A quick search of YouTube today for \u201cAnwar al-Awlaki\u201d\u009d finds hundreds of his videos, most of them scriptural commentary or clerical advice, but dozens that include calls for jihad or attacks on the United States.<\/p>\n
The story of You Tube and Mr. Awlaki is a revealing case study in the complexity of limiting controversial speech in the age of do-it-yourself media, as the House prepares for hearings next week on the radicalization of American Muslims.<\/p>\n
In eloquent American English or Arabic with English subtitles, Mr. Awlaki can be seen in videos decrying America\u2019s \u201cwar on Islam\u201d\u009d; warning Muslims why they should \u201cnever, ever trust a kuffar,\u201d\u009d or non-Muslim; praising the attempt by his \u201cstudent\u201d\u009d to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner; and patiently explaining why American civilians are legitimate targets for killings. Such videos have been posted in multiple copies and viewed hundreds or thousands of times.<\/p>\n