Wednesday, May 23, 2012

5/3/11, Opinion-Editorial, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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Bin Laden Aftermath: This Mass Murderer Distorted Teachings Of Qur'an
By: Ahmed Khan

I had always imagined what I would feel the day American forces captured or killed Osama bin Laden. Although I did not know when it would happen, when the day arrived, feelings of elation overwhelmed me.

I was not elated by the fact that bin Laden had died but by the fact that justice had finally been served.

Before bin Laden, I remember a very safe, carefree and open America. Airports were not places of anxiety and apprehension. There were no orange or red alerts. Muslim-Americans were defined either as Americans or just Muslims without too much conflict between the two. They were not feared, nor was their religion looked at with disdain.

With the Sept. 11 attacks, bin Laden changed America.

In the post-bin Laden America, the families of the victims of Sept. 11 and servicemen and women fighting the war on terror grieved for their losses. Americans had to give up some of their freedoms for the sake of security for their nation.

Many Muslim-Americans went through a period of identity crisis - as if there was a conflict between their allegiance to their country and their faith. Islam was branded as a religion of violence and intolerance.

Bin Laden and al-Qaida killed thousands of innocent people. The Qur'an has taught Muslims that if they kill one man, it is as if they have killed all of mankind (5:33). Bin Laden taught Muslims to be disloyal to the countries they lived in - especially the United States - when in fact the Qur'an teaches Muslims to be loyal to those who are in authority over you (4:60). He taught the Muslim world that it was acceptable to wage "Jihad by the sword" and to cause disorder, again opposite to Qur'anic principles (5:65).

Lastly, bin Laden believed that his enemies were the enemies of God and would go to hell, but the Qur'an has included salvation to everyone who acts righteously (2:63 and 5:70).

Bin Laden was, in the words of President Barack Obama, "a mass murderer." That's all.

If there is a message that I can send to all my fellow Americans in light of this situation, it is that loyalty to one's country and faith are one and the same in Islam. Do not let men like bin Laden tell you otherwise.

If someone asks me why I am elated as a Muslim-American at the death of Osama bin Laden, I will tell them because justice has been served.

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