Osama Bin Laden was “an enemy of true Islam” and his death will hopefully end the era of terrorism, according to the head of the Islamic Call Society in Malta.
“Bin Laden’s extremist convictions and terroristic practices caused great injustice to Islam and led to disastrous consequences for the Islamic world,” Imam Mohammad Elsadi told The Times yesterday in the wake of news that the world’s most wanted terrorist was killed by US Special Forces in Pakistan.
Welcoming the news, Imam Elsadi said Bin Laden distorted the moderate and peaceful teachings of Islam, giving Muslim dictators an excuse to deny their people real freedom and democracy on the pretext of fighting terrorism.
“I hope his death will end the era of terrorism and channel the efforts of the democratic world to help the Muslim countries combat dictatorship, poverty and backwardness and enable the Palestinian people to establish their own independent state,” Imam Elsadi said.
US Ambassador Douglas Kmiec described the event as “a victory for all human beings who seek to live in peace, security and dignity”.
The civilised world had an obligation, he added, to serve justice in the hope this would bring some form of closure to relatives of the victims of Bin Laden’s terroristic actions.
“Nothing will ever heal the pain of those who lost loved ones in the horrific events of September 11 but Bin Laden’s death is a step in the direction of closure for these people,” he said.
Describing the terrorist’s life as one dedicated to destroying innocent lives and preventing human progress, Prof. Kmiec said death was not a time to celebrate but rather a time of reflection.
“If this death allows the world to reflect on and address the causes of extreme poverty and instil a higher understanding of the different faiths it will help bring more closure,” Prof. Kmiec said.
Mr Bin Laden’s death has given rise to hope that it will stymie the terrorist organisation he spawned and funded but some have also sounded a word of caution.
Arsalan Alshinawi, a lecturer in international relations at the University of Malta, said the killing will cause problems for al-Qaeda in the short term but insisted it would not solve the problems facing the Arab Muslim world, which could have contributed to Bin Laden’s rise.
“Muslims have grievances towards the West. They are not happy with the way Israel is allowed to flaunt UN resolutions. There are centuries of mistrust between the East and West and I do not think Bin Laden’s killing will change this complex equation.”
Extremists like Bin Laden find fertile ground in poor neighbourhoods, Dr Alshinawi added, where people may even wrongly blame the West for the state they are in even though it might have been their governments’ fault.
“The West has focused on Islamic extremists and given less attention to moderate Muslims. With or without Bin Laden the fundamental issues of concern will remain the same. Some may rejoice with the achievement but it is a narrow understanding of the complex issues involved and does little to understand the grievances and perceptions of Muslim Arabs.”
Bin Laden’s death was universally greeted, with the EU saying the world was “a safer place”.
In a joint statement EU Commission president José Manuel Barroso and Council president Herman Van Rompuy described the event as a major achievement in the efforts to “rid the world of terrorism”.
The government issued a statement last night saying that Bin Laden was responsible for some of the worst terrorist attacks in recent history that cost the lives of thousands of innocent people.
“We hope that the world will be a safer place to live in and that the international community will continue to strive to combat the scourge of extremism and to build a world of peace, security and prosperity for all.”
See also:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110503/local/Security-stepped-up.363373