Cheering for Osama bin Laden's Death

I am an absolute pacifist. I do not believe humanity should take life -- only G-d. I grieve the lives Osama took, but grieve his death as well. I leave it to G-d, not humanity, to decide whether and how to punish him for what he has done. I also point out that he, like the Taliban, Ngo Dinh Diem, Ho Chi Minh, the Shah of Iran, Noriega, and a host of others, was created by the United States and was a puppet of the United States, and only became a monster after the United States decided no longer to use him as a puppet. I further point out that -- like the Hydra in Greek myth -- if you cut off one "head" of terrorism, a dozen more will appear in its place. I pray that Osama's death does not lead to more violence and bloodshed.

To these people celebrating murder, whether they are in the streets of Tehran or Washington: Jesus said put up the sword lest you die by the sword. He said love your enemies. He said judge not lest you be judged. He said turn the other cheek. He said forgive seventy times seven times. The Qur'an says if you take one life it is equivalent to having killed all humanity.

There is nothing in Christian or Muslim teaching to justify murder, except perhaps in clearcut cases of direct self-defense. Even if the murdered one was a murderer; in that case, put him on trial. There is nothing to justify killing Osama rather than giving him his day in court, and then claiming that the United States is exporting democracy. There is nothing to justify "burying him at sea" and denying his people a chance to grieve, and then complain that the families of the Twin Towers victims were denied the same thing.

Tracking him down and killing him cost many lives -- American and allied, and local people -- and billions of dollars that could have fed the poor. It has cost the United States and its allies a great deal in fostering yet more hatred directed toward the West -- and now will cost even more in that way. Was it worth all this to kill one man?

There are questions even as to the veracity of this report of Osama's murder -- first it was reported that he was killed by an unmanned drone missile, then supposedly in a firefight with U.S. servicemen. Or was Benazir Bhutto right that he died years ago of lung disease -- she was assassinated soon after saying that. And now, within a day of Osama's alleged death, Musharraf has been charged in Bhutto's murder. Too much for coincidence here.

The short-sighted will celebrate this day. The long-sighted see how this will only lead to further violence, further tragedy, and further grief.