Still Scared: Implications of Bin Laden's Death

I want to be happy. Our number one enemy is dead. After declaring war on America almost 15 years ago, US forces, not NATO or Pakistani, brought the villain down. But after seeing the waving flags at the White House and reading everything there was, something just doesn’t feel right.

In the World: Bin Laden's death sparks relief, outrage, we have mostly world leaders praising the tenacity of the President in ending the reign of the most famous terrorist. I am bothered that he was found in Pakistan, 90 miles from the capital. Here is the Video of the Compound that was 1000 feet from a military training facility. Hillary Clinton’s remarks are too proud to be taken as patriotism, since we have spent thousands of lives and billions of dollars looking for this man. I am happy he is gone, but a somber reaction and one leveled by the cost of the operation may have been in order by the Secretary of the State.

I feel we have been betrayed by Pakistan and though this is probably not the time to point the finger, there is something that feels like we are celebrating just for the sake of celebrating. Obama: Bin Laden's death a 'good day' for America and maybe that is what it is. Our celebration should be tempered. It is a good day, not a great day. We have some powerful domestic issues and two or three wars (depending on your count) and so I guess it will be a great time for some nationalism to spread. This is not the end of war. Our troops will not come home. Terrorism will still exist in all forms of extremism.  But maybe it is the idea that we can say we got him; that all we have done and lost in ten years has not been in vain.

The questions a day after the news break are many, but the most important one is if the United States has taken the right steps in assuring that Osama Bin Laden will not be a hero.  Every story reports that he used one of his wives as a human shield. Others have reported that there was no media or connections inside his compound. The above story suggests that America used one of the Guantanamo prisoners to gain essential information about his hideout. These are all good to build an image of a delusional leader out of touch and in fear for his life, and not a cause.

But the problem may be in the burial at sea:  Islamic scholars criticize bin Laden's sea burial. This is part of the story that disturbs me most. Why is there no body? Why such a quick burial? I understand the fanaticism and hysteria that could have occurred in holding the body, but without it, closure is not there. The operation happened over a couple of months according to the above accounts, and yet, the burial happened within hours. First, this could only leave questions unless real evidence emerges, and DNA from a sister is no conclusive proof. Secondly, this could lead to more unrest if we violated Islam tenants and actually make Bin Laden a lightening rod of contention between America and the Muslim world.

President Obama is right. It was a good day, but not a great one. Osama Bin Laden is dead, but the implications of his death are still days, months, and years ahead. The United States has taken our first step to ending the war in Afghanistan, and you can’t deny the good in that. We have given some solace to the victims of 9/11 in the death of the man most responsible, and the victims and their families deserve that. But I am not ready to go waving a victory flag because one man does not equal all we have lost in ten years. The questions surrounding the operation and Bin Laden’s death could become the newest threat to our security and peace in the world.       

Comments

[Patrick Edmonds]

This is a very well-written piece, and I'm happy that you addressed it so soon. I must say it's impressive to see the dexterous skill of your writing to go from something so lighthearted in your royal wedding one to something so somber and important in this current post.

All praise aside, I agree there are numerous questions left to be answered with this story, some of which I'd rather not know. However, this is the age we live in, where the first actual coverage of this story was from an ordinary man following the events from his modest Pakistani home on twitter. ALthough it may take a while, this story, for all its hidden angles and dangerous effects, will be played out in real time, and we will respond harshly, sympathetically, tentatively, dubiously, and rapidly as has become our custom in this country.

There a number of aspects I'm already taking issue with though. One especially is the response, or lack thereof, from the Muslim world. I have always defended the Muslim leaders on this site whenever they've been attacked in the past for not speaking out against the wicked deeds of certain fanatical contingents within their faith and their countries. I understand many of the Muslim countries we call our enemies or allies have been fighting Bin Laden and other fanatics for far longer and sacrificed far more than America and the West. I understand the risk is far greater for a Muslim leader who openly denounces or chastises the Taliban or Al Qaida than an American citizen or leader.

However, the idea that the American military is being admonished, and in some cases threatened (by non-fanatical Muslim clerics and other peaceful religious leaders) and not praised is absolutely despicable to me. Osama Bin Laden was not a Muslim or a true follower of the Islamic faith by any stretch of the imagination. He was a MASS MURDERER! Plain and Simple! The idea that America should be considerate to Muslim burial rights is insane in this instance. Real practitioners of Islam should be offended by some of their own leaders for defending Bin Laden's right to a proper burial. Bin Laden has done nothing but brought shame to the Islamic faith, and it is insulting that this would be the first concern of certain Muslims.

There may have been some appropriate responses from the Muslim world, praising America's commitment to hunting down a killing this evil man who is responsible for more attacks outside of our borders than inside them, but I have not seen them. And this may be a failure of the American media. So if anyone is aware of this accomplishment being properly recognized by certain Muslim leaders, please let me know.

In closing, I disagree with your opposition to people revealing in a sense of Patriotism. The chanting and rallying outside the White House and at Ground Zero, in the two cities that were actually attacked, was merely an impetuous response to very emotional, powerful news. As much as all Americans were affected by the tragedies of 9/11, unless we are from those cities, I don't think we have any right to judge the brief sense of jubilation and justice that those cities and their residents felt in learning the man responsible for the worst attack in American history was dead. They deserve that, if only for a moment.