Although the death of Osama bin Laden elicited a wide variety of reactions, these three students responses each offer a point of view with a personal connection to the issue.
By Mandi Gosling
Opinions Editor
Few people in the world enjoy the luxury of always feeling safe and arguably, I shouldn’t feel entitled to such a naive illusion. Either way, the death of Osama bin Laden reminded me of the day he stole that from me.
On a morning run in midtown Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001, I stopped to talk with construction workers who were staring a few miles in the distance at the black smoke billowing from one of the towers of the World Trade Center.
Hundreds of sirens blew past us, too many to count, as they told me about an ill-fated airplane. We talked about mechanical problems and pilot errors. Then we watched as another plane slammed into the second tower.
I don’t remember my reaction really, I think I went numb, but I remember so distinctly the words I heard next.
“That’s no accident, that’s terrorism,” said one of the men. I knew the word – terrorism – but it felt unfamiliar, like it only belonged in foreign countries. I dismissed his comment at the time, quite sure the whole thing had to be an accident, not intentional, even planned.
From a friend’s 27th floor apartment, I watched both buildings crumble. I saw people running uptown, away from the smoke and ashes filling the air. As the faint smell of death wafted up my nose, I still felt no fear for my safety, just hollow at such a tragic accident, absolutely unavoidable.
But that evening, more foreign words began to echo from the TV – Taliban, al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden – so weird to pronounce, strange to my ears, each time perforating my sense of safety, which would never be restored.
The news of his death does not restore it so I feel no impulse to celebrate. The celebrations remind me of the ignorance, born of extremism, which stole my safety in the first place. I will celebrate when we rid the world of extremism and not just the face of it.
By Christiaan Patterson
Staff Reporter
The death of Osama Bin Laden does not mark the end of war on terrorism or invoke peace in our country. If anything, it begins another chapter in which we will have to face in the near future. With every major issue reported, people will concoct their own explanations and conspiracy theories. No matter which idea you choose to believe, bottom line: The bastard is dead.
It may be wrong to celebrate a death of a person, however, do unto others as you want done to yourself is a superbly fitting phrase in this case. After killing thousands of people around the world, this mongrel got exactly what he deserved.
After 9/11, I was angry with Bin Laden and those followers who didn’t have half a brain to think for themselves. The next few years were spent educating myself on Islam and understanding that Muslims were not to be blamed. It was extremist ideals that were the problem. Therefore, in 2006 when I was 19, I joined the Navy in an effort to end his tirade.
Once my service ended, I closely monitored and supported my fellow shipmates and comrades over seas. When the news broke last week, a huge sigh of relief and closure came over me and my military friends. Our efforts were not in vain and we did our jobs remarkably well! The family members of those who perished on 9/11 can finally have a sense of closure and know that justice has been served. Hooyah Navy!
By Mashhoud Salehian
Contributor
Whether the death of one evil man will change the world for the better is uncertain and it is tragic for me to feel comforted by the death of a human being.
But for nearly a decade, the face of one man has overshadowed the beauty and peace of Islam, my religion. It has distracted from its true meaning of submission to God. It has perpetuated an image of terror and hatred which is contrary to what well over one billion Muslims around the world practice and live.
I sincerely hope that his death will mark the beginning of a new era in America and the rest of the world. An era in which words such as Islam, Arab or Middle East will not equal terrorism, but the cry of young men and women for freedom, democracy and equality.
I hope that people will finally realize the terrorists we are fighting are not Muslim terrorists, but rather terrorists who pretend to be Muslim, a dying breed soon to be replaced by a progressive youth who are yearning for the most basic thing that many take for granted – Freedom!
Mashhoud Salehian, 24, is a junior majoring in political science.
