I fully support this posting and your views on the recent attacks and what response the Muslim community in America should give. This is the difference between a learned person with true Islamic knowledge and someone who is simply claiming to be so. I am about to complete a degree in International Affairs and I have a good understanding of geopolitics, a must for anyone giving socio-political advise to Muslims.

After reading the post attributed to Anwar Awlaki, I think it is imperative for all influential Muslim leaders and thinkers to distance themselves from such thinking. We need to encourage our community to show true Islam to the American people, this should be our First Priority no matter what. We still have the freedom to worship and practice our faith here despite some injustices that people have faced. We also have the freedom to disagree with this nation’s policies in a peaceful way. In many ways it is easier to be a real Muslim here than many so-called Muslim countries where, due to socio-historical factors knowledge about the true message of Islam and a culture of learning are lacking.

Finally, the leaders of this Ummah and our community in America need to have strategic vision. We are like the Muslim community in Mecca not Madina, any other way of thinking will be disastrous. As a minority in this nation we are in a very precarious position and there is a breaking point to the restrain we have been seeing among the American people. They have been ignoring the hateful calls to expel or worse massacre the Muslim community here while we’re still containable. We need to oppose this type of thinking no matter what.

I am not a pacifist at all but the use of violence is contextually based, and in Islam only someone with the caliber of a national leader can call for it. Individuals simply don’t have that right in Islam, this would cause anarchy as we’re seeing today. I’m not a scholar of Islam only a humble student but I did hear of a teaching for Muslims to live according to the “laws of the land” if they live anywhere. Let us uphold these teachings and be true Muslims among ourselves and others, if somebody can’t do this they should leave so that no harm will come to the rest of the community.

Peace and may God Bless You.