Irrelevant point, of course…different contexts and different audiences…Doubtful Hitler ranted and raved all of the time either.
B
Imam's e-mails to Fort Hood suspect tame compared with online rhetoric
11:58 PM CST on Saturday, November 28, 2009
By BROOKS EGERTON / The Dallas Morning News
begerton@dallasnews.com
E-mails between a U.S. Army officer and a radical Muslim cleric did not worry anti-terrorism investigators, they said, because nothing in the correspondence presaged violence. But elsewhere on the Internet, the imam was urging people to kill soldiers and others.
After accused Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan started e-mailing in December, the cleric increased the pace of his fundamentalist rhetoric on the Web, a Dallas Morning News investigation found.
Also Online
"I pray that Allah destroys America and all its allies," Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born cleric with suspected ties to al-Qaeda, wrote in a February blog entry.
The cleric and the Army major are believed to have met at least eight years ago, when al-Awlaki preached at a northern Virginia mosque attended by Hasan's family. Both were born in the United States to prosperous Middle Eastern parents nearly 40 years ago; both earned advanced degrees at American universities.
Then they went seemingly separate ways. Hasan focused on becoming an Army psychiatrist, while al-Awlaki left the U.S. after the FBI questioned him about ties to the 9/11 hijackers.
The bilingual imam ended up imprisoned in his parents' native Yemen, accused of supporting terrorists there. He emerged nearly two years ago, more radical than ever. He set up a Web site that gave him an even broader reach and included an e-mail link so readers could contact him.
For those who didn't speak Arabic, such as Hasan, al-Awlaki made pronouncements in English: "We will implement the rule of Allah on Earth by the tip of the sword whether the masses like it or not."
In the months leading up to Nov. 5 Fort Hood massacre, the two men's paths began to intersect again.
FBI officials acknowledged that a terrorism task force began intercepting Hasan's e-mails with al-Awlaki starting in December. The information was not flagged to the attention of the Army, which had its own concerns about Hasan's performance as a psychiatrist.
Instead, investigators determined there was no need to probe further because Hasan's questions to al-Awlaki were consistent with his psychiatric research, there was no indication he was planning violence, and he was not "directed to do anything," officials said.
But the Muslim cleric didn't need to give specific direction by e-mail. His exhortations about killing – soldiers, innocent women and children, blasphemers, even oneself – were readily available until his online site went dead a few days after the Fort Hood shootings. The News found al-Awlaki's speeches and blogs by combing through Web archives and reviewing online recordings and transcripts.
Al-Awlaki blogged on subjects that touched on the very core of the major's identity: military membership; U.S. wars in Muslim countries; the legitimacy of suicide attacks; Israel's war with Palestinians in Gaza, an occupied territory near Hasan's parents' homeland.
In a Dec. 11 posting, for example, al-Awlaki condemned the Muslim who seeks a religious decree "that would allow him to serve in the armies of the disbelievers and fight against his brothers." Shortly after, according to the FBI timeline, Hasan sent his first e-mail to al-Awlaki.
In another blog posting, on July 14, al-Awlaki railed against armies of Muslim countries that assist the U.S. military, saying, "the blame should be placed on the soldier who is willing to follow orders ... who sells his religion for a few dollars." On Aug. 1, Hasan purchased a handgun and laser sight at a Killeen gun store.
The Department of Homeland Security's chief intelligence officer warned, two months before Hasan first contacted al-Awlaki, that the imam was an "example of al-Qaeda reach" into the United States.
Now working outside government, Charles E. Allen sees no legitimate reason for Hasan's e-mails.
"I find it difficult to understand why an Army major would be in repeated contact with an Islamic extremist like Anwar al-Awlaki, who preaches a hateful ideology directed at inciting violence against the United States and the West," Allen told The News. "It is hard to see how repeated contact would in any legitimate way further his research as a psychiatrist."
But Allen stopped short of criticizing the FBI, saying that it is "extraordinarily stretched in working counterterrorism cases."
Former CIA officer Bruce Riedel, who was a senior adviser to three presidents on Middle East and South Asian issues, is less forgiving.
"E-mailing a known al-Qaeda sympathizer should have set off alarm bells," said Riedel, who also left government recently. "Even if he was exchanging recipes, the bureau should have put out an alert."
A TIMELINE OF TWO LIVES
The lives of Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki intersected long before the Fort Hood shooting.
