Wednesday
May042011
Osama Bin Laden- Lest we forget.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at 3:52AM
So they got him. Or we got him. You see while it may have been a small number of brave US soldiers who finally stopped one of the world’s most dangerous men, in many ways it was a team effort. And it wasn’t just the US who stopped him, though they did have the largest stake, and as always, lifted the heaviest load.
No, WE stopped Osama. The West. The world. Civilisation. The world joined together in unity after 9/11: East and West, Christians and Muslims. The world was one in its shock, fear, disgust and animosity to a small group of individuals who saw fit to try and terrorise the world. At times they almost succeeded. But they never did. For there was always reason and sanity to fight against them.
It’s been a strange day today. Almost surreal in fact. All the Facebook and Twitter updates; the endless news feeds, stories and different takes; the passing comments and jokes. On the one hand, I can understand why crowds gathered in front of the White House chanting “U..S..A..”, or why New York residents were jubilant beyond belief. But on the other, these people are cheering and rejoicing at the death of a human being, albeit an evil one.
Now is the time for us to show our humanity, to show our fair and peaceful nature. We must be the better man. The soldiers who carefully and respectfully dealt with bin Laden’s body according to Muslim tradition began this process, despite being at the front line of Osama’s war against them. We should emulate their example and show the Islamic world that we are caring and respectful, lest we give them reason to dislike and distrust us. Us cheering at Osama’s death could in some ways be seen just the same way as we see Taliban fighters cheering at the death of coalition soldiers.
We should not forget what bin Laden believed in. For forgetfulness breeds ignorance, one of the reasons why Al Qaeda evolved to fight the West. The better we understand their motives, the better we can challenge them, disprove them, and protect the world. This should be Osama’s legacy.
No, WE stopped Osama. The West. The world. Civilisation. The world joined together in unity after 9/11: East and West, Christians and Muslims. The world was one in its shock, fear, disgust and animosity to a small group of individuals who saw fit to try and terrorise the world. At times they almost succeeded. But they never did. For there was always reason and sanity to fight against them.
It’s been a strange day today. Almost surreal in fact. All the Facebook and Twitter updates; the endless news feeds, stories and different takes; the passing comments and jokes. On the one hand, I can understand why crowds gathered in front of the White House chanting “U..S..A..”, or why New York residents were jubilant beyond belief. But on the other, these people are cheering and rejoicing at the death of a human being, albeit an evil one.
Now is the time for us to show our humanity, to show our fair and peaceful nature. We must be the better man. The soldiers who carefully and respectfully dealt with bin Laden’s body according to Muslim tradition began this process, despite being at the front line of Osama’s war against them. We should emulate their example and show the Islamic world that we are caring and respectful, lest we give them reason to dislike and distrust us. Us cheering at Osama’s death could in some ways be seen just the same way as we see Taliban fighters cheering at the death of coalition soldiers.
We should not forget what bin Laden believed in. For forgetfulness breeds ignorance, one of the reasons why Al Qaeda evolved to fight the West. The better we understand their motives, the better we can challenge them, disprove them, and protect the world. This should be Osama’s legacy.
Reader Comments (1)
I knew somebody else would agree with me about this 'showing our humanity'