The Death of Osama Bin Laden

The world's most wanted man has been killed. But is the response over the top?by Denisse Moreno.Even as headlines on New York City's newspapers screamed "US nails the bastard" and "Rot in Hell," many people around the world weren't as cold-blooded when they heard about the death of Al-Quaeda leader Osama Bin Laden earlier this month.Many people agree that the killing of Bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9-11 attacks, needed to happen. But probing deeper brings more mixed feelings, especially among Muslims living in the U.S. "He's just one guy," says Sahina Islam, 21, a political science major who is Muslim. "His death is not solving all the problems."That killing took place on Sunday May 1, when U.S. Special Forces Navy Seals raided Bin Laden's home in Abbottabad, some 100 kilometers from Pakistan's capital Islamabad. Bin Laden, who received a shot above his left eye and his chest, was killed along with five other people who were on the compound. After DNA tests, his body was dropped into the North Arabian Sea.Though Bin Laden was considered a hero to some in the Islam world, student Mariama Diallo, also Muslim, says that the dead leader didn't speak for her "As a Muslim, I don't consider him as a person who is fighting for my religion," says Diallo, 21. "God says to love everyone not to kill others; Bin Laden was fighting for his own reason."Diallo, a political science major, adds that though the "World's Most Wanted Man" is gone, she continues to feel uneasy."I was shocked at first. But I also started to wonder what will happen next, especially because I live in New York City, she says. "I feel more threatened. I hope there is no revenge."CCNY international relations program director Bruce Cronin claims that citizens should not fear retaliation from Al-Qaeda. "Al-Qaeda is not a coherent organization that has the ability to launch revenge attacks," argues Cronin. "Any attacks will be from individuals, and frankly there's not a lot we can do about that."Cronin claims that extreme security measures won't stop the bad guys. "You can have a large police presence, but you're not going to stop crime; crime is still going to happen," he says. "And terrorism will still happen. Increasing certain measures is overreaction."International studies senior, Ndey Diop, doesn't even believe Bin Laden has actually been killed. She insists that U.S. official should release solid proof to assure people that Bin Laden really is dead. "People want to know whether he really is dead or not," says Diop, 24. "Why would they kill him and just dump him?" wonders Diop. "He's not a regular criminal; this is the most wanted man on Earth."Cronin counters that U.S. officials do not have to release photos to prove Bin Laden is dead. "There will always be people who will doubt Bin Laden's death," says Cronin, "but then again there are people who believe Elvis Presley is still alive."Islam, Diallo, Diop and Cronin all agree that someone in Pakistan knew Bin Laden had been hiding there for years. "Either they knew, or their intelligence is incompetent," says Diop. "Someone had to know; it's Osama Bin Laden! You can't miss that guy."Cronin adds that the ISI, Pakistan's intelligence agency, most likely knew Bin Laden was hiding in their country. "It's not clear whether the government knew about it," says Cronin, "But given where the compound was located, it does not seem possible that nobody knew about him living there."As the conversation about the death of Bin Laden continues, Cronin remains realistic about the impact of his killing.  He says that claims that his death will not change Al-Qaeda much, because it has been weak for the past five or six years. However, he adds, "it is a terrible blow symbolically."