Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center statement on death of Anwar al-Aulaqi

Men enter the front of the mosque before iftar (evening Ramadan prayers) at the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center on Aug 19, 2011, in Falls Church, VA. (Jahi Chikwendiu - WASHINGTON POST) In name of God, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.

Upon the death of a person, Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, was reported to say,

“Innallilahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon” from God we come and to God is our return.

Today the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center acknowledges the death of a former Imam, Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki. While employed at Dar Al-Hijrah, Imam Al-Awlaki was known for his interfaith outreach, civic engagement and tolerance in the Northern Virginia community.

However, after Mr. Al-Awlaki’s departure from the mosque in 2002 he was arrested by Yemeni authorities and allegedly tortured. It was then that Al-Awlaki began preaching violence and has now died violently in an apparent drone strike. In recent years, while in his self imposed exile, Mr. Al-Awlaki encouraged impressionable American Muslims to attack their own country. With his death, Al-Awlaki will no longer be able to spread his hate speech over the Internet to our youth.

We reiterate that as an American faith community we do not accept violence nor extremism and re-commit ourselves to our message living our faith in peace, tolerance and the promotion of the public good.

The Qur’an teaches us:

“We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our apostles with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land.” 5:32

We must also add that in previous statements we have rejected the use of extra-judicial assassination of any human being and especially an American citizen which includes Al-Awlaki. We reiterate our commitment to “due process under law” and justice and are concerned that the alleged drone attack sends the wrong message to law abiding people around the world.