It is not clear (to me at least) whether the term "Soldiers of Allah" refers to a specific group of jihadists or whether it is a self-identified term for all Islamic jihadists. Nevertheless, Hasan, Gilani, and Awlaki all describe themselves as "Soldiers of Allah." Are there also deeper connections?
NIDAL MALIK HASAN, "Soldier of Allah"
Hasan's Calling Card: "SoA", "Soldier of Allah"
"SWT." This is the abbreviation for the Arabic words "Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala," or "Glory to Him, the Exalted" --- a term often used by Muslims when mentioning the name of Allah
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Jihadist Terror Group Spreads Throughout The United States
SHEIKH MUBARAK GILANI, "Soldier of Allah"
Pakastani cleric Sheikh Mubarak Gilani is leader of Jamaat ul-Fuqra (known in America as "Muslims of America"). Sheikh Mubarak Gilani is not a household name. But he is well known by the media, law enforcement officials and counterterrorism experts. His terrorist organization, called Jamaat al-Fuqra (Community of the Poor) has been linked to 17 fire bombings and 10 assassinations in the United States alone.
Most famously, Sheikh Gilani rose to national attention in January 2002, when Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and then beheaded while attempting to arrange an interview with the Pakistani cleric.
Daniel Pearl was following up on a lead that Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber" who attempted to blow up American Airlines Flight 63, was an al-Fuqra operative who was trained by Sheikh Gilani. SOURCE
[It has recently been announced by Eric Holder's Department of Justice that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be prosecuted for Pearl's death in Manhattan federal court.]
"...some sources say that Gilani was Osama's most committed follower in Pakistan.... But according to some sources, he had spiritual ascendancy - maybe even ideological - over bin Laden: he is a pir, "venerated master" in urdu. " AsiaTimes, 2003>
Sheikh Gilani formed his Jamaat al-Fuqra terror network in the early 80s after a visit to Brooklyn, New York. The goal of his organization, according to the US State Department, was to "purify Islam through violence."
Almost immediately upon his arrival, the Sheikh began recruiting African-American Muslims into his terrorist network. Some were recruited off the streets, some out of mosques, while others were recruited from American prisons. Most disturbingly, however, Sheikh Gilani recruited some of his followers out the United States military.
What is [also] not disputed is that this man [Gilani] is involved in programs involving the use of the Koran to cure psychiatric disorders. SOURCE
GILANI RECRUITMENT and TRAINING VIDEOS
“Act like you’re a friend, then kill him just like from the book.”
In a secret videotape obtained by Christian Action Network, Sheikh Gilani calls his members, “Soldiers of Allah,” and he extends this invitation to Muslims in the United States: “You are most welcome to join one of the most advanced training courses in Islamic military warfare.”
Sheikh Gilani makes clear his goals:
"We have reached out and prepared [recruits] to defend themselves in a highly specialized training of guerrilla warfare...We are at present establishing training camps.
"We are not fighting so that the enemy recognizes us and offers something. We are fighting to destroy the enemy. We are dealing with evil at its roots and its roots are America."
For additional information on these videos, see:
Transcripts tell of smoking guns behind “Soldiers of Allah”
homelandsecurityus.com PDF file on Jamaat Ul Fuqra
Jamaat Ul Fuqra in Virginia, 3 part series
Jamaat Ul Fuqra File
"Muslims of the Americas Inc., a tax-exempt organization, has been directly linked by court documents to Jamaat ul-Fuqra. The organization operates communes of primarily black, American-born Muslims throughout the U.S. The investigation confirmed members commonly use aliases and intentional spelling variations of their names and routinely deny the existence of Jamaat ul-Fuqra.
The group openly recruits through various social service organizations in the U.S., including the prison system. Members live in compounds where they agree to abide by the laws of Jamaat ul-Fuqra, which are considered to be above local, state and federal authority.
U.S. authorities have probed the group for charges ranging from links to al-Qaida to laundering and funneling money into Pakistan for terrorist activities. The organization supports various terrorist groups operating in Pakistan and Kashmir, and Gilani himself is linked directly to Hamas and Hezbollah.
Scattered across the United States, unknown to all but a handful of citizens, are 35 Islamic terrorist training compounds known as “Muslims of America.” Under the leadership of a radical Pakistani cleric, Sheikh Mubarak Gilani, Muslims of America has thousands of devoted followers who are being groomed for HOMEGROWN JIHAD.
In never-before-seen video footage, the Christian Action Network exposes these dangerous terrorist compounds and reveals for the first time a secret training tape in which American Muslims are recruited to “join one of the most advanced training courses in Islamic military warfare”… right here in America! They are called “Soldiers of Allah” and they are trained in explosives, kidnapping, murder, firing weapons, and guerilla warfare. They are told, “Act like you are a friend, then kill him just like from the book.”
