November 9, 2009

The Muslim Public Affairs Council today said it is repulsed by an online posting by a former U.S. imam, which praised Maj. Nidal Hasan as a "hero" for the shooting and killing 13 soldiers and injuring 31 at Fort Hood last week.  

SEE: "Radical Imam Praises Alleged Fort Hood Shooter" (Associated Press)

"Awlaki's statement is deplorable and sickening, and has no place in our country or in Islam," said MPAC Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed as well as to those wounded and their loved ones. We stand in solidarity with law enforcement and the US military to maintain the safety and security of all Americans." 

Awlaki is thought to currently reside in Yemen, where he is on the country's "most wanted militant list." The posting on his website says that American Muslim groups who condemned the violent acts of Hasan have "committed treason against the Muslim ummah (community) and have fallen into hypocrisy."

Anwar Al-Awlaki served as the imam of at least two mosques in the United States before he left the U.S. in 2002. Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, VA today repudiated Awlaki's statements, saying: "With this reversal, Mr. Al-Awlaki has clearly set himself apart from Muslims in America. We continue to send our condolences and prayers for recovery of all the victims of this godless act."