Osama Bin Laden's Death

I think whether you live in the Unites States or not,you would have heard Osama Bin Ladan has died and it was at the hands of a Navy Seal, it was news heard all over the world . As part of a special operation command by President Obama who received word of Osama's location a few months back, ordered an attack Abbottabad, Pakistan, where Bin Ladan was confirmed to be located. In less than an hour of firefighting, Bin Ladan was dead, shot twice in the head. Four men and once woman were killed along with Bin Ladan, and fortunately no American soldiers. On May 1st 2011, President Obama announced to the United States and to the world that Osma Bin Ladan has died and that "justice has been served". 

Within hours of hearing the news of Osama Bin Ladan's death, I honestly had mixed emotions of how I should take the news. Seeing all the updated Facebook statuses rejoicing in the news of his death, praising America and condemning Osama and Al Quida ----an international terrorist group organized in the 1980s by Osama Bin Ladan dedicated to the elimination of Western foreign Policy--- I wondered if everyone really understood the extent of what they were saying. After the tragic events of 9/11 it's understandable for any American to have hate, anger, fear for Osama and any member of Al Quida. I am only saying I wonder if people understand what they're saying because every post was literally a negative curse, even from those friends too young to understand. I was in middle school the day of September 11th 2001 and I knew exactly what I was doing, where I was when I heard the news. I turned on the television before going to school and saw the flashing news broadcast but not really understanding what was going until arriving at school and it was announced to our whole school. At such a young age I didn't even understand the magnitude of what that day meant. All I felt at the time was scared because the weeks following they would name new places where possible attacks could be and one of them was where I lived. As years past all I knew from the war in Iraq was that more and more soldiers were dying and now 10 years later the man responsible for so many American lives and the lives of those lost over seas from this war, is dead. Instead of rejoicing with my friends on Facebook of a man's death, I felt just as scared and numb as the day of 9/11. 

I wanted to know more about other people's reactions about Bin Ladan's death and what I found was that as much celebration there was for his death there were just as much anger for his death. Angered in the sense of remembering those who have died from on his ideals and angered by his followers who have even more hatred towards the United States. In a blogg entitled World Reactions to Osama Bin Ladan's Death, the reactions were favorable in Europe where the British Prime Minister stated that his death is a step forward in the fight against terrorism. In Saudi Arabia however, the reactions were mixed. Saudi Arabia is where Osama Bin Ladan was borm but the country also hopes that is a a step that supports the international efforts against terrorism.  Where it was enlightening to read that most of the reactions of Osama's death were towards having hope to end terrorism, there were other frightening reactions from those who supported Osama Bin Ladan's mission and hatred towards the United States. In a blogg by the International Business Times entitled Osama Bin Ladan dead: Fury Sparked among supporters the reactions were anything but joyful. The pictures below are from the site, which made me sad and fearful for what is to come from Osama's death. 

It may be so that Osama is dead but his mission and his followers are not. Osama himself was not on the planes that attacked the World Trade Center towers, Osama did not kill all the soldiers that we have deployed overseas in the last 10 years. We may have killed the Al Quida leader but we have not killed Al Quida. 

In hearing the news of Osama Bin Ladan's death I felt fear but I also felt sad. Sad for those who have died in the past 10 years from this war and from terrorism. I did not rejoice on Osama's death because I dont think an eye for an eye is a justifiable way for someone to die. I believe any death is not something to be rejoicing. Instead I thought about those families who have lost someone from this war on terrorism and I hope that they have found peace. Another reason I felt I had no right to rejoice in Osama's death was because I havnt done anything personally for the war or know a lot about the war to have a say in his death. I am thankful for the hundreds of soldiers that have given up so much to fight a war over seas because they have actually done something for the war and our praise should be for them and their efforts.