SOLDIERS OF ALLAH – terrorist training camps on American soil. Islamic Terrorists, from the group Muslims of America, have up 35 para-military training camps in 22 states, preparing for future attacks on America.
ANWAR AL AWLAKI, "Soldier of Allah"
A Facebook page for Anwar al Awlaki has 4,800 fans. He has been cited as an inspiration for extremist plots.
BIOGRAPHICAL HIGHLIGHTS
A U.S. citizen, al Awlaki was born in New Mexico in 1971
After his father completed his college studies, the family returned to Yemen.
In 1991, then Awlaki came back to the U.S. to study for a B.S. in Civil Engineering at Colorado State University.
He then went on to San Diego State University for a Master’s in Education Leadership. While in San Diego, he served as an imam at Rabat mosque.
In 2001, he enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Human Resource Development at George Washington University, where he worked as the Muslim chaplain.
At that time, he was also an imam at Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, VA.
Following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the FBI interviewed Awlaki (also spelled Aulaqi) owing to his connections to two of the 9/11 hijackers. "(Nawaf al) Hamzi and (Khalid al) Mihdhar reportedly respected Aulaqi as a religious figure and developed a close relationship with him," the 9/11 Commission Report concluded.
He left the U.S. in 2002 and lived in London,where he also gained a following.
In 2004, Awlaki was back in Yemen, where he lectured at a university run by Shaikh Abdul Majeed al Zindani, a controversial scholar who was allegedly Osama bin Laden's spiritual adviser
In 2004, Awlaki was put on the U.S. terrorism watch list in 2004.
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The Powerful Online Voice of Jihad
Awlaki revered by the Toronto 18
By Michelle Shephard, national security reporter
Sun Oct 18 2009
In a snowy field near Barrie, a group of young Muslim men listened intently to the eloquent voice emanating from the laptop. Anwar al Awlaki preached in perfect Arabic and flawless English about the need to fight in the name of religion, because the "world is united in fighting Islam."
The time for jihad is now, no matter your training, he told members of the group that would later become known as the Toronto 18. Six months following that "training camp," those youths were rounded up in Canada's largest post-9/11 terrorism investigation and charged with plotting to blow up downtown Toronto and military targets.
(snip)
Awlaki's role in allegedly inciting "homegrown terrorism" was just a footnote in the volumes of evidence submitted in the Toronto case. But in recent months, as Awlaki's name has popped up in terrorism cases in Canada, the U.S. and Britain, intelligence services are closely monitoring the U.S.-born cleric.
"Awlaki is an exceptionally smart person," says FBI consultant and terrorism researcher Evan Kohlmann, who has studied the 38-year-old for years. "He has the strongest statements of any English-language site."
Most websites with purported connections to Al Qaeda or various extremist groups are largely indecipherable to English-speaking Western youths. Awlaki's appeal, Kohlmann argues, is he understands American culture and speaks directly to young people.
One of Awlaki's most popular video series is "Constants of Jihad," in which he translates and interprets a well-known Arabic book promoting fighting in the name of Islam.
"Whenever you see the word terrorist, replace it with the word mujahid," he says on the video. "Whenever you see the word terrorism, replace it with the word jihad."
RCMP informant Mubin Shaikh, one of the Crown's star witnesses against the Toronto suspects, was at the December 2005 training camp when the video was played.
"Guys like Anwar al Awlaki provide do-it-yourself Islam," Shaikh told the Star. "He's building a fantasy and then pushing them over the edge. It appeals at a very basic level. It's like sheep food and they gobble it up."
(snip)
In December, Awlaki addressed the militant Somali group al Shabaab in one of his blog entries. Al Shabaab has pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda and is listed as a terrorist group in both the U.S. and Canada.
"We are following your recent news and it fills our hearts with immense joy," Awlaki wrote to the group, which sanctions amputations for defectors and the stoning of criminals.
What Was the Recent News That Filled Awlaki's Heart With Immense Joy?
A reply claiming to be from al Shabaab thanks him and attacks the media's reporting of the rape and stoning death of Asho Duhulow, a 13-year-old Somali girl, by al Shabaab. "The reality and truth is that she was over 20 years old, married and practising adultery," the posting said in justification.
(A month before that entry, the Star reported on the stoning. It talked to witnesses who confirmed she was only 13.)
Kohlmann said he recently addressed U.S. Department of Justice officials in Washington to warn of Awlaki's growing ability to both incite attacks on Western soil and inspire youths to join jihad abroad.
Three of five men convicted this year of plotting an attack against U.S. soldiers in Fort Dix were allegedly inspired by his "Constants of Jihad" lecture, a court was told.
SEE: Soldiers of Allah by Imam Anwar Al Awlaki
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