Is it ok to celebrate Osama bin Laden’s Death?

I’ve been struggling with this question for the last week.  There are few events in my life that cause me to remember exactly where I was when I heard the news for the first time.  One was in November 1992 when Magic Johnson announced to the world that he had contracted HIV.  Another was when it was announced that Don Drysdale had died suddenly from a heart attack.  Then of course, I remember where I was as I watched the events of 9/11 unfold.  And I think I will always remember walking into my Mom’s place and the first thing that came out of her mouth was, “They just caught Osama bin Laden.”  At first I assumed that we had captured him alive.  Then I quickly learned that he had been killed. 

I can’t really describe the feeling I got when I learned that he was dead.  I wasn’t exactly happy, or elated, but I definitely wasn’t sad to see him go.  I guess I was more concerned about the ramifications of such an action.  Then after processing all of the information, I found myself saying, “Good, good, I’m glad we got him,” in somewhat of a somber tone.

A lot has been said about America’s reaction to Osama’s death.  Some feel it was not inappropriate to celebrate in the streets and waive the American flag.  Others feel that a death of a human being should never be celebrated with elation under any circumstances.  In this instance there certainly are international relations issues to consider.  Excessive celebration may hasten terrorist attacks against the west.  Just today, al Qaeda confirmed Osama’s death and vowed revenge.  I don’t know that the celebrations in the streets had any effect on al Qaeda, but I can’t say for certain that they didn’t.

The way in which people deal with the death of another is highly personal.  So I guess my answer to the question is:  I don’t know if it’s ok to celebrate Osama’s death.  However, I would warn that excessive celebration may only fuel the hatred that these extremists feel against Americans, which in turn may escalate and hasten their attempts at terrorist attacks.

Written by Ivan U. Cisneros

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