IT WAS A SIGHT TO MAKE THE European political classes weep. Thousands of Americans were celebrating the killing of Osama bin Laden. In Washington and New York, the revellers were finally able to rejoice: after 10 years and 3,747 innocent deaths, the unbounded joy at the death of the West’s cowardly tormentor, brought an end to a brutal chapter that began on 9/11.
Americans were right to show their public enthusiasm for bin Laden’s killing. There view seemed to be, that this mystic who contrived to use Muslim youths from all over the world to do his vile bidding, while closeting himself away where he thought he was safe, deserved his fate, and that fate deserved to be celebrated by the citizens of the country where he ordered up the deaths of thousands.
Yet on this side of the pond we have the first stirrings of liberal guilt. We sensitive souls in Europe cannot help feel a certain queasiness for both the celebrations and the manner of bin Laden’s fate.
The human rights lawyer, Geoffrey Robinson said that ‘justice’ implied properly constituted judge and jury. While dear old Canterbury felt he had to chime in with "The killing of an unarmed man is always going to leave a very uncomfortable feeling because it does not look as if justice is seen to be done." It did not seem to register, that for the victims as well as the majority of ordinary people, justice was seen to be done.
It was seen to be done, by President Obama and his cabinet as it actually happened, thanks to modern technology. They all sat watching the unfolding drama with a mixture of shock and admiration for navy SEALS sent to relieve us of this latter day Rasputin.
I get the feeling with Rowan Williams that had the target been Adolf Hitler in 1945, his comments would have been exactly the same.
As for Geoffrey Robinson; well, while America is renowned for the ambulance chasing attorney, we, sadly, have the human rights variety. Thanks to Europe, these legal representatives are enjoying their well rewarded day in the sun acting on behalf of the likes of bin Laden, with financial contributions from the taxpayer; most of whom have nothing but contempt for kind of clientele they represent.
The ordinary man and women believe in court justice for the ordinary but not the exceptional crime. The ordinary crimes of burglary, shoplifting, GBH, rape, and murder, (whether pre-meditated or not), and yes, also that which the ordinary person regards as falling within the remit human rights – which they rightly believe Osama bin Laden does not
The exceptional crime is that engineered by the likes of Osama bin-Laden. For it was not only the thousands of deaths he was responsible for; but also the recruitment of the young to carry such acts out. Such youths as were harvested in this country via the Finsbury Park, as well as other London mosques; where imams acted as bin Laden’s recruiting sergeants and sent them off to Pakistan to become jihadists. Young lives sacrificed: young and vulnerable idealists drawn to bin Laden’s idea of an Islamic utopia - only to give themselves up to a pipe dream, as many young men and women have done in the past.
IT SEEMS THAT the blogosphere is being used by many Americans who seem somewhat puzzled by Europe’s lack of enthusiasm for the wicked witch’s death. Well they have to understand that Europe’s political class are sensitive to the means. They all, of course, desire the same ends as do the Americans, but they are left somewhat repugnant by the way in which it was tackled.
I can well imagine many a European liberal lifting a nosegay scented handkerchief to their nostrils like an18th century French aristocrat, in a display of their disapproval at the vulgarity of its execution, as the facts finally emerged about bin Laden’s death,
While once more demurring American vulgarity, the Europeans nevertheless still saw the necessity, no matter how uncivilised its execution, of being rid of this irritant.
America has once more done as it did in the past, and helped Europe out of a hole. It did so this time because it had its own national interest in killing this arch-killer.
Europe has always stood to one side and let America take the blame while benefitting from her actions on behalf of the West. America has supported our continent through two world wars, a cold war, and a war upon terrorism; but those American bloggers who now criticise Europe for its lack of enthusiasm for their country’s latest contribution to this continents survival had better get used to the fact that, apart from the UK, no European country will ever display its gratitude for your country’s help.
Gratitude will always play second fiddle to resentment, coupled with envy, to any act carried out by the United States of America. European powers that, having had their day, still believe that America’s enemy is emotionally speaking, Europe’s last hope for seeing this superpower put in its place.
OSAMA BIN LADEN was executed, not through the proceedings of a court of law, as the likes the Arch Bishop and Geoffrey Robinson would have liked, but rather it was an execution on behalf of his victims irrespective of the feelings of these two much respected liberals whose finer feelings were sadly assaulted by America’s actions.
The truth is, is that nobody outside of al-Qaeda truly regrets the fate of bin Laden. No matter how he was brought to book, he fully deserved his fate. To have sought to bring him to a form of civilised justice as Mr Robinson would have put it, would have caused many more deaths of innocent people. Both the Arch Bishop and Mr Robinson are presumably intelligent enough to know what this would have meant as far as the growth in terrorism was concerned.
Osama bin-Laden was killed and buried at sea according to Islamic ritual. To have captured him alive and sought to put him on trial would have, in the first instance, led to the kidnapping of socially prominent people in order to bargain an exchange. Or he would have become another Che Guevara to the Muslim world; or he would have had the likes of Geoffrey Robinson representing him in court. All such scenarios would have prolonged the life and enlarged the popularity of al-Qaeda, and led to the deaths of ever more people as a consequence.
He is dead and let him lay where he can hopefully do no more harm. This man orchestrated the greatest terrorist advance on the innocent that all other terrorist groups have so far managed to achieve. He now lies with the fishes without an afterlife decorated with the many virgins his religion promised him. He is now ignorant of all such things; he lies in blackness without memory or suffering; without, in fact, any kind of conscious awareness – for he is now dead and without all he had hoped for and believed in, in death.
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