THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Osama Bin Laden's death could signal the end of an extreme and harmful distortion of Islam
It took the world's sole hyperpower almost a decade to corner its nemesis, and hold Osama bin Laden to account. The death of al-Qaeda's charismatic founder will not signal an immediate end to his notorious creation, which has transmuted itself into locally operated franchises in strategic parts of the Islamic world. Nor will there be any perceptible diminution of violence and bloodshed in the short term: indeed, the manner of his death, and the fact that he was buried at sea, even though he died on land, will only inflame al-Qaeda's sympathisers, and serve to cement bin Laden's iconic status in the eyes of his supporters.
Yet bin Laden's departure will have far-reaching consequences, both in Muslim countries and for Muslims within the West. Most importantly, it will stall al-Qaeda's recruitment drive. Ever since its creation, the organisation was shrouded in a deliberately cultivated aura of divine invincibility, as it combated and often thwarted the soldiers and intelligence services of the United States. Now that their leader is no more, his forlorn followers will assert that he is a martyr – but they can no longer claim that he enjoys God's protection. » | Taj Hargey | Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Bin Laden’s death changes NOTHING about the NATURE of ISLAM. – © Mark
