As news of Osama bin Laden’s death spread, Ohio University professors urged Americans not to believe the war on terror is over and disputed government claims that bin Laden was buried in compliance with Islamic tradition.
Sunday evening, President Barack Obama announced the death of the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. However, bin Laden’s death is more symbolic than anything else, said Marc Scarcelli, visiting assistant professor for the political science department.
“(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,” said Scarcelli, who teaches courses on terrorism and transnational smuggling.
“To the United States and our allies, it … reminds us the U.S. is still very powerful and that we are capable of some successes in the war on terror,” he said.
‘THIS CLAIM IS BEING HOTLY CONTESTED’
Islamic scholars are refuting a claim from Obama’s administration 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,” he added.
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.
A U.S. official said bin Laden’s body was buried at sea because the Obama administration believed it would be too difficult to find a country that would allow his body to be buried on its land, according to an Associated Press report.
Muslim traditions demand the body be buried as soon as possible after the verification of death, Lybarger said. He added there is no rule outlining a 24-hour time limit, as stated by U.S. officials in a story that ran in the Associated Press.
“Regarding burial at sea, this is to occur only if one cannot return to shore in a timely manner,” Lybarger said in an email. “An effort should be made to get as close to shore as possible so that the body can wash on to land and possibly be found, perhaps by Muslims, and buried properly. Thus, even in this provision for burial at sea, the understanding is that land burial is normative.”
POSSIBILITY OF RETALIATORY ACTS
The terrorist’s death should not be cause for the U.S. to relax, Scarcelli said.
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, businesspeople, organizations and other areas without significant military security.
Scarcelli said he did not expect the attempts to be serious, adding he “doubt(s) al-Qaida has those resources.”
Because a special operations team carried out the U.S. raid on bin Laden on the ground, rather than through the air, there might be reports in the weeks to come of additional intelligence gathered at the site, Scarcelli said.
“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.”
John Gilliom, the chairman of OU’s political science department, declined to comment, saying, “I have no thoughts on (bin Laden’s death).”
OU President Roderick McDavis also declined to comment.
rm279109@ohiou.edu
@ThePostCampus
