Celebrating Death

Osama bin Laden has been dead for 4 days (maybe…depending on whether you believe the US’s story or not!) and in these 4 days, something has been bothering me. Why is everyone celebrating his death?

Being in the UK, I probably didn’t hear as much about the gaiety as I would have had I been in the US. But I think after reading about the celebrations from several news sources, I have a good idea what was happening. People seem giddy with joy over bin Laden’s death.

A few people I talked and/or communicated with immediately after bin Laden’s death stated their distaste of all the joy and happiness people were showing. They were all of the opinion that no one should celebrate death, no matter how terrible that person is.

My feelings mirror theirs. Death is death, no matter who it strikes. A life was lost; why are we celebrating this? As someone posted on Facebook, ‘I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.’

Yes, Osama bin Laden might have been one of the US’s worst enemies of the time, but he was a fellow human being. He had a family; what will happen to them now that their husband/father is gone? We feel sad for children who lose their parents while fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan, but how many have considered bin Laden’s children? They were even there when he was shot and killed! Plus, he was fighting for something he believed in. In fact, the cause he was fighting for – pushing foreign forces which are killing many innocent Muslims out of Muslims countries – isn’t necessarily a bad cause. The problem is how he chose to go about fixing the problem, turning to violence instead of peace.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying I feel sympathy for bin Laden or anybody who supported him, nor am I trying to protect him or what al-Qaeda stands for. Bin Laden is directly responsible for the deaths of many Muslims. I read somewhere not too long that 98% of those he murdered in a certain time period were Muslims. I am not terribly fond of anyone who attacks Muslims for no reason, but when a fellow Muslim (or a so-called Muslim) murders their brothers and sisters in Islam, it really ruffles my feathers. And, as I mentioned above, while the cause bin Laden was fighting for isn’t a terrible cause, his choice to kill and maim was far from a good choice. As for al-Qaeda, that is probably the one group responsible for the bad rap the average Muslim has today. What they stand for and support is far from the true teachings of Islam.

Ultimately, I believe in peace, and I believe there’s always a peaceful way to end any bad situation. It’s just about discovering what that way is.

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Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. – Martin Luther King, Jr.