News of U.S. killing Al Qaeda leader triggered conflicting reactions among Muslims worldwide, split between those who felt a bit of personal sadness over a brutal ending of his life, and those who felt remorse and may be joy for a long awaited end to the core reason of the U.S. so-called war on terror.
For U.S. Muslims who lived 11 years of seclusion and hard times of rampant Islamophobia that retaliated for September 11 attacks, Bin Laden’s death brought hope for better future of more peace and less hatred.
Speaking at a news conference Monday morning in Washington, Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, stated he felt no division among the community in welcoming news of killing Al Qaeda leader. Awad said that Bin Laden, whose actions led to the deaths of innocent Muslims worldwide, “received justice.”
911 attacks carried out 11 years ago brought much suffering to the world in general and Muslims in particular, especially those living in the U.S. It was used as a pretext of two major armed campaigns, in Iraq and Afghanistan, claimed the lives of thousands in America and placed great pressure on over 2 million Muslims residing in the States, who had to live in an atmosphere of suspicion and prejudice simply because they’re Muslims.
Numerous surveys and studies found considerable rise in negative sentiments and hate attacks against Muslims in the U.S. following 911.
The U.S. FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) has been poking its nose into the lives of Muslims in the Unites States of America, claiming it’s part of surveillance work aimed at protecting the country.
And most recently the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) stated that Muslims in the United States are watched, especially at mosques, according to a Press TV correspondent in Washington.
“American Muslims pretty well assume now if they go to a mosque, they are going to be either under surveillance, or going to be in the hearing radius of some agent provocateur,” said Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR.
“I think people need to realize that it does not just affect the American Muslims; it affects everybody,” Hooper added.
However mainstream media news reports about throwing Bin Laden’s body in the sea triggered considerable outcry among many Muslims who insist he should have received a proper Muslim burial and that the sanctity of human bodies shouldn’t be transgressed under any circumstances.
Speaking to the media upon hearing news of Bin Laden’s killing, Dr. Ahmed el Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, and Dr. Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, expressed anger and concern over the throwing of Bin laden’s corpse in the sea, stressing that sanctity of human bodies are to be respected and that he should have received proper Muslim burial.
On the other hand, some questioned the credibility of the news that the US. Commandos killed Al Qaeda leader, with some suggesting he’s still alive, and others saying that he has killed himself before being arrested or could have asked one of his aides to kill him if American forces found a way to know his whereabouts.
The U.S. has been chasing after Bin laden over the past 11 years, launching what was labeled by the ex-U.S. government as open-ended war on terror.
By: The Muslim Tribune Staff
Posted on: June 10, 2011