Death of Anwar Al-Awlaki should be cause for celebration in American Muslim Community

PHOENIX (September 30, 2011) – Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, a devout Muslim and the president and founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) issued the following statement regarding the death of Imam Anwar Al Awlaki in Yemen:

“The death of Imam Anwar Al Awlaki marks the removal of one of the most significant threats to America and to American Muslim youth in particular. While his death will not mark the end of Al Qaeda or the threat that exists from militant Islamists, Al-Awlaki’s death is an important step in the process. AIFD congratulates our military and intelligence apparatus for ensuring that this threat was removed.

Al-Awlaki has repeatedly proven a desire to commit violent acts of war against the American people. He has attacked our homeland on several occasions, the most successful of which was his influence on Nidal Hasan and the Fort Hood Massacre. There was no reason to be believe that Al-Awlaki would stop trying to inflict harm on the American people.

AIFD applauds the Administration’s where-with-all to maintain its focus on Al-Awlaki, even in the face of pressure from its own advisors such as Mohamed Elibiary who sits on the Homeland Security Council and argued on Foxnews.com in April that ‘it’s a mistake to assassinate Anwar Al-Awlaki. The President made the right decision in removing Al-Awlaki

Now the Administration needs to look at rebooting the nation’s strategy in dealing with counterterrorism. We must begin to focus on the ideological root of militant Islamist radicals and engage in the war of ideas or we simply face another Anwar Al-Awlaki down the line.”

About the American Islamic Forum for Democracy

The American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. AIFD’s mission advocates for the preservation of the founding principles of the United States Constitution, liberty and freedom, through the separation of mosque and state. For more information on AIFD, please visit our website at http://www.aifdemocracy.org/.

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