Justice has been done

Fanatical Muslims consider themselves to be in a war with us - to misunderstand this is to imperil ourselves.

By EARL COX
Earl Cox 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Earl Cox 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
The world has breathed a collective sigh of relief at the news of the death of the world’s No. 1 terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. That is, except for parts of the Muslim world. Everyone has been thinking about what his removal means to their countries and regions. So we certainly have to ask what it means to Israel, as well as to the United States.
‟Justice has been done,” declared United States President Barack Obama, and major newspapers quoted his statement in large, bold headlines. People all over the United States celebrated, especially at the site of the former Twin Towers in New York, which Bin Laden’s Al-Qaida terrorist organization destroyed, killing some 3,000 innocent people. Crowds also gathered around the White House in Washington, DC. They all celebrated that justice had been done, and that after ten years a great victory had finally been won.
But two other things that President Obama said are significant. First, he cautioned that the war against international terrorism is not over, even though its primary leader has been taken out. And that word of warning is true. Nobody has the luxury of loosening up on vigilance and security. Bin Laden was only one man, and the terrorist forces are still many. Certainly, someone else will assume his place of leadership and their violent and cowardly terrorism will continue.
But Obama also stated quite emphatically that he wanted everyone to understand that we are not in a war against Islam. In that statement, he was not truthful. He might not think of our battles with Muslim terrorism as a war with Islam, but it is obvious that fanatical Muslims consider themselves to be in a war with us ― the infidels. In fact, they are engaged in worldwide warfare against non-Muslims in Israel, the United States, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Terrorism in the world right now is being perpetrated by those members of the Islamic faith we call radical Muslims. They are in a declared war. To misunderstand is to imperil ourselves.
We appreciate what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to say following the news of Bin Laden’s death. He congratulated President Barack Obama and America’s intelligence and military for their significant accomplishment. But he also acknowledged a US double standard. The raid that the US conducted to get Bin Laden was very similar to several raids that Israel conducted to remove enemy leaders who were terrorizing Israel. For such actions, the US Administration and other world leaders strongly criticized Israel. So, the United States’ actions speak loud and clear that “it’s okay for us to do it, but not Israel.”
Other controversies have surfaced also, even in the United States. Some Americans are not pleased about the military giving Bin Laden a respectful Muslim funeral. Reports indicated that his body was ceremoniously washed and wrapped in white cloth, and then buried at sea ― even though he murdered so many thousands of people.
Many analysts right away started sounding alarms that the Bin Laden killing is going to stir up violent reprisals by Muslims in many places. If so, who knows where? The most likely first target would be Israel. The terrorist leader’s death certainly will not diminish Muslim hatred for Israel and the Jews, and it will not diminish the desire of many Muslims to destroy the Jewish people and the nation. Israel certainly needs to maintain vigilance and strong security at its borders, since every one of its neighbors is Muslim-controlled. Are they more dangerous now?
Another controversy that has arisen concerns how much and for how long the government leaders of Pakistan knew that Bin Laden was living and functioning at the site where he was finally discovered and killed by the American forces. He certainly could not have lived there for three years or more without someone’s knowledge there in Pakistan. So who knew, and at what levels?
One commentator stated, “The world is now a safer place.” While we all hope so, don’t count on it. Now is not the time for any non-Muslim country in the world to sit back and relax. This is especially true for our friend and ally, Israel. We must continue to look up to the God of Israel to protect and preserve His chosen people and His special land.