and the battle for the “hearts and minds.” As we have seen even recently, they are continuously throwing accusations at those who want to live by the law of the Creator. For example, we can take the issue of the stoning of the woman in Kismayo. The disbelievers have falsely reported that she was 13 years old, unmarried, and was raped. The reality and truth is that she was over 20 years old, married, and was practicing adultery. This is just one example of how they twist the news, so we would like to take this opportunity to advise our brothers not to believe any news reported about us except from our official Media Department.

Sheikh, we look to you as one of the very few scholars who stand firm upon the truth and defend the honor of the Mujahideen and the Muslims by continuously uncovering the feeble plots of the enemies of Allah. Allah knows how many of the brothers and sisters have been affected by your work so we ask you to continue the important effort you are doing wherever you are and never to fear the blame of the blamers. Keep us in your invocations as you know this path is always full of trials and Allah tests those that He loves. We ask Allah to guide the Muslims and to open their eyes to the plots of their enemies and to give them the strength and success to hold firmly to the rope of Allah. We ask Allah to protect you and all of those who are standing for the truth. We ask Allah to join us together in this world and in the highest of Paradise. O Sheikh, we would not only look at you as only a soldier, but as the likes of Ibn Taymiya during the trials of the Ta’tars.

Your brothers from Shabab Al-Mujahidin

Anwar Al Awlaki is really causing a stir with his stance on voting & democracy, especially amongst the USA. With elections complete & teh world going Obama crazy, below is his thoughts:

One of the characteristics of a humiliated and oppressed community is their submission to their oppressor and their tolerance of oppression. On the other hand they are arrogant and intolerant among themselves. This is how it was with Banu Israel when living under the Pharaoh. I am sorry to state this but unfortunately this attitude is been reflected by many American Muslims who humiliated themselves by voting for candidates who have no serious concern for their issues.
I mentioned in my previous post:

The perception the American Muslims are giving is that by giving them nothing substantial and by giving them just a little bit of recognition you can get their support, vote and loyalty even if you carry on your war against their brothers and sisters. Just like a dog owner abusing his dog but as long as the bone is thrown out the dog will still give his owner all his loyalty. It is sad but true.

The American Muslims who decided to vote have made a fool out of themselves and the whole world knows it.
Under the heading:”America’s outcast Muslims: Once Bush backers, Muslims today are staunch Democrats. But both Obama and McCain shun them.” The UK’s The Guardian states: “American Muslims have been called the “outcasts” of this presidential election. Muslims themselves have told the media that Islam is being treated as “political leprosy”, a “scarlet letter”, or the “kiss of death””.
Why not just call them house Negros?

The Australian newspaper The Age says: “Neither campaign courts America’s Muslim vote.” they go on to state that: “Neither presidential candidate has made a single visit to a mosque.” If they didn’t even bother to visit a mosque, which is no more than a ceremonial thing anyway but does make the house Negros happy, how can one expect from them any support on our issues? Nevertheless the proud American Muslims have been running around in service of both candidates.
Many American Muslims still insisted on voting. Chasing a mirage that somehow the new president will improve their lot. First it was Bush now Obama. There is a striking similarity between the American Muslim community and the Muslims of al Andalus who chose to stay behind after Muslim Spain fell into the hands of the Catholic monarchs. There are some writings that reveal that after all the oppression they suffered they still had hope that their situation would improve, even after the Catholic monarchs showed them the worst treatment. Since there were no elections back then and no Barak Obama they were clinging their hopes on a Mahdi that would appear and deliver them to safety. A few decades later no Mahdi appeared and their children and grandchildren slowly but surely were loosing their identity until Islam seized to exist all together in the Iberian peninsula. I do not believe that America would do the same because they have grown wiser and more sophisticated than their Spanish predecessors. Muslims will be allowed to pray, fast, and practice Islam as long as it is contained within the spiritual compartment. But they will not be allowed to be Muslim in the full sense of the word. The issues of Sharia law, Jihad, wala and bara, hudud, khilafah, the Quranic teachings concerning the Jews and Christians, and support of Muslim resistance fighters around the world will not be tolerated. Now the spiritual aspect will also be under attack, probably not by the government but by the society at large. The American culture will destroy their families. It will deprive their children and grandchildren of their identity. Time will be the witness.
Muslims have given their vote for free. Back in the nineties we were told that we should not expect anything back because we are not seen as a voting block (back then the prominent view among the Muslims was against participation in the elections.) Well now there is definitely a voting block and it is quite large as some reports say that the Muslim registered voters are around two million!
So what are the Muslims getting in exchange for their vote? Nothing.
Brothers and sisters you can vote, you can run around supporting the campaigns, you can stay silent about the aspects of your religion that do not appeal to your fellow citizens, you can speak out against your Muslim brothers and sisters who support the Muslim causes around the world, you can try your best to fit in and be accepted and the end result will be that you will always be seen as the enemy and you will never be accepted unless you do one thing: give up your religion.
“And never will the Jews and Christians approve of you until you follow their religion” [2:120]

