"Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
On May 2, Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was killed. It was announced to the world, and Americans everywhere felt a since of relief and peace. People celebrated in the streets and gathered at ground zero. Initially, I jumped right into the mainstream celebration, but after the dust settled and I was left with my own emotions, something about it didn't quite feel right and I didn't exactly know why.
This was a man responsible for killing so many Americans. His extreme beliefs have not only led to the death of my fellow countrymen but even his own as he convinced his followers to die as martyrs, while he lived as a coward in a cave.
Along with millions of other Americans, I will never forget where I was when I heard about the 9/11 attacks. As a sophomore in high school, I was too wrapped up in petty teenage drama to even know what a terrorist was. I didn't know how serious it was, I didn't know about the history of al-Qaeda and the U.S., and I definitely never would have predicted the ensuing battle that would take place over the next ten years.
I am a part of the 9/11 generation, one of many who have words like terrorist, al-Qaeda, Muslim extremist, Afghanistan, World Trade Center, Taliban and many more permanently embedded in my lexicon. Over the last ten years, I have watched and read the news, caving to the agenda-setting function set forth by American journalists. I don't agree with the actions taken by bin Laden, and in fact, I'm completely against it--I know it's wrong and that he should be stopped and punished for his wrongdoings. After all, that is justice, a justice that I firmly believe in. Yet, his murder does not seem right either.
In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., "Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Hate cannot drive out hate--only love can do that." The words of this respected man, who also died as a martyr, ring true as we are being told by al-Qaeda that "[They] will remain, God willing, a curse chasing the Americans and their agents, following them outside and inside their countries. Soon, God willing, their happiness will turn to sadness. Their blood will be mingled with their tears."
As much anger as I have towards this killer, I still feel sorry for him. He appeared wise, but he was ignorant in so many ways.
I'm not a tree-hugging radical or anything. I know that his death was inevitable and somewhat necessary, but I'm also a simple-minded girl who truly believes in the healing powers of forgiveness and love. I don't have all the answers, I don't know what could have or should have been done--I'm just confused and unwilling to accept a violent death as recompense for a war on terrorism. In my opinion, this won't put a stop to anything, it will only work to feed fuel to the flames.
Side note: Sorry for the lack of pictures, but how do you match an image with this?
