Editorial
End of bin-laden
Will it end extremism?
After nearly ten years of the destruction of the Twin Towers the alleged mastermind behind the attack and indeed behind many other terrorist attacks before and since, mostly against US interest, has been killed. Reportedly, he was taken out from his lair in the town of Abbotabad in Hazara, a border district in the erstwhile NWFP of Pakistan
It was perhaps a matter of time before the Americans caught up with and destroyed the symbol and the motive force behind the spate of religiously motivated terrorist acts in the world. And it is time that we deliberate on the implication of his life and death, both for the world, and, more importantly, the region of South Asia which has been transformed into the focus of the US led war on terrorism.
It is true that for many Muslims bin-Laden was a symbol of resistance against US hypocrisy and double standards. And some may have looked up to him as one that could stand up to the Americans. It was that anti-US sentiments that Laden had so skillfully exploited all these years and no doubt many had become ideologically, if not organically, associated with him. But it is also true that a vast majority of the Muslims did not agree with his method of work. Killing of innocents was abhorrent to the religion that Laden aspired to establish over the world, and yet very few among the vast majority that disagreed with him, picked up the courage to protest.
Physical elimination of a leader is one thing, overcoming his ideological hold, however restricted that may be, is quite another.
Though bin-Laden's methods were violent, an element of his appeal was due to Western hypocrisy in dealing with Muslim issues, especially that of Palestine.
We would like to add that with bin-Laden's death the image of Western hypocrisy will not be erased so the West should work towards eliminating that impressing by striking at the roots of injustices against them.
We in Bangladesh should do everything to eliminate all forms of extremism and religious bigotry. bin-Laden promoted a brand of religious extremism that we must totally abjure and do everything to build a democratic and tolerant society.
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