The Death of Osama Bin Laden:

Osama Bin Laden did not invent modern day terror tactics or terrorism: terror attacks against the State, but he did take it to a level that was truly shocking.

The attacks on Sept 11th in the USA and subsequent attacks in Madrid, London and Bali will be remembered for their indiscriminate barbarity, and how they could sow the fear that these events could happen anywhere and at any time. Worst still that feat still hasn’t gone away.

The outcome of such attacks undertaken by so few produced two unforgivable elements to Muslim’s across the world. As a direct result to the ‘War on terror’, hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places across world have been killed. Secondly, the millions of law abiding Muslims in the UK, Europe and beyond are regularly seen as an enemy of the West and western values.

If Bin Laden’s death is as much symbolic as it is a blow to the Al –Queda movement, we must use it as a time to reflect on how we have allowed the poison of a few to demonise millions of good people. We need to remember that Al –Queda and its offshoots have killed many more Muslims than it ever did ‘Non believers’.

Finally, the recent uprisings in the Arab world acutely tell us that terror, fear and oppressive regimes are not what the vast majority of Muslims around the world want. They want fairness, greater democracy, and the opportunity to just get on with the lives.

We must all hope that the death of Osama Bid Laden brings us all closer to those goals.

Simon Woolley

Picture: Osama Bin Laden