2001-early 2002 –Al-Awlaki serves as imam of the Virginia mosque where Hasan's family worships. Some of the 9/11 hijackers worship there, too, and previously worshipped under al-Awlaki in San Diego. The FBI repeatedly questions, but does not charge, the imam. Al-Awlaki tells National Geographic: "There is no way that the people who did this could be Muslim, and if they claim to be Muslim, then they have perverted their religion." He soon leaves the U.S., going first to Britain and then settling in his parents' native Yemen.
2006 –Al-Awlaki records a speech in English titled "Allah Is Preparing Us for Victory." It includes this passage: "Some Muslims say the way forward for this ummah [the Muslim people] is to distance itself from terrorism and spend their time in becoming good in business, good in technology, agriculture and the rest; and this is how we can compete with the rest of the world." But the Prophet Muhammad "said that this is wrong," al-Awlaki preached. "The solution of the ummah is to go back to jihad fi sabeelillah [armed struggle]."
August 2006 –Yemen arrests al-Awlaki, accusing him of providing religious endorsement to kidnappers who held a wealthy teenager for ransom. The kidnappers also planned to seize a U.S. official in Yemen, authorities there recently told The Associated Press.
Mid-2007 –An official at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington writes a memo saying that Hasan has been "counseled for inappropriately discussing religious topics" with his psychiatric patients. Hasan soon presents a class lecture on religious conflicts that Muslim soldiers may experience because of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He says they should have "the option of being released as 'conscientious objectors' to increase troop morale and decrease adverse events." One such example he cites: A Muslim soldier killed two comrades and wounded 14 in Kuwait at the start of the Iraq war. Prosecutors have said the soldier was concerned that troops would kill Muslims.
Fall 2007 –Hasan begins a two-year fellowship in disaster and preventive psychiatry at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, just outside Washington. Among other things, the program "is designed to provide military psychiatrists with expertise on preparing for and responding to mass casualty events."
December 2007 –Yemen frees al-Awlaki. He soon tells the British organization Cageprisoners, which represents people detained in the war on terrorism, that he was held initially "because I entered as an arbitrator in a local issue here, a tribal issue." Next, "they began asking me questions about my local Islamic activities here, and later on it was becoming clear that I was being held due to the request of the U.S. government." He says the FBI questioned him about the 9/11 attacks and other issues, which he does not specify. Neither country filed any criminal charges, he said.
Spring 2008 –The Web site www.anwar-alawlaki.com goes live. It includes an e-mail link for al-Awlaki, who is variously described as "Sheikh Anwar" and "Imam Anwar."
May 11, 2008 –Al-Awlaki records a lecture called "Battle of the Hearts and Minds," ridiculing a U.S. government consultant's report on how to encourage "positive change in the Islamic world."
According to a transcript of that lecture, al-Awlaki says:
•"When the U.S. Army kills and bombs entire residences and kills everybody inside it, women, children and elderly, keep that aside and not talk about it, and forget about it, and if it becomes revealed to the world then we will find an excuse! However, if the Muslims in their fight in the path of Allah commit a mistake or an unintentional accident happened, let's make a big deal out of it and blow it out of proportion."
•"The fundamentalists and extremists, whom they despise, are not only going to win in Afghanistan and Iraq, but they will continue their march until they drag your people, the Jews, out of the Holy Land and plant their black banners on the rooftops of Jerusalem."
•Western leaders "will spend millions of dollars, and it will be fruitless! And then in the end they will lose, and then after that they will be in hellfire!"
May 26, 2008 –In an online lecture titled "The Dust Will Never Settle Down," al-Awlaki refers repeatedly to a Danish newspaper cartoon that included derogatory images of the prophet Muhammad. He cites several parables as requiring the summary execution of blasphemers. In one, he says the Prophet tells Jews that if they defame him, "there is nothing between us and you except the sword! There will be no dialogue, there will be no forgiveness, there will be no building of bridges, there will be no attempts of reconciliation." Al-Awlaki also tells listeners that they "don't need the permission of anyone" to kill in such circumstances. And saying that Muhammad has a dirty button is blasphemy, he argues: "Even if it is as small as saying that, then this person should be executed!"
Mid-2008 –Al-Awlaki quits checking in regularly with Yemeni authorities, as required by terms of his release, according to the AP. Authorities are quoted as saying they put him on a list of people suspected of having ties to al-Qaeda.
