Quote:
Originally Posted by HeartsOfFire
This violence won't be solved overnight, even with the death of bin Laden. It will take generations to weed out the hatred that he and his ilk have sewn in the idealistic, the ignorant, and the desperate. The traditional islamic rites and burial at sea show that even in the face of al-Qaeda's barbarism and inhuman methods, America refused to capitulate and stoop to the same level of barbarism. Very mature, very humbling, very honourable. It is what separates them from common thugs. When an oppressed civilian population gets caught between two factions, whom do you think they will run to for protection? The guys that have been spouting that America is evil and must be destroyed, the same guys that won't hesitate to grab you and put you between them and their guns? Or the guys you have been taught all your life are the enemy, who despite everything you've been told, refuse to fire upon anyone unarmed? You won't win any hearts of the enemy, but others caught between the two this and feel a pang of respect and appreciation that American's retained the dignity to give Osama the rites appropriate to his culture.
I agree, we have to stand up for ourselves, our people, and our beliefs. And among those beliefs is the cultural stigma that we don't use civilians as human shields, our women are equal in importance to men, and our soldiers to not desecrate the bodies of their enemies.
I'd like to add at this point that we all know perfectly well America's record isn't perfect. Civilian lives have been lost at their hands. Atrocities have been committed by both sides. Indeed, it's easy for me to sit safely and comfortably in my office chair and preach about honour, respect, and dignity when I have never seen a shred of military combat. Those values I preach offer little comfort to the soldiers that have had to witness their comrades in arms killed in combat, maimed by a roadside bomb, or executed in cold blood. We are all only human, and we are all weak. But this act, this ONE act of dignity and honour at the hands of the Americans is a BIG step towards setting things right.
Finally, the name eludes me at the moment, but one of our regular contributors has a signature: "Dear Lord, please help me be the person my dog thinks I am." Eloquent and appropriate in this situation, for the opposite is also true.
"Dear Lord, give me strength, courage and conviction, so that I may never become the man my enemies say I am."
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Well said, and I partly agree with you on some points.
But...
Osama died as a martyr, and wasn't taken alive to become a prisoner - which he wanted all along, then, he gets an Islamic burial. Thats like having your cake and eating it too for the worlds most wanted man.
It was an insult to all those who lost their lives in the countless bombings of buildings, suicide bombers running into crowds, 9/11, etc. Osama showed them no respect, so why do we need to show him his one last honor?
Yes I understand the argument that it may help curb the backlash by extremists, but I promise you that there was not one extremist who handed in his gun because of the respect the USA showed for their leader.
I see is as a slap in the face to everybody affected by 9/11. The dead, the families, the police, the firefighters.
We hear all the time that Islam is a peaceful religion. If that is the case, this man is not a muslim. HE IS A FLAT OUT MURDERER!!! You didn't see any Muslim nation asking for his body did you? NO! NO BODY WANTED HIM! Yes there are many reasons as to why, but the fact is that no Muslim nation wanted to bury him.
The fact is he is gone, but his terrorist group still lives on, and always will. Someone will take his place, and it probably has already happened.
I was just outraged to see they showed him such courtesy after he killed thousands of innocent people.