I’m sure most of you know who the infamous Anwar al Awlaki is. For those who don’t he’s the former head of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. At one point he was a preacher int he USA. His Virginia Falls Mosque was infamous for being attended by three of the 9/11 terrorists. He ended up making a run for it from the USA to Yemen where he quickly set up shop calling for violent Jihad against the West.
He’s dead now. Obama ordered the drone strike that killed him. Before he outed himself as a Jihadi he toured the UK extensively. He was held by the Yemenis for a year and once released gave an interview to former Guantanamo Bay inmate Moazzam Begg who was the first person to interview him.
So it turns out that Iman FM a radio station in Sheffield has just been shut down for broadcasting 25 hours of Awlaki sermons over Ramadan.
The Independent said of OFCOM;
Its investigation found al-Awlaki’s lectures included “a direct call to action to members of the Muslim community to prepare for and carry out violent action against non-Muslim people” and “statements clearly condoning and encouraging acts of crime, terrorism or violent behaviour”.
Furthermore;
Iman FM made a formal submission claiming that its management and volunteers were “not aware of the background of the preacher and had no knowledge of him being proscribed by the United Nations” and that if known, they would not have broadcast the recordings.
But Ofcom said the “show more” tab on the YouTube page they were taken from detailed al-Awlaki’s identity, arrest and subsequent death.
The website 5 Pillars reported on this. The comments on their Facebook page show there is still support for Awlaki in the UK.
