A prominent US Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation on September 30 reiterated that the calls to violence made by Anwar al-Awlaki, who has reportedly been killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen, have been firmly rejected by American Muslims. In a statement reacting to al-Awlaki’s death, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said: “As we have stated repeatedly in the past, the American Muslim community firmly repudiated Anwar al-Awlaki’s incitement to violence, which occurred after he left the United States. While a voice of hate has been eliminated, we urge our nation’s leaders to address the constitutional issues raised by the assassination of American citizens without due process of law.”
In a past statement following a call by al-Awlaki for Muslims to attack the United States, CAIR noted: “We repudiate Anwar al-Awlaki’s call for attacks on our nation and urge anyone who may be swayed by his extremist views to instead seek out scholars and community leaders who can offer a mainstream perspective on the positive role Muslims are obligated to play in every society. American Muslims seek to promote justice and the general welfare through civic engagement and community service.”
CAIR also repudiated hate-filled statements by al-Awlaki praising the 2009 killings at Fort Hood in Texas.