White House Not To Release Bin Laden Photos

In the mission to assassinate 9/11 mastermind and arch-terrorist Osama Bin Laden, US Navy Seals took numerous photos of during the operation and afterwards of America's most wanted man. DNA evidence has established - to the point of 99.9% certainty - that Bin Laden was killed and the photos serve as further documentary proof.

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Many have asked for the images to be released, as gruesome as they may be. On Wednesday the White House stated that it will not do so and President Obama explained that the releasing them may provoke a backlash amongst some Muslims.

There are several things wrong here. It am not speaking about the principle to not release the photos. It is perfectly acceptable, in the name of decency, to not release photos of a man with a bullet through his head, even though the man may be fiercely detested and a well-deserved death. Simply the image is too graphic and the White House wants the ending to not include a grotesque and revolting image of death.

But to cite fear of a backlash amongst some Muslims is both offensive to Americans and Muslims. First, it presents the case that Muslims are saddened by the death of Bin Laden and thus considered him to be a decent man or even a hero. This is, of course, false: Most Muslims believe Bin Laden to by a fanatic and terrorist who killed Muslims above anyone else in the thousands, tarnished the name of Islam and brought suspicions on the heads of Muslims, and in the age of the Arab revolutions Bin Laden and his fanatical ideology are irrelevant to the lives of Arabs who are busy seeking to build free and democratic institutions far removed from the vision of the late terrorist. So Muslim sensitives will not be offended and many would indeed like to see the image like many Americans.

As for those fanatical Muslims who would, so what? It is not like they already do not hate America and seek to endanger Americans. Why should policy be determinable by the reactions of an implacable and hostile foe? It is stupid to seek to appease a bunch of terrorist idolizers. Show the photo or not, but do not base the decision on whether the Taliban in Afghanistan may riot.

Which brings to my last point. The White House thinks it is being sensitive to Muslims, but feigning sensitive to Muslims (even with the caveat of noting that the concern is over those radical Muslims) and emphasizing the Bin Laden (ostensibly?) received Islamic burial honors is a great disservice to Muslims. Why should Bin Laden be treated in accordance with Islamic practice when he soiled it so much and killed thousands of Muslims around the world? But when the White House says that Bin Laden was treated like any other deceased Muslim, it once again unwittingly presented the false image that Muslims are concerned about Bin Laden's well-being due to sympathy for his cause. Bin Laden deserved no honors since he did not care about how his victims were buried, many of whose bodies have never been recovered. And it is not insensitive to say so, rather it is treating him like any other Muslim and saying so which is insensitive to Muslims since it dilutes Bin Laden's being with the rest of the Muslim world. It should be said, as Obama did, that Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader therefore decent Muslims should not care what fate is dealt to him. And that is the position of most Muslims, who could less if Bin Laden was left in a ditch for the crows to eat. He should be dismissed and it is NOT according him any honors which respects Muslims.

As for the few who care, 'uff them.