Imam Anwar al-Awlaki is the author of famous and best selling Islamic Lectures. You can download some of the free lectures here.

According to CagePrisoners Imam Anwar al-Awlaki has been arrested in Sana’a, Yemen on 31/08/2006.

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki served as an Imam in Colorado, California, and later in the Washington, D.C. area where he headed the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center and was also the Muslim Chaplain at George Washington University.

According to this article from USNews.com dated 6/21/04, it can be understood that they were long trying to get him behind bars. Saying that 9/11 hijackers attended his mosque and friday prayers! Mosque is a place where every practicing Muslim will at least once a week will come to pray (on fridays), and nobody can prevent anyone from praying in the Mosque. How would an imam of the Mosque know who is coming and who is going? How would an imam of the Mosque know who is terrorist and who is not? Why would an imam get arrested for someone else’s wrongdoings? United States always claim that this is a war against terrorism and not against Islam. How would US want us Muslims to believe that when they keep arresting innocent Muslims (most of the time there is no even trial) and jailing our leading Islamic scholars?

Jailing of the imams is not a new thing, all four great imams; Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Hanbal, Imam Malik, and Imam Shafi‘i, were jailed and punished frequently for their independent opinions against the rulers and for saying the Truth. And three of these Imams took their last breath while in prison. Enemies of Islam might jail our imams but they can never stop the religion of Allah. May Allah give strength to our brothers and sisters in Islam who are suffering just because they are following the Truth. May Allah make them successful in this world and Hereafter. May Allah give patience to Imam Awlaki. Ameen.

VIDEO: Understanding Ramadan: A Day in the Life of an Imam Anwar al-Awlaki