What Will the Killing of Bin Laden Bring Forth?

The suspect Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. special military forces. He was a leader in the international terrorist organization al-Qaida, which plotted the 9/11 attacks on the backbone of America. Contrary to the majority viewpoint, he had been hiding in the suburbs of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

America continued to chase him for 10 years. There’s no mistaking that this incident is a turning point, but it goes without saying that the killing of the ringleader does not mean the end of terrorism. Although al-Qaida itself is considered to be in decline and bin Laden’s direct influence has been deteriorating, the al-Qaida terrorist organization system exists worldwide, and terrorism today is virtually a never-ending occurrence.

The terrorist attacks on the heart of America shook the world. Approximately 3,000 people were victims and among them as many as 24 Japanese citizens. A passenger plane was hijacked and crashed into the two New York World Trade Center towers, causing them to collapse. Through the television, the whole world shared a destructive fear caused by the events.

Will Anything Change Because of the Death of Bin Laden?

America, using 9/11 as an opportunity, then rushed into Afghanistan and the Iraq war, and the large war expenditures have caused great impoverishment. Its former presence as the only superpower in the world is no longer. The Obama administration continued American military action in Iraq, and began troop withdrawals from Afghanistan in July. It seems like there may be progress made in dialogue with the Afghani government and moderate Taliban anti-government armed insurgents.

In the advancing wave of democratic protests in the Middle East and Afghanistan, it is ironic that the terrorist bin Laden had no influence there, and that the overthrow of dictators was not done through terrorism.

In response to the news of the killing of bin Laden, in America the cheers of those who gathered were heard, in front of the White House in the capital of Washington and at ground zero at the World Trade Center site in New York, but a sense of discomfort remained irrepressible.

American President Obama said in his speech, “justice has been served.” 71-year-old Mary Sumiyama, from the Tokyo metropolitan area, whose 34-year-old son, a bank employee, died in the World Trade Center attacks, said, “Because of this, we can’t understand the truth.” This is because they were unable to put bin Laden on trial to clarify the truth. “He killed 3,000 human beings; what did he want to do?” She had been thinking about this for 10 years, but the answer will not be found.

In the war on terror, the more security measures are strengthened for the sake of national security, the more freedom is lost, and society inevitably faces the paradox of intolerance. The confrontation between the West and Islamic societies is increasingly deepened, and the difference between both sides is a great distance from the mutual acceptance of differences that exists within a democracy.

Terrorism cannot be ended through military attacks. Revenge begets revenge, and can only sow the seeds of terrorism. The death of the suspect bin Laden will lead to an increase in the likelihood of anti-American sentiment. The International Criminal Police Organization is calling for vigilance regarding terrorist activity in retaliation.

Discrimination and prejudice towards poverty and Islamic societies is the soil that nourishes terrorism. Even though within America, freedom, human rights and democracy are respected, this same America also supports administrations that oppress people. This hatred is aimed towards America. Unless this challenge is faced truthfully, the war on terror will not end.