The entire world was (perhaps still) in waves of shock and disbelief when the news of Osama bin Laden’s death circulated every inch of the media globally. Many were celebrating, some were doubtful, others didn’t really care. Let’s just get straight to the point: Yes, he was a terrorist. Yes, he was the mastermind of the 9/11 incident which caused the death of many innocent people.
Despite the things he did, a corner of my mind finds it wrong to celebrate a person’s death – regardless how he/she used to be during life. Maybe it is because I was not directly affected when it happened, I was not there when the suicide bombing took place, I did not lose anyone I love in the incident. But that’s not exactly what I’m trying to say.
Many would say he deserved to die. And I’m not disagreeing, I’m not saying he was not wrong or he was not a bad person. I guess what I’m trying to say is that when someone we care about dies, we mourn. Yet when someone we hate/dislike dies, we have a celebration. The bigger picture is that someone died. A death took place. Someone lost her husband (in this case, a few), children lost their father. At the end of the day, we are doing something that does not seem right – celebrating something tragic.
I guess it’s a mixed feeling. Do not get me wrong, I’m not saying terrorism should not be everybody’s ultimate enemy. I’m not saying we should feel bad for him because he’s dead. I’m just looking at it in a different perspective. It is a lot like because you’re a killer, I’m going to kill you. Gandhi once said, an eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.
Nonetheless, I am glad the people who suffered tremendous losses and agony due to the 9/11 incident can finally have some sort of closure, some sort of comfort knowing that justice has been served. They deserve at the very least, that.
But after 3,000 Americans dead on 9/11, countless more in the Middle East, up to half a million Muslims dead in Iraq and Afghanistan and 10 years trying to find Bin Laden, I think it is time for the world to finally work towards world peace and harmony. End every political conflict. Stop placing citizens sandwiched between two parties with one wanting to achieve greater power than the other. Move towards putting a stop at poverty, starvation, wars and what not.
On another note, I think it is time for people to brush off that mindset of “every Muslim with a long beard could be a terrorist“. After the 9/11 incident, Muslims get stopped at airport security checks. When you sit next to a Muslim with a turban on the plane, you have a little fear growing inside of you. The entire world sees Pakistanis as supporters of Osama bin Laden.
The thing is, most people in Pakistan just want to live. They just want to lead normal lives where they do not get branded as “the same type as the number one terrorist in the world”. There were hate crimes in certain Western countries discriminating against Muslims just because they shared the same religion and beliefs as the most wanted terrorist on Earth.
I think it is very important but very difficult – to make people see that what one man had done does not reflect his entire community. He was a terrorist, he was a horrible person. Does that mean his family members are too? All of his friends as well? Including his children? Imagine growing up being labeled as a terrorist’s child when all he/she probably wants is to be known as just another kid?
I think Islam is a good religion, just like every other religion because I believe every religion teaches good and only good. However certain people decide to manipulate it whether for their own personal gains or not – and it should not be the picture used to describe others who practise the same religion/beliefs.
