ALEXANDER MELEAGROU-HITCHENS

It has been reported that al-Qaeda's Anwar al-Awlaki has issued a fatwa calling for the murder of Terry Jones, the Florida Pastor organising the 9/11 'Burn a Koran Day'.

From The Jawa Report:

A new message claims that Anwar al-Awlaki has issued a death fatwa against Terry Jones, the Florida man organizing a public Quran burning on 9/11. The fatwa claims that it is mandatory for Muslims to assassinate Jones.

Here is part of the text:

Based on the Shariah it becomes Fard [a religious duty] upon every Muslim to assassinate Terry Jones should you come in close proximity to him as well as for those who support him in this cause of sin against Islam.

The offence is to our our Rubb [God], our Deen [way of life], and our Nabi [prophet].

May death overtake him.

The message claims to have been made by Anwar al-Awlaki, the American born spiritual leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

If this claim is verified, it will not be the first time Awlaki has called for the killing of those who have insulted Islam or Mohammed. In 2006, during the height of the Mohammed cartoon controversy, he issued this message [transcript below]:

The prophet said “If he had calmed down, like others who follow his opinion, are of the same opinion as his, have calmed down, he wouldn’t have been assassinated. But he has harmed us and he has defamed us with his poetry and none of you would do this, except we would deal with him with the sword.

[…]

But he spoke against us. He spoke against me and he defamed me with his poetry. And then he made it clear to the Jews – if any one of you, you the Jews, or the polytheists, if any one of you try to defame me through your words, this will be the way we deal with you. 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, there will only be the sword between me and you”.

[...]

Ibn Taymiyya says: "And this is evidence that harming Allah and his messenger is a reason to encourage Muslims to kill whoever does that..." [emphasis added]

UPDATE: Turns out it wasn't the same Awlaki - this came from an Anwar bin Yamani. The Jawa Report has issued this correction:

The person who posted this is now clarifying that the Anwar bin Yamani who issued the fatwa is not Anwar al-Awlaki. Given that "bin Yamani" is just a way of saying "son of Yemen", you can understand my confusion. In fact, before we published this one of us asked him in a personal message if Awlaki had issued the statement and his answer seemed to be in the affirmative given that he claimed in the reply that Anwar al-Awlaki is on the governing board of his organization.

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