Aug. 29, 2008 –"We will implement the rule of Allah on Earth by the tip of the sword whether the masses like it or not," al-Awlaki says on his blog. "What I mean by jihad here is not just picking up a gun and fighting. Jihad is broader than that. What is meant by jihad in this context is a total effort by the ummah to fight and defeat its enemy."
Oct. 6, 2008 –"If you are a person whom Allah has bestowed wealth upon then you should avoid owning property in the U.S.," the blog says. "Muslims should not be supporting the economy of a nation that is fighting them."
Oct. 28, 2008 –The Department of Homeland Security's chief intelligence officer, Charles E. Allen, says in a speech: "Another example of al-Qaeda reach into the homeland is U.S. citizen, al-Qaeda supporter and former spiritual leader to three of the September 11th hijackers Anwar al-Awlaki – who targets U.S. Muslims with radical online lectures encouraging terrorist attacks from his new home in Yemen."
Oct. 31, 2008 –"Democracy is an un-Islamic system and we as Muslims should have nothing to do with it," al-Awlaki blogs in advance of the U.S. presidential election. "No matter how irrelevant your vote is, on the Day of Judgment you will be called to answer for it. You, under no coercion or duress, consciously chose to vote for the leader of a nation that is leading the war against Islam."
Dec. 11, 2008 –Al-Awlaki's blog condemns the Muslim who "is tolerant and kind towards the disbelievers." Such a man "would speak against his brothers and betray them. He may even advise Muslims to spy against one another and report to the authorities. For him fighting for Islam and for the ummah is terrorism, but he manages to shop for a fatwa [Islamic law ruling] that would allow him to serve in the armies of the disbelievers and fight against his brothers."
Mid-December 2008 –Hasan begins e-mailing al-Awlaki, according to U.S. officials. An FBI-led terrorism task force intercepts the messages but decides not to investigate after concluding that Hasan's questions are consistent with his psychiatric research and that al-Awlaki did not advocate violence. The questions reportedly covered matters such as whether jihad could be justified if innocent people were killed.
Dec. 21, 2008 –Al-Awlaki endorses a group in Somalia that the U.S. brands a terrorist organization. "Al-Shabab not only have succeeded in expanding the areas that fall under their rule but they have succeeded in implementing the sharia [Islamic law] and giving us a living example of how we as Muslims should proceed to change our situation," he blogs. "The ballot has failed us but the bullet has not." U.S. officials have indicted 14 people for allegedly trying to recruit Somali Americans to join the group, in what is said to be one of the largest domestic terrorism investigations since 9/11.
Dec. 23, 2008 –Al-Awlaki's blog praises both the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former President George W. Bush and Muslim fighters in Afghanistan and Iraq, calling them "a reflection of the feelings of the Muslims toward America."
Dec. 27, 2008 –On his blog, al-Awlaki responds to Allen's Oct. 28 speech. He denies being a spiritual adviser to the 9/11 hijackers and challenges the intelligence officer to cite any lecture "where I encourage 'terrorist attacks.' "
Dec. 28, 2008 –Al-Awlaki justifies the killing of innocents while blogging about Israel's air war against the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip. "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," he writes. "The Jews of Palestine need to be driven out to the sea. There are no Israeli civilians unless they are Muslim." He notes that "our brothers in Palestine" use tactics such as suicide bombings that kill women and children. "I agree with them when they state that they would not stop targeting civilians until the Israelis do the same."
Jan. 5, 2009 –Al-Awlaki posts "44 Ways to Support Jihad" on his blog, citing a recent Israeli invasion into Gaza that kills more than 1,000 Palestinians. Among the pronouncements: "Probably the most important contribution the Muslims of the West could do for Jihad is making Jihad with their wealth." He also urges them to avoid luxury, get arms training and pray to die practicing jihad. "Our culture of martyrdom needs to be revived because the enemy of Allah fears nothing more than our love of death," he writes.
Jan. 22, 2009 –Al-Awlaki blogs about warriors in a parable who chose to die rather than surrender, saying that they did not commit the sin of suicide: "If the intentions of the Muslim are good and for the sake of Allah then he is a shaheed [martyr] whether he died by the enemy or by his own hands. It is the intention that counts."
Feb. 12, 2009 –Al-Awlaki's blog says that the U.S. "war on terror" is failing and adds: "I pray that America sees no progress at all. I pray that Allah destroys America and all its allies and the day that happens, and I assure you it will and sooner than you think, I will be very pleased." He also says: "If a Muslim kills each and every civilian disbeliever on the face of the earth he is still a Muslim and we cannot side with the disbelievers against him."
