On December 2, 2011, twenty Muslims Against Crusades members were arrested during a protest outside the U.S. embassy in London. The protest aimed to condemn the recent surge in U.S. drone strikes in Muslim countries. Over the past two weeks, British Islamist Anjem Choudary has been promoting the protest via his Twitter account,[1] including tweeting links to a YouTube video announcing the protest (to view the announcement video, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GHiH_vVtLw).
The highlight of the protest was a recorded video message by Dr. Nasser Al-Awlaki, the father of Anwar Al-Awlaki, which was also posted on YouTube (to view the video, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs5i9mQmRjc ).[2] In the message, Nasser Al-Awlaki accuses the U.N. of assassinating his son and grandson without providing any proof for the allegations brought against them. He also urges Muslims to keep his son's message alive by spreading his knowledge.
Nasser Al-Awlaki says that when the U.S. assassinated his son, he was "far [away] from any battlefield." Criticizing the U.S.'s double standard when it came to implementing justice, he says that when it came to targeting his son, "No one was concerned with justice, even their [i.e. U.S.'s] justice." Instead, the U.S.'s decision was meant merely to silence him, and now the U.S. tries to "sweep the whole episode under the carpet."
Nasser Al-Awlaki accuses the U.S. of having no evidence against his son, adding that "They knew that Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki carried an effective message - a message that was simple and straightforward" and which was directed at Muslims living in the West.
He continues by saying that the U.S., in its attempt to silence Anwar Al-Awlaki, "forced him to leave the United States, and tried to obstruct his work there. Then they imprisoned him in Yemen, and finally, they killed him after several failed attempts."
Nasser Al-Awlaki says that two weeks after his son's death, another U.S. drone attack killed his 16-year-old grandson (Abd Al-Rahman) while he was having dinner with friends.
Nasser refutes the claims that Abd Al-Rahman was a militant, saying: "Abd Al-Rahman was not a 21-year-old militant as they claimed. He was not an operational figure, and he was not traveling with any high-value target, as the Obama administration continues to lie."
"My son's blood did not and will not go in vain," says Nasser, adding that both Anwar Al-Awlaki and his son "are inshallah alive in Jana [i.e. Paradise]." He says that "Anwar will inshallah continue to be alive by spreading his teachings, sermons, and lectures, [since] it is the precise thing that he lived and died for."
Nasser concludes by saying that "it is the job of all of us to spread his knowledge, and keep it alive."
Endnotes:
[1]
http://twitter.com/#/anjemchoudary, accessed December 02, 2011; See Deleting Online Jihad on Twitter: The Case of British Jihadi Anjem Choudary - Tweeting for the Caliphate and the Conquest of the White House, November 04, 2011
[2] Nasser's message was orginally posted on the unitedummah YouTube channel. Unitedummah is believed to be another incarnation of the Muslims Against Crusades.
