Following the announcement of the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan in an American military mission, there was a wide range of reactions from around the Arab and Muslim world.
The following are reports from The MEMRI Blog (www.thememriblog.org) about reactions to bin Laden's death:
Bin Laden Assassination – Hamas Condemns It, PA Welcomes It, Islamists Expect Revenge, Iran Doubts Whether He Was Assassinated At All
Gaza Hamas prime minister Isma'il Haniya said that despite the dispute between Hamas and Al-Qaeda, Hamas condemns the assassination of "jihad fighter" Osama bin Laden. He said, "This is a continuation of the American policy based on violence and on the shedding of Arab and Islamic blood." Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Al-Khatib said that the assassination "will benefit worldwide peace, but the important thing is to defeat the sheikh and the violent style that bin Laden and others implemented and encouraged." Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt deputy leader Dr. 'Issam Al-'Arian said that bin Laden's death removes one of the reasons for violence in the world, and predicted that revenge would come. Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya Shura Council chairman Sheikh Safwat Abd Al-Ghani said that the incident would not end the dispute between Al-Qaeda and the U.S., while council member Sheikh 'Issam Abd Al-Magid predicted that bin Laden's path and outlook would fade following his death. Leading Salafi preacher Omar Bakri said in Lebanon that bin Laden's death expresses the loss of a leader in the region, but that it was good that he had achieved the martyrdom that he wanted. Bakri too said that there would be revenge operations. Muslim clerics said that the burial of bin Laden at sea that was a violation of Islamic law, which permits such burial only if the death took place at sea. Iranian Majlis National Security Commission chairman Alaeddin Boroujerdi raised doubts regarding whether bin Laden had actually been killed, saying that the U.S. had made similar announcements before (see Iranian Majlis Member: Nothing New In Bin Laden Death Report). He said that even if the assassination was carried out, it was a minor achievement after a decade of U.S. aggression in Afghanistan.
Sources: Fars, Iran; Al-Shourouq, Egypt; Alarabiya.net, Falastin, Gaza; Al-Sabeel, Jordan, Amad.ps, May 2, 2011
Former Muslim Brotherhood UK Leader Praises Osama Bin Laden
In a live question-and-answer session titled "Bin Laden Dead: What Next?" on Onislam.net, Dr. Kamal Helbawy answered questions about the situation in the Arab and Muslim world following the assassination of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Dr. Helbawy, an Egyptian, served as official spokesman of the Muslim Brotherhood in the West from 1995-1997. While living in London, he helped create the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB, on whose board he still serves) and the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB). During the onislam.net discussion, Dr. Helbawy praised bin Laden for being a leader of jihad, saying "We appreciate him as a rich man living in KSA who left this luxurious life and moved to a hard life in mountains and caves. He helped his Afghan brethrens and participated in Afghan jihad effectively." Dr. Helbawy also accused the U.S. of being behind the 9/11 attacks, saying, "I think that what the Americans claim about September 11th was a trick and a bait they accused Al-Qaeda of. All evidences and indications refer that the Americans are the ones who planned this matter." He further wrote, "I ask Allah to have mercy upon Osama bin Laden, to treat him generously, to enlighten his grave, and to make him join the prophets, the martyrs, and the good people."
Source: Onislam.net, May 2, 2011; Csidonline.org
Report: Owner Of House Where Bin Laden Was Killed Has 'Bogus' Pakistani ID Card
The owner of the residential complex where Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed has a "bogus" National Identity Card (NIC) of Pakistan, according to a Pakistani website. The website of ARY News TV noted that the NIC bears the name of the house owners as Arshad s/o Naqeeb, supposedly residents of Tangi Fas area of Charsadda district. "The residents of Tangi area also say that no man with such name was residing in the area," according to the report.
Source: www.arynews.tv, Pakistan, May 2, 2011
Bin Laden's Four Children, Two Wives Arrested
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's four children and two wives have been arrested, sources said. A close friend of bin Laden named as "Akbar" was also arrested and transferred to an undisclosed location. Osama bin Laden was killed today in a U.S. special forces operation in Abbottabad, less than 100 km from the Pakistan capital Islamabad. A security alert was declared in Abbotabad and adjacent areas following the U.S. operation in which bin Laden was killed.
Source: Arynews.tv, May 2, 2011
Senior Iranian Legislator: Bin Laden Killed To Prevent Leakage Of Intelligence, Info About Joint U.S.-Al-Qaeda Terror Ops
The U.S. has killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a bid to prevent any possible leakage of intelligence and information about U.S.-Al-Qaeda joint terrorist operations, a senior Iranian legislator said today. "The West was fully satisfied with bin Laden's performance during the past years and today... it was obliged to kill him to prevent possible leakage of the priceless intelligence that he had," said Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission member Javad Jahangirzadeh. He mentioned that the West seeks to rebuild its damaged face in the international community, and reiterated that bin Laden's survival could endanger the interests of the Western countries and disclose their past and future clandestine operations. Jahangirzadeh warned the countries of the world that the West has hatched a new plot to find new pretexts for invading and occupying the Muslim countries.
