Reflections on Bin Laden by Abdul Malik Mujahid

Any death is a time of reflection for the living. But this death requires us to take time to think, reflect, and engage in a discussion about freedom, liberty, and justice for all.

By Abdul Malik Mujahid| President of SoundVision.com

Assalamu Alaikum

Photo Courtesy: http://www.parliamentofreligions.org

Reflections on Osama Bin Laden

With Osama Bin Laden killed and his body dumped somewhere in the Arabian Sea, it’s time to rethink the last ten years.

Any death is a time of reflection for the living. But this death requires us to take time to think, reflect, and engage in a discussion about freedom, liberty, and justice for all.

We, as people of faith, don’t show happiness on anyone’s death. I nevertheless, hope that this killing brings a closure for victims of terrorism many of whom are being raised without a mother or father in the US, UK, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and elsewhere. I wish somehow the killing of Osama bin Laden could bring those people back to life. Terrorism kills, war devastates, and revenge continues the cycle of violence.

Every time I fly, I line up with fellow travelers, taking off shoes, belts, and getting ready for an invasion of our bodies, and I think of Osama bin Laden and how he has hurt Islam and Muslims on the daily basis. Millions of us go through this every day.

But this misery is nothing as compared to the tragedies of Iraqis and Afghans.

In the last 30 years of the war, about 2 million Afghans have died, 3 million maimed, and 7 millions made refuges. Afghans now only expect to live to 45 years.

To kill Saddam Husain we have killed one million Iraqis according to John Hopkins University, made five million refugees, and literally destroyed a whole country.

It was on May 1st 2003 exactly eight years ago when President Bush gave the “Mission Accomplished” speech about the end of Iraqi operations. I think it is about time that America declares this war to be over considering that President Obama has already said “Justice has been served.”

Now we need to learn to win without war. If China is winning without wars, why can we not do the same? America must once again become a principled leader in support of freedom for all people, democracy, right of self-determination, human rights, and due process of law. We need that at home and abroad.

Muslim American organizations have welcomed the news of Osama bin Ladin’s death in almost the same ritualistic way they condemn terrorism. Read here, here, and here. While condemning terrorism seems to have become almost a sixth pillar of Islam, it is important that Muslim American organizations achieve a higher level of credibility by pointing out that occupation, torture, disregard to the due process, and denial of the electoral process breeds terrorism. In this regard I appreciate the statement of 100 New York Imams who have condemned war, terrorism, and Islamophobia as one set.

I am always grateful to a fellow alumni of the University of Chicago, Prof. Robert Pape for his extra-ordinary work which proves that occupation is the real cause of suicide bombings. Read his article here, his C-SPAN speech, and his books. Prof. Robert Pape should be a required reading for all those who are concerned about peace in the world specially a former professor of the University of Chicago, President Obama. After all Prof. Pape’s research was funded by the Pentagon.

I also request that we pay attention to Mother’s day coming up on May 8th. Mothers day was started by a mother striving to oppose wars.

Peace,
Abdul Malik Mujahid

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Abdul Malik Mujahid  is an imam and an award winning author and producer. For more of his biography please click here. 

Source: An e-mail from the Sound Vision received on May 3rd, 2011.