Their President has said so.
While in no sense do I propose to "stick up for" (support) Osama bin Laden - was his murder justified?
I mean that in a legal sense - was it "just" - as in the meaning of the word "justice".
*****
Firstly, it was a foreign intrusion into the sovereign territory of Pakistan.
Was that authorised? Probably not.
Do the Americans care about such niceties? Probably not.
How do we know for sure that the person killed was Osama bin Laden, not some tall bearded person of Arabian style and breeding?
Make no mistake the Americans are perfectly capable of killing a "look alike" person of Arabic features, to justify their actions - for their political advantage.
The Americans claim that he has been identified by DNA analysis, comparing the "victims" DNA with a sample of the blood of a female relative of ObL apparenly living in the USA.
The body has apparently been buried at sea.
I can see lots of reasons for not holding him as a prisoner, nor for holding his body, lest it become a reason for pilgrimage, or adulation.
However, a burial at sea, is awfully convenient - simply because the story is unverifiable.
*****
Personally, I have believed for some time that ObL was very likely killed in the Tora Bora caves, years ago, in a huge American bombardment.
In my view it suited the Americans to keep the myth of ObL alive - to give them a reason to progress the "War on Terror".
Then the Americans discovered that Aljazeera was being used very successfully by the Islamists to perpetuate the "myth" of ObL's leadership.
Eventually the Americans had to get rid of him, and they have done so now (apparently) in a manner both illegal and immoral.
Worse it is unverifiable.
*****
If we condemn Israel for unauthorised assassination of their enemies (as we do), how does this differ - in any legal sense?
If we condemn terrorism, how does this action differ, in any legal sense?
And, on a cultural basis, how does brutal hysterical rejoicing (on the streets of America) at the news of the killing differ from the kind of uncivilised behaviour people attribute to uncivilised societies?
Is the celebration of this murder going to convince any Islamists that everything they have been told about "The Great Satan" (America) is wrong?
Edit
In case you think that everybody is shouting and cheering, in America, I am pleased to say that not everybody there is totally mad.
http://interruptingthesilence.com/2011/05/02/the-works-of-my-hands-thoughts-on-the-death-of-osama-bin-laden/And even better is this one:
Whose Death Does God Cheer?by Jimmy Spencer Jr. Monday, May 2nd, 2011Thanks to Brigid for those links.
4 comments:
Love the new look for the site, Denis. Very neat and professional.
Love the conspiracy theory. I hate to sound like I have something in common with the crazy "birthers" in the USA who are having trouble coming to grips with the long form version of Obama's birth certificate - but where is the evidence? We ordinary mortals have, it appears, only Obama's word for it that Osama is now recently dead.
If there are photographs - please, can someone direct me to them. I have seen pictures this morning of a bloodied bedroom etc. Are there no pictures of Osama, dead or alive? If not, what's the excuse/reason? Would we be horrified at what US military forces can do to a human body? But surely, in the USA, a lot of people would cheer if the body was in a horrible or even tortured condition.
In these days of social media and what Wikileaks can do - we have no satisfactory detailed report. Not good enough. The USA has failed the transparency/accountability test. But perhaps they have been failing that for so long, it has taken on the appearance of normalcy.
As for people questioning the effects of Osama's death (one of my Muslim friends is operating a poll on his Facebook), I think there will be some diminution in the alQaeda mythology without the glamour and money that Osama provided. However, the genie of alQaeda methodology is out of the bottle and it won't go back in altogether.
It should be remembered that the West had its own version of alQaeda in the 60s and 70s in Europe in the form of the Red Brigades and the Bader-Meinhoff group. They have long since gone - even before the fall of The Wall. Eventually, alQaeda look alikes will have had their day. The West has developed a series of methodologies to deal with the matter.
The biggest untapped assistance would be democracies in all Muslim countries and a one-state solution for Israel/Palestine if Jewish/Zionist/Israeli support for Palestinian eviction and extermination can be reined in.
Thanks Brigid.
What about the illegality of the incursion into Pakistan?
What about the lack of a trial. The Americans have reduced themselves to the level of the people they criticise (or even "despise").
How does this advance the cause of civilisation?
As for the chanting mobs - I am appalled.
Denis
Well I spent about 20 minutes typing some comments and then in the process of Previewing and wanting to make an amendment therefrom the thing disappeared. This process is not idiot-proof.
Nothing is imperfect, Leo.
I didn't receive a notice that your comment had arrived.
Sorry.
Denis
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