Has Osama Bin Laden Died Again?

While there are few facts that ascertain the death of Osama Bin Laden, his opponents are already celebrating his elimination in a U.S.-led military operation in Pakistan.

President Barack Obama on Sunday came for a special video address to confirm the death of Bin Laden, who is believed to be a terrorist.

By Rakesh Raman

Founder of the Jihadist organization al-Qaeda, Bin Laden has been on the American Federal Bureau of Investigation’s lists of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives and Most Wanted Terrorists. It’s said that he was involved in the 1998 US embassy bombings and the 9/11 attacks on U.S. people in 2001.

After his claimed killing in the combat operation, it was also said that going by the Islamic traditions, Bin Laden’s body was quickly buried in the sea immediately after his death. Naturally, others couldn’t see it.

Here comes the paradox. On one hand, U.S. has always said that Bin Laden was a murderer and not a Muslim. On the other, it preferred to follow Muslim traditions to throw his body in the deep sea in such a haste that others couldn’t see and decide if he has actually been killed.

So, has he been killed? Who knows! Although it’s being claimed that the DNA collected from his body matched with his dead sister’s DNA samples on record, these claims are not sufficient enough to confirm his death.

In fact, it’s not the first time that Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (or Osama Bin Laden), 54, has been declared dead.

In 2007, it was rumoured that Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto said in an interview that Bin Laden was dead. Other agencies also claimed from time to time that he was dead after military attacks or because of his poor health. But after each such claim, Bin Laden would release a video tape announcing he was not dead and was alive and kicking.

So, has Osama Bin Laden died again? If yes, how many times can a man die? And what’s the right way to prove the death? Any answers? No.

But for the time being the announcement of Bin Laden’s death can give some relief to President Obama. He can add at least one victory in front of his name, as he has just begun his campaign for the presidential election of 2012. On most other fronts, including the local job market, the general state of U.S. economy, and multiple offshore wars, his progress has been pretty humdrum.

Still, there are large scale celebrations in the U.S. and social media sites are deluged with congratulatory messages on Bin Laden’s death. Even the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a national Muslim civil rights organization, has welcomed the announcement of the elimination of Osama Bin Laden (pictured above).

In a statement issued today (May 2) following President Obama’s announcement of Bin Laden’s death, the Washington-based CAIR said: “We join our fellow citizens in welcoming the announcement that Osama bin Laden has been eliminated as a threat to our nation and the world through the actions of American military personnel. As we have stated repeatedly since the 9/11 terror attacks, Bin Laden never represented Muslims or Islam. In fact, in addition to the killing of thousands of Americans, he and Al Qaeda caused the deaths of countless Muslims worldwide. We also reiterate President Obama’s clear statement tonight that the United States is not at war with Islam.”

Although President Obama has announced Bin Laden’s death, most fail to understand that Osama Bin Laden is not a mortal being. Rather, it’s an organized belief. And it’s very difficult to kill beliefs.

By Rakesh Raman, the managing editor of Raman Media Network.

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New RMN Poll – “Do you really think Osama bin Laden has died?” Your options: 1. Yes. Because it’s in the news. 2. No. We haven’t even seen his dead body. 3. Can’t say. He might appear again. 4. Actually, it’s an assumption. You can Vote under the “What You Say…” section of the RMN news site.

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