Anwar al-Awlaki: A Comparison with Osama bin Laden and an Analysis of His Influence and Appeal

Background: Anwar al-Awlaki was an American imam who became a leading propagandist for al-Qa`ida and was killed by a US drone strike in 2011. He was the first US citizen to be targeted and killed by his own government without trial.

Influence: Al-Awlaki's online lectures and videos have inspired many jihadists in the West, including the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon bombings, the Charlie Hebdo shootings, and the Orlando nightclub attack. He has also been embraced by the Islamic State and its followers, despite his affiliation with al-Qa`ida.

Appeal: Al-Awlaki's appeal lies in his fluent English and Arabic, his charismatic and pedagogical style, his prolific output of Islamic teachings, and his prophetic interpretation of current events. He also advocated for individual jihad in the West, a message that resonated with many alienated Muslims.

Some points of comparison between Anwar al-Awlaki and Osama bin Laden are:

Origin: Al-Awlaki was born in the United States to Yemeni parents, while bin Laden was born in Saudi Arabia to a wealthy family of Yemeni origin.

Education: Al-Awlaki studied at various universities in the United States and had no formal religious training, while bin Laden studied economics and business administration at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia and was influenced by radical Islamic scholars.

Role: Al-Awlaki was mainly a propagandist and recruiter for al-Qa`ida, using his online lectures and videos to inspire and instruct potential jihadists, while bin Laden was the founder and leader of al-Qa`ida, overseeing its operations and strategy.

Affiliation: Al-Awlaki was loyal to al-Qa`ida and its ideology, but was embraced by the Islamic State and its followers after his death, despite the rivalry between the two groups, while bin Laden was opposed to the Islamic State and its predecessor, the Islamic State of Iraq, and remained loyal to al-Qa`ida until his death.

Death: Al-Awlaki was killed by a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011, becoming the first US citizen to be targeted and killed by his own government without trial, while bin Laden was killed by a US special forces raid in Pakistan in 2011, after being hunted for a decade.

Some examples of Muslim scholars who support, criticize, or are neutral towards al-Awlaki are:

Supporters: Some of the Muslim scholars who have expressed support for al-Awlaki include Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, a prominent Jordanian Salafi-jihadi ideologue who praised al-Awlaki as a martyr and a hero in an online article; ¹ Abu Qatada al-Filistini, another influential Jordanian Salafi-jihadi scholar who defended al-Awlaki's views and actions in a video interview; ² and Ibrahim al-Rubaish, a former Guantanamo detainee and the chief ideologue of AQAP who eulogized al-Awlaki in an audio statement. ³

Critics: Some of the Muslim scholars who have criticized al-Awlaki include Yasir Qadhi, an American Islamic scholar and professor who denounced al-Awlaki's radicalization and extremism in a blog post;  Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss-Egyptian Islamic scholar and professor who condemned al-Awlaki's involvement in terrorism and his killing by the US government in an article;  and Muhammad al-Munajjid, a Saudi Salafi scholar and preacher who refuted al-Awlaki's justification of killing civilians in a fatwa. 

Neutral: Some of the Muslim scholars who have had a neutral or mixed view of al-Awlaki include Hamza Yusuf, an American Islamic scholar and co-founder of Zaytuna College who acknowledged al-Awlaki's early contributions to Islamic education but also criticized his later extremism and violence in a lecture;  Abdallah bin Bayyah, a Mauritanian Islamic scholar and former vice-president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars who expressed sorrow over al-Awlaki's death but also warned against his extremist ideology in a statement;  and Salman al-Ouda, a Saudi Salafi scholar and reformist who praised al-Awlaki's knowledge and charisma but also advised him to renounce violence in an open letter. 

¹: Joas Wagemakers, "The Enduring Legacy of Anwar al-‘Awlaqi," CTC Sentinel 9:7 (2016).

²: "Abu Qatada Defends Anwar Al-'Awlaki," MEMRI TV, October 10, 2011.

³: "AQAP Official Eulogizes Anwar Al-'Awlaqi," SITE Intelligence Group, October 11, 2011.

: Yasir Qadhi, "On the Death of Anwar al-Awlaqi," Muslim Matters, September 30, 2011.

: Tariq Ramadan, "Anwar Al Awlaki: A Double Crime Against Reason," Huffington Post, October 3, 2011.

: Muhammad al-Munajjid, "Ruling on killing women and children of the kuffaar," Islam QA, accessed June 29, 2021.

: Hamza Yusuf, "Shaykh Hamza Yusuf on Anwar Al Awlaki," YouTube video, posted by "MuslimMatters," October 2, 2011.

: Abdallah bin Bayyah, "Statement on the Killing of Anwar Al Awlaki," Bin Bayyah.net, October 2, 2011.

: Salman al-Ouda, "An Open Letter to Shaykh Anwar Al Awlaki," Islam Today, December 15, 2009.

(1) The Enduring Influence of Anwar al-Awlaki in the Age of the Islamic .... https://ctc.westpoint.edu/the-enduring-influence-of-anwar-al-awlaki-in-the-age-of-the-islamic-state/ Accessed 5/8/2023.

(2) Anwar al-Awlaki - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_al-Awlaki Accessed 5/8/2023.

(3) Kalamullah.Com | Lectures | Anwar Al-Awlaki. https://kalamullah.com/anwar-alawlaki.html Accessed 5/8/2023.