With all of this activism and increased participation the situation of the American Muslims did not improve but in fact it regressed. The Bush campaign of 2000 has outreached to the Muslims more than both candidates of 2008.
Giving a fatwa calling on people to vote in democratic elections is not an easy thing. One would expect solid evidence from Quran and sunnah when inviting people to take such a step. However what I have seen is the opposite. I would ask you to read such fatawa and judge them not based on the names or numbers of scholars who are behind them but on the evidence. There was a moment in time when the majority of the scholars of the Muslim world were towing the official line of the Mu’tazila and that didnt make it right. Then look at the fatawa of scholars such as al Albani, the Lanjna da’ima, Abu Muhammad al Maqdisi, al Gabashy and many of the scholars of the salafi orientation around the world who are against participation in democratic election. That is the position of large Islamic movements and individuals such Sayed Qutb, Dr. Israr Ahmad, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, and the Salafi Jihadi movement. In Yemen prominent scholars from the Muslim Brotherhood have finally come to the conclusion that the democratic process is no more than a game that wastes the efforts of Muslims with very little gain.

In addition to that I found out that many people are asking the ones who are telling the people not to vote to bring their evidence! The burden of proof is on the ones who call others to participate in a disbelieving system, in a disbelieving country not the other way around. Anyway the evidence for not voting are all the verses of Quran that refer to governance as a right of Allah in surat al Nisa and al Bakarah, the verses talking about disavowal of the disbelievers in surat al Bakara, al Nisa and al Mumtahina, and the hadiths of Rasulullah that instruct us to be separate from the disbelievers. There are scholars who wrote detailed papers on the subject and you may find the links to them on the comments made by some brothers and sisters on my last two posts.
For those who did send me evidence for the position on voting I did respond to some of them and there remains the issue of the Muslims in Abyssinia and Yusuf (as). The response to this is very straightforward: Both the king of Abyssinia and the King of Egypt were not at war with the believers and were both very supportive of the Muslims. In addition to that, there are authentic narrations that al Najashi was Muslim and weaker ones that state that the king in the time of Yusuf became Muslim. But lets assume that this is not the case. Anyone with a rudimentary understanding of Fiqh should realize that there are stark differences on how Islam calls us to deal with those who are at war with us and those who are not. Allah says:
Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes – from being righteous towards them and acting justly towards them. Indeed Allah loves those who act justly. [60:8]

Now that Obama is in office we will see how these four years will unfold. I personally think that since what Obama stands for is falsehood, the justifications of the Muslims in choosing him were false and the process in which the Muslims chose him were also false we cannot expect any good to come out of falsehood.
“Indeed Allah does not amend the work of the corrupters” [10;81]

Assalamu alaykum
Your Brother
Anwar Al Awlaki

Looks like Imam Awlaki’s initial post caused quite a stir in the US Muslim blogosphere, seems there are 2 camps. One who agree & the other who justify their voting & allegiances to US Politics.

Below is Anwar al Awlaki’s response. It is a long read but well worth it.

After reading all of the responses to my previous post I have this to say: Brothers and sisters before we carry this discussion any further we must agree on these three points:

1. The American leaders of today are playing the exact role of Pharaoh and Abu Jahl of yesterday and the American people of today are playing the role that the Quraish, Aad and Thamud used to play yesterday. Therefore the verses of Quran and Hadith of Rasulullah that apply to Pharaoh and Abu Jahl apply to the US leaders and the ones that apply to the Quraish, Aad and Thamud apply to the American people. The US is in a state of war with Islam and Muslims and not just against the so called extremists.

2. Democracy is a system of governance that is different than the Islamic system of government and is opposed to it and is being spread by the West in the Muslim world by force as an alternative to the Islamic Sharia law.

3. It is a duty upon us Muslims to strive through Jihad to establish the Islamic Khilafah again. This is not a far fetched idealistic objective but is a tangible realistic one if we but put the effort into achieving it. Therefore the Muslims in the West should see their stay there as temporary and not permanent because it is not feasible to establish such an Islamic state in the West and the Muslims should strive to make hijra to Islamic lands even though they are not ruled by Sharia in order to use their abilities and resources to bring back Islamic rule in Muslim land.

If you do not agree with the above three points then we cannot reach an agreement on the issue of voting because we are basing our views on two completely different platforms.

I would like to thank all of the brothers and sisters who posted comments and I will bypass all of the insults and pure opinion that were piled up on the 100+ comments on my post and focus on some of the opposing views that brought forth some reasonable arguments.

