As news of Osama bin Laden’s death spread across the country, Ohio University professors urged the Americans banding together in celebration not to believe the war on terror is over.
After almost ten years, America has announced the death of the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks on the U.S., but Marc Scarcelli, visiting assistant professor for the department of political science, said bin Laden’s death is more symbolic than anything else.
John Gilliom, the chair of OU’s political science department, declined to comment on the ramifications of bin Laden’s death, saying, “I have no thoughts on this.”
However, Scarcelli, who teaches political science courses on terrorism and transnational smuggling, said the terrorist’s death should not be cause for the United States to relax.
“(Osama bin Laden’s) death is symbolically important because, after all, he was the mastermind of al-Qaida, someone we probably should have gotten nine or ten years ago,” Scarcelli said. “To the United States and our allies, it is also a rallying point as a morale boost. It reminds us the U.S. is still very powerful and that we are capable of some successes in the war on terror.”
Because al-Qaida has a cellular structure and is not a hierarchy, Americans cannot expect its actions to halt because of the death of its leader, Scarcelli said. He added the country might see attempted retaliatory acts in the upcoming days and weeks, especially against charities, business people and organizations and areas without significant military security.
Although he said he did not expect the attempts to be serious, considering what he described as a lack of resources available to al-Qaida, he added he expected the U.S. to still prepare to protect itself.
Since the U.S. raid on bin Laden was carried out by a special operations team on the ground rather than an air missile strike, Scarcelli said there might be reports in the weeks to come of additional intelligence gathered at the site.
“It’s been 10 years since 9/11, and we’ve had precious few chances to feel we’ve made progress,” Scarcelli said. “What will be perhaps most interesting to see is whether or not we obtained any new intelligence when we raided the complex bin Laden was in. Right now that information is classified, but I think the next days and weeks might be revealing.”
An Islamic Tradition
Islamic scholars are refuting President Barack Obama’s claim that the burial of bin Laden’s body at sea was conducted in accordance with Islamic burial traditions.
“The claim that is being made by the Obama administration that burying the body at sea… represents normal Islamic practices is really quite false,” said Loren Lybarger, assistant professor in OU’s classics and world religions department. “This claim is being hotly contested by Islamic religious scholars.”
Lybarger, who teaches several courses on Islamic traditions and practices, said he believed the Obama administration made the decision to bury bin Laden’s body at sea because they wanted to prevent future pilgrimages to his grave.
The Associated Press reported that a U.S. official said bin Laden’s body was buried at sea because there was no country that would allow his body to be buried on its land.
Lybarger said he also believes the fact Americans are celebrating about bin Laden’s death is a cause for concern.
“I believe the jingoistic reaction of Americans is understandable but deeply inappropriate,” Lybarger said. “Despite the president’s effort to make it clear the U.S. is not at war against Islam, (Americans’ reactions are) reaffirming or reinforcing the assumption and perceptions that Muslims are terrorists, or Muslims are a problem, and this is a war against Muslims."
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