Source: Fars, Iran, May 2, 2011
Iranian Majlis Member: Nothing New In Bin Laden Death Report
Iranian Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission head Alaeddin Boroujerdi has said that U.S. officials and media often claim to have have killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and that the recent report of his death is nothing new Boroujerdi told reporters in Tehran today that he couldn't confirm the report of bin Laden's death, saying, "They (Americans) have announced several times that bin Laden is dead. That is not new." He added that even if the report is proved to be true, it wouldn't be "great work," considering that the U.S. forces attacked Afghanistan 10 years ago on the pretext of confronting the elements who were behind the September 11, 2011 attacks on the U.S.
Source: Fars, Iran, May 2, 2011
Fars: Lebanese General Says U.S. Seeks To Compensate For Failures With Report Of Bin Laden's Death
The Iranian news agency Fars reports that Lebanese Gen. (ret.) Amin Hatit said today that the U.S. released the report on the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a bid to make up for its political and security failures in Afghanistan. "Bin Laden's death announcement by U.S. President Obama is kind of a compensation for the great failures of the U.S. in Afghanistan," Hatit said. He added underlined that President Obama had released the report on bin Laden's death in a tactical move to boost the morale of the U.S. military forces in Afghanistan.
Source: Fars, Iran, May 2, 2011
Cartoon In Lebanese Daily: The U.S. And Bin Laden
Source: Daily Star, Lebanon, May 2, 2011
India Says Bin Laden's Killing In Pakistani Town Proves Pakistan Is A Sanctuary Of Terrorists
India today said that the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad proves that Pakistan is a sanctuary of terrorists, according to an Indian website. In a statement, India's Interior Minister P. Chidambaram said that the U.S. government informed India that "Osama bin Laden had been killed by security forces somewhere 'deep inside Pakistan." "This fact underlines our concern that terrorists belonging to different organizations find sanctuary in Pakistan," he said. Chidambaram added, "We take note with grave concern that part of the (U.S.) statement in which President (Barack) Obama said that the firefight in which Osama bin Laden was killed took place in Abbotabad 'deep inside Pakistan."' In that context, Chidambaram raised the subject of the November 26 Mumbai terror attack plotters still being in Pakistan. "We believe that the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack, including the controllers and handlers of the terrorists who actually carried out the attack, continue to be sheltered in Pakistan," he stated.
Source: http://week.manoramaonline.com, India, May 2, 2011
Afghan Justice Minister: Taliban Prisoners Escaped Through Gate, Not Tunnel
Afghan Justice Minister has said that the recent Kandahar jailbreak did not happen by digging a tunnel, but the Taliban prisoners were helped to escape through the main gate of the jail, according to an Afghan website. "There has been collaboration between the Taliban detainees and Kandahar dungeon chiefs," Justice Minister Habibullah Ghalib said, according to a report on the Afghan website tolonews.com. Deputy Chief of Afghan intelligence has accused neighboring countries' intelligence organizations of being involved in the Kandahar jailbreak.
Source: www.tolonews.com, Afghanistan, May 1, 2011
General Musharraf: U.S. Operation To Kill Bin Laden Violation Of Pakistan's Sovereignty, Al-Qaeda's War Has Not Ended
Former Pakistani ruler General Pervez Musharraf has said that the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was a success for Pakistan but the operation carried out to kill him was a violation of Pakistani sovereignty, according to a Pakistani television channel. According to a report on Pakistan's GEO News TV, General Musharraf said that Osama bin Laden had declared war on Pakistan and was responsible for the killings of people in the country. The operation of the U.S. forces inside Pakistan was violation of the country sovereignty, he said, adding that nobody should be allowed to conduct an operation in Pakistan. General Musharraf said that he would have been glad if the operation had been carried out by Pakistani forces. The former Pakistani president said that he was amazed to know that Osama bin Laden was killed in Abbotabad. Those who think the war has ended with the elimination of the Al-Qaeda leader are wrong, he said. It would however affect Al-Qaeda's performance but they will continue to exist as Al-Qaeda is being driven by an ideology not individuals, General Musharraf added. He said that Al-Qaeda taught terrorism to the Taliban in Pakistan and they were responsible for training them in making suicide jackets and IEDs.
Source: GEO News, Pakistani May 2, 2011
