Why did they target Imam Anwar al-Awlaki

After the Fort Hood attack, there has been much confusion not only among the non-Muslims but also the Islāmic community. Some Muslims do not know what to think about Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki any more. Some of them who, up until November 5 2009, held the Imam in great respect, found themselves questioning their allegiances and reviewing their moral and religious alliances. As soon as the United States media started focusing on him, many of so-called Muslim blogs from around the world condemned the Fort Hood incident and even went so far as to call Imam Anwar a non-Muslim. I believe it would be a good idea, therefore, to review the facts and analyze them in the light of the Qur’an and the Sunnah to see where our Deen stands on this issue. Is Imam Anwar really outside the bounds of Islam or are his opponents the hypocrites ?
Before we study the incident and it’s aftermath, we should cover a little background information on Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki (especially for those of us who don’t quite know him yet).

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki - A Question from a Reader on my Islamic Education

I have taken the following from Imam Anwar al-Awlaki's blog as some people criticise him and claim that he is spreading misconceptions and that he does not qualify as an Islamic scholar.

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I have received the following question from one of the readers of my blog:

I am not sure how much you have noticed, but in the West, their is a campaign to undermine your personal credentials as an ‘Alim. The all-too-common tactic of attacking the ‘messenger’ rather than the message itself is being employed in these campaigns.
We want to be able to refute any false claims against you and support all of your works, wholeheartedly. Can you please provide us information regarding the Shuyukh that you have learned under in the past, and who you may be currently learning under? As well as, the source of your ‘ijaza, etc. This will be very important in refuting any slanderous attacks against your credibility.

I have received this question in various forms and the frequency of it increased lately. Here is my response: