Anwar al-Awlaki Quotes


The ballot has failed us, but the bullet has not.


Context

He was the first American citizen who was assassinated by the Central Intelligence Agency by means of a drone attack. He was a major recruiter for Al Qaeda, and he preached to 3 of the 9-11 terrorists.


Citations

Anwar al-Awlaki, 1971–2011, American-Yemeni Imam & Terrorist, Communique to the Somalian terrorist group, al-Shabaab, December 2008

Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations

Related Quotes

This speech is often referred to as the “Ballot or the Bullet” speech. It was the first time that Malcolm X used the “Ballot or the Bullet”. He was not the first African American to use the “Ballot or the Bullet” phrase. See {624102} for a use over 100 years ago. However, he was really arguing to allow Blacks to vote in the South where it was almost impossible at the time. There was no Voting Rights Act at that time and it was his actions that helped pass one shortly thereafter.


This quotation is used by the moderate Egyptians and other moderate Arab leaders as well as Israelis and other experts in combating Islamic Fundamentalism to illustrate the thinking process of the Muslim fundamentalist terrorist leader. They are more than willing to sacrifice those they lead (though rarely themselves) if they think that something is to be gained. But if there is nothing to be gained, their “moral” responsibility requires not “wasting” their followers’ lives. Therefore, the way these experts believe they should deal with the radicals is to face them with overwhelming force (a variant of the Powell Doctrine) and never concede anything or let them gain anything from violence. A single concession makes the terrorism, sacrifice and violence worthwhile, but if there is no gain, the leader has wasted the lives of his followers and is less likely to initiate another attack.


The reference is to the recently-passed Fugitive Slave Law, which many New Englanders, including Emerson, detested and vowed not to uphold.


This phrase was also to be used over 100 years later by Malcolm X. See {624101} and {38291}.


He was also the primary planner of the assassination. He was executed for his crime which not only killed Sedat but also a diplomat and a Christian Cleric. Iran named a street in Tehran for Islambouli in 1981 in honor of his “martyrdom.”


Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki
  • Born:
  • Died: September 30, 2011
  • Nationality:
  • Profession: Lecturer, Cleric, Imam

Anwar Nasser al-Awlaki was a Yemeni-American imam who was killed in 2011 in Yemen by an American drone strike ordered by President Barack Obama. Al-Awlaki became the first U.S. citizen to be targeted and killed by a U.S. drone strike without the rights of due process being afforded. US government officials argued that Awlaki was a key organizer for the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda, and in June 2014, a previously classified memorandum issued by the U.S. Department of Justice was released, justifying al-Awlaki's death as a lawful act of war. Civil liberties advocates have described the incident as "an extrajudicial execution" that breached al-Awlaki's right to due process, including a trial.