March 1, 2009 –Muslims cannot choose which parts of the religion to follow, al-Awlaki tells a Pakistani audience via teleconference from Yemen. "There is no separation of church and state," he adds. He also says Muslim believers worldwide constitute a nation and urges them to ignore those who say jihad is not about fighting. "Muslim land is occupied. Oppression is widespread," he says. "What time is better for jihad than today?"
May 17, 2009 –The Army promotes Hasan to the rank of major.
May 20, 2009 –Someone using the name Nidal Hasan posts on another online site a comment that is similar to al-Awlaki's Jan. 22 blog. It compares suicide bombers to a U.S. soldier who throws himself on a grenade to save his comrades and to Japanese kamikaze pilots in World War II. "Their intention is not to die because of some despair," the writer says. "Their act was not one of suicide that is despised by Islam." Scholars' assessment, he adds emphatically, "is that 'IT SEEMS AS THOUGH YOUR INTENTION IS THE MAIN ISSUE.' "
Summer-Fall 2009 –Hasan, having completed his studies, is transferred to Fort Hood, where he is assigned to work with soldiers who are psychiatric patients. He rents a tiny apartment near the post for about $300 a month, although he earns more than $92,000 a year. During this time, he:
•Is told he will be deployed to Afghanistan near the end of the year.
•Repeatedly asks Killeen mosque leader Osman Danquah what to tell Muslim soldiers who don't want to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also asks for support in becoming a lay Muslim leader on the Army post. Danquah says he refused and told Hasan, "There's something wrong with you," according to the AP.
•Seeks war-crimes prosecutions of some patients based on their psychiatric disclosures, Fort Hood-based Capt. Shannon Meehan recently told The Dallas Morning News.
•Wires money to Pakistan, for reasons that remain unclear. A federal law enforcement official recently told The News that the transfers were unrelated to terrorism.
July 14, 2009 –Al-Awlaki's blog calls for attacking soldiers of Muslim countries' armies, who "are fighting on behalf of America against the mujahedeen in Pakistan." He adds: "The blame should be placed on the soldier who is willing to follow orders.... This soldier is a heartless beast, bent on evil, who sells his religion for a few dollars."
Aug. 1, 2009 –Hasan buys a handgun and laser sight in Killeen. Al-Awlaki's blog touts Islamist rebel successes in Yemen: "May this be the beginning of the greatest Jihad, the Jihad of the Arabian Peninsula that would free the heart of the Islamic world from the tyrants who are deceiving the ummah and standing between us and victory."
Aug. 15, 2009 –Hasan's car is vandalized, allegedly by a traumatized veteran of the Iraq war who was angered by a bumper sticker praising Allah.
Fall 2009 –Meehan's book Beyond Duty is published, recounting his horrific experiences as a tank commander in Iraq. He describes accidentally killing a family with six children and says he isn't sure he supports the war. "I killed people," he writes, "who did not deserve to die." The book is distributed to and discussed by psychiatrists at Fort Hood, where Meehan was treated for depression and a traumatic brain injury. Hasan gets a copy of the book, according to its co-author, but refuses to have it autographed or to meet Meehan.
Oct. 7, 2009 –Al-Awlaki blogs about the aftermath of 9/11: "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?"
Nov. 1, 2009 –A directive sent to jihadist Web sites calls for Muslims to attack Westerners "whenever you find one of them," using readily available weapons instead of engaging in elaborate plots and trying to amass large quantities of explosives. The directive comes from Nasir al-Wahayshi, a Yemeni who served as an aide to Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Terrorism expert Scott Stewart, a former State Department security agent who works for the Austin-based research firm Stratfor, told The News he knows of no evidence that al-Awlaki and al-Wahayshi work together. But he said both studied under the same extremist cleric at a university in Yemen. It's unclear whether Hasan knew about al-Wahayshi's directive.
Nov. 3, 2009 –Hasan begins giving away personal belongings and copies of the Quran to neighbors in preparation, he says, for his deployment to Afghanistan.
Nov. 5, 2009 –Twelve soldiers and a civilian are shot to death at Fort Hood. Dozens more, including the alleged gunman Hasan, are wounded.
Nov. 9, 2009 –Awlaki's Web site quits working, for unexplained reasons, after he posts this on his blog:
"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 U.S. soldier. The U.S. 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 U.S. 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. ...
"May Allah grant our brother Nidal patience, perseverance and steadfastness and we ask Allah to accept from him his great heroic act. Ameen."
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