YouTube Terror

US-born, Yemen-based, al-Qaeda member Anwar al-Awlaki, who inspires and recruits violence against the West, has been described as the “bin Laden of the internet” (by Arabic satellite network Al Arabiya) and as “the most dangerous enemy of the US because of his ability to recruit followers and inspire attacks” through the internet (by the CIA).

In hundreds of YouTube videos, al-Alwaki explains in captivating English complete with pop culture references, why the Western world is evil. USA Today gave the example of one YouTube clip, viewed over 40 thousand times, in which Al-Awlaki references the passing of Michael Jackson to make a point about the certainty of death and how Jihadists should not fear dying for their beliefs.

Wednesday, YouTube removed hundreds of these videos, which feature calls to Jihad by al-Awlaki. The site had been under pressure from both US and British officials to remove these videos, but only really took these demands seriously after this past weekend’s failed bomb attempt by al Qaeda.

Now maybe it’s just me, but must we really wait until al Qaeda fails to blow up two airplanes en route to the United States, to realize that a terrorist who preaches in perfect English in hundreds of online video clips, enabling his messages to very easily reach Western audiences, poses a huge threat to national security??