Posted on 01/10/2005 2:45:12 PM PST by swilhelm73
The capture of Osama bin Laden, head of the Al-Qaeda network, remains a major United States aim, but will not be enough to end worldwide Islamic "terrorism," say politicians and specialists.
Bin Laden has escaped his pursuers for years without losing his ability to maintain a high profile, remain on the world stage, and launch fatwas.
To his supporters and sympathisers he has become a symbol, the very incarnation of an ideology that will survive his capture or death.
"We must not suppose that the day we catch bin Laden will mean the disappearance of terrorism," said French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie.
"Catching him will change nothing for world terrorism, which is to be found today in networks in a large number of countries."
Steve Simon, former head of the Transnational Threats division of the US National Security Council, agrees: "Arresting bin Laden would change nothing," he said.
"Even if we would have arrested him in Tora Bora, it would have been already too late because he had already brought down the World Trade Center."
"After this 'magnificent' act, his ideology had already metastased," said Simon, now an analyst with the Rand Corporation: bin Laden was reported to have narrowly evaded capture at Tora Bora in the Afghan Mountains in December 2001."
"He is still the Emir, and now arresting or killing him would not change his influence on Muslims around the world for years and years to come. Killed, he will be a martyr, maybe even more powerful," Simon suggested.
Alex Standish, editor of the London publication Jane's Intelligence Digest, said: "What is very difficult for people in the West to understand is this has gone beyond being a militant organisation. It's now an international ideology, in the same way communism was an ideology, fascism was an ideology."
Al-Qaeda was never a western-style organisation, Standish continued:
"It's an ideological movement, in the same way that during the Cold War one could be a Marxist without being member of the Communist Party."
I've never been able to shake the feeling that bin Laden needs killