Tuesday, May 10, 2011

I’m really not sure…

….whether the American Navy SEALS going in and killing Osama bin Laden was a good thing or not. It didn’t help that the reports that came out were changed several times so we are still unsure of the truth behind what happened.

I can fully understand why the Americans needed to do it and why, for them, killing bin Laden was better than taking him into captivity for a later trial. However, it does seem to have created a mixed reaction.

The Pakistani government are in turmoil about it following accusations that they knowingly harboured the al-Qaida terrorist. They are also not happy about the Americans going into sovereign territory without their permission.

The Muslim world seems to divide between the minority who have reacted violently to the majority who have shown indifference. Al-Qaida was not the force that it was in 2011 before the raid on the twin towers in New York. After 9/11, the majority of Muslims were agreed that there was no legitimacy for such acts of terrorism in fighting their cause. In fact more Muslims have died at the hands of al-Qaida than Europeans and Americans combined. Little wonder then that is not a great deal of sympathy for the terrorist group.

The Spanish President, Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero, who at first said that bin Laden had "sought his own destiny" now says, "any democrat would have preferred to see him stand trial." Many other seem to agree with that sentiment by saying that If bin Laden was not killed whilst defending himself then he was murdered.

One thing is for certain, we have not heard the end of this; the risk of reprisals is very high and we have no where idea where they will strike first.

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