OBL RIP

COMMENT

Gotcha! the American murder squad must have cried as they burst in on the world's most wanted man, who had, it turns out, not been hiding in the inaccessible mountains of southern Afghanistan, but in a comfortable compound within sight of a Pakistani military academy.

After 9/11, GWB coined that famous expression from the Old West:
"Wanted: dead or alive", to describe his status, and it wasn't hard to understand why. Thousands of US citizens had just been murdered in the most outrageous terrorist attack of all time, and their countrymen were out for blood.

Yesterday morning, Sky News showed a photo of his bloody, battered face against an older photo and we were left in no doubt. Later in the day he was sealed into a weighted body-bag and dumped in the ocean.

Right after 9/11, I was of the opinion that the attacks were an expression of rage against America's unswerving support of the Israeli cause, and a steadfast refusal to recognise the human rights of the Palestinian people. Consequently, I had a sneaking approval of the demonstration. Later, when it began to emerge that the philosophy of Al Qaida, owing much to the Wahabi brand of Islam that grew out of the Arabian peninsula, was to convert the entire world to their brand of blinkered Islam, I began to have second thoughts. It seemed they would stop at nothing to bring about this conversion, up to and including murder, even of their fellow Muslims, if they chose to go another way. And thus the libertarian in me was roused. I am a big diversity man: let any and all beliefs and religions flourish, so long as they permit me my right to my own views.

And so from tacit support of Al Qaida I turned to resolute opposition of their aims and methods.

Now he is dead, does it matter? Images of his beautiful face, with those gorgeous, liquid eyes, adorn the walls of Muslim homes all over the world, where he will be mourned and lionised for years to come. His death makes no difference though. His great act was accomplished and with spectacular success; the evil Americans brought to book for their crimes against Islam, meaning that even had he died on 10/11, his great coup ensures that his name will live in history for as long as it is written.

The Americans may be dancing in the streets now (just as they did in Jerusaem on that fateful day 10 years ago), but in reality nothing has changed. I suspect that, like the Nazis and Japanese militarists before them, Al Qaida will have to be crushed utterly before the world can enter a new phase of peace and reconciliation.