Comment & Debate
Osama bin Laden was reported killed by US Navy Seal leader, Lamont James II, on May 1, 2011. He was then buried within 24-hours in accordance with Islamic tradition, after being given a traditional Muslim burial ceremony including being cleaned, dressed in a white robe, and given final rites by a Muslim individual. The fact that he was buried at sea, however, is not considered “traditional” by many Muslim scholars and religious figures, and has upset some segments of the Muslim world. The fact that he was buried at sea has also upset individuals that would have liked to have seen his body, in America and in the Muslim world, as confirmation of his death. The sea burial and the reluctance of the White House to release photos has fostered doubts and conspiracy theories about his death, which may have a range of consequences from upsetting the families of 9/11 victims to perpetuating the belief among terrorists and radicals that their leader is still alive. Yet, supporters claim that he range of evidence from DNA samples, to photos of the burial, to eye-witness reports at the compound prove beyond any reasonable doubt that he was killed. Nevertheless, all of these considerations weigh on whether the White House will choose to release the death photos of Osama bin Laden. The pros and cons and quotations in this debate and decision are considered below.
Traditional washing of the body was followed by wrapping in white sheets, and a military officer read religious remarks that were translated by a native Arabic speaker, before bin Laden was eased into the sea. This is an adequately respectful ceremony, given the circumstances and sensitivities involved in a land-burial.
John O. Brennan, President Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser: “The disposal of — the burial of Bin Laden’s remains was done in strict conformance with Islamic precepts and practices.”
“There were certain steps that had to be taken because of the nature of the operation. We wanted to make sure we were able to do that in the time period allotted for it. Going to another country, making those arrangements, requirements, would have exceed that time period, in our view.”
“It’s just a tradition, it’s not in the Quran. The idea is that we come from the earth and we return to the earth.”
In other words, a sea burial is only a break with an Islamic tradition, not a break with the fundamental precepts of Islam itself.
“The U.S. government wasn’t paying respect to bin Laden himself, but rather to the rites of Islam – a faith with millions of peaceful adherents who would be dismayed to see the U.S. government treat the Koran’s teachings cavalierly.”
Khalid Latif, chaplain at New York University and director of its Islamic Center, said Islamic law is fairly “flexible” in how it handles burials, especially in exceptional cases such as Bin Laden’s. The question would be not “how to bury a body, but how Osama bin Laden’s body would be buried.”
“why would we respect this dirtbag’s religion in giving him an appropriate burial.
Glenn Beck: “My problem with this is that we gave this guy a dignified burial at sea. I really would have put this guy in a meat grinder with a pig, sorry. Oh, you’re not going to get your 72 virgins? Sorry, that sucks to be you.”
“I’m not so sure that was a wise move. […] think that may have been sensitivity taken too far.”
American Islamic leader Jasser said Osama bin Laden is not worthy of that respect. “As one who is devoted to Islam and its ideology, it makes me nauseated and sick that someone would make sure he had a religious rite given to a man like this because he was an evil barbarian who declared war against our nation.”
Sea burials can be allowed in Islamic tradition, but only in special cases where the death occurred aboard a ship. Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy and a physician of internal medicine: “Dumping the body into the sea is not part of any Islamic ritual. Koranic scripture says God created him and he must return to the earth.”
Sea burial disregards the standard Muslim practice of placing the bdy in a grave with the head pointed toward the holy city of Mecca.
Mahmoud Ayoub, professor of Islamic Studies at Hartford Seminary, said that Muslims consider remains buried at sea to be lost, not buried. “Burial at sea is not acceptable.”
“why would the Americans do that?” reposed a comment on Facebook, according to Arab News. “They are hiding something. Where is the proof that he died? Show me the picture. If he were killed which the Americans say he was then it would make immense sense for them to make the body public.”
The last thing the US, West, and broader world wanted was to create a burial place which could become a terrorist shrine. To avoid this, bin Laden was buried at sea.
Mike Rogers of Michigan, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said burying bin Laden at sea was “pruden”: “He was given a proper burial. It removes this — any thought that there’ll be any shrine to Osama bin Laden or grave robbing or any other lasting impact for this death.”
A white house spokesman said, “we consulted the appropriate specialists and experts, and there was unanimity that this would be the best way to handle that.”
“White House officials decided before Monday’s firefight in northern Pakistan that if American troops killed Osama bin Laden, they would bury him at sea in order to prevent his grave from becoming a shrine for his followers, a White House official said Monday. They planned to include all rites associated with Muslim burials, the official added.”
If terrorists are not sure whether Osama bin Laden was killed, and believe the United States may have actually faked his death, they may continue to believe he is alive and draw inspiration from that idea.
The Americans want to humiliate Muslims through this burial, and I don’t think this is in the interest of the U.S. administration.”
The graphic nature of these images could inflame anti-American zeal even more than having allowed the media to have a look. So a sea burial is little better than giving him a proper land-burial, which while it’s possible that it will act as a shrine for terrorists, would be little more inflammatory than releasing pictures of his death.
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