First: There are scholars who said that voting is Halal and in fact some said it is obligatory:

On the other hand there are scholars who said that voting in the democratic system is haram. But for those who say it is halal do they actually know what is happening in the US? Have they been to the mosques and seen the US politicians, male and female, speaking to the congregations that came to worship Allah on Friday? Did they hear the lies, false promises and pure hypocrisy of what these candidates are speaking inside the houses of Allah and most important of all the kufr that they utter in our places of worship? Have these scholars seen how the Muslims in the masajid are falling all over themselves in appeasement and superficial generosity towards these enemies of Allah all in the name of dawa? Have they heard the Imams using the time of the Friday sermon which should be devoted to Islamic teachings calling the Muslims to vote for the same people who will be leading the war against our Muslim brothers and sisters, and then closing with the dua “May Allah bless America”?! Have they seen our Muslim young boys and girls making fools of themselves wearing their “support Obama” T-shirts and waving Obama signs? Have they heard how the Muslims who are part of the campaigns of both candidates speak? Can they talk about wala and bara? Can they even utter any word in defense of Jihad, Khilafah or hudud which are part and parcel of our religion?

I doubt any of these scholars have factored in these issues when they gave their fatwa.

Brothers and sisters the issue is not simply dropping a vote in a ballot box. It is much more than that. It is the whole mindset and the actions that come with it.

Also most of fatawa that were used as support for voting in the US were actually referring to voting in Muslim countries so make note of this.

Second: We are choosing the lesser of the two evils and that is Obama:

I mentioned in my previous post that in the process of choosing the lesser of the two evils you are committing an even greater evil. I would add here the following: Even if you would follow the opinion of those who allow the voting in a disbelieving system when there is a clear lesser evil, in the situation we are facing there is no such clarity. In fact on most of the issues that concern Muslims there is very little difference. For example they have similar views on the war on terror and the issue of Palestine. Anyone with a simple understanding of the history of American politics would realize that on the major issues both parties share the same agenda. But even in the case where there is a clear lesser evil such as Ron Paul I would still follow the opinion of total abstinence because I believe that we are under no necessity to allow the participation in a system of disbelief, and because our participation is a tacit acceptance on our behalf to play by the rules of the democratic system.

On internal issues there are some who asked whether we should vote on issues such as same sex marriage. If you agree with me on point 3 which I mentioned before then it should not make any difference to us Muslims whether the disbelievers marry the same sex or marry dogs and donkeys. Muslims make dawa to the disbelievers and after they believe in Allah they are told what is halal and what is haram, but not until then.

One of the comments mentions the treaty of Hudaybiyyah as evidence for voting. The treaty of al Hudaybiyyah was a treaty between two parties at war. How does this relate to a voter choosing who would lead him? Muhammad (saaws) never negotiated with the disbelievers while he was in Makkah but negotiated the treaty of al Hudaybiyyah after a culmination of five years of Jihad so the Quraish knew that Muhammad (saaws) was negotiating out of strength. The case now is totally different. The perception the American Muslims are giving is that by giving them nothing substantial and by giving them just a little bit of recognition you can get their support, vote and loyalty even if you carry on your war against their brothers and sisters. Just like a dog owner abusing his dog but as long as the bone is thrown out the dog will still give his owner all his loyalty. It is sad but true. So as long as the Muslims are kissing up to the American politicians, these politicians are not going to give them back anything . The reality of the situation is that the American Muslims are desperate. They realize the implications of the war on terror on them and they understand their vulnerable position and are willing to go to extreme lengths just to be accepted and recognized. This zeal for voting and having “our voices heard” and “practicing our right” is a reflection of this mindset. Other minorities such as the Blacks, the Hispanics and the Jews are getting a lot in exchange for their vote. What are you getting? The sister wasn’t even allowed to wear her hijab behind Obama in exchange for her enthusiastic support!

Another comment mentions that the Muslims wanted the Romans to win against the Persians so this is evidence that we can support a candidate. The answer to that is when the Muslims wanted the Romans to win against the Persians, the Romans were not in a state of war with the Muslims and they have not harmed the Muslims in any way, shape or form. So how can you compare that to Muslims supporting candidates who are openly announcing war on Muslims? Quran makes it clear that we should treat the disbelievers who are peaceful with us different than the ones who show their animosity towards us.

Someone else mentions the pact of Fudool. This pact was a pact in the time of jahiliyyah where some of the people of Quraish agreed to provide support for the oppressed. Again this is different than voting. This is a binding agreement on all. If Muslims agree with non Muslims to support the oppressed then that is allowed. But how does that relate to voting? The voter takes no binding promises from the one he votes for.

There where a few comments that accused me of having little knowledge of what is going on in the US because I do not live there anymore, and others saying that as an Imam I should not speak about politics. To all of you wise men out there who are supposedly the “experts”, do you remember eight years ago that it was you who actually told us to vote for Bush, the worst US president ever as far as Muslims are concerned? Haven’t you learned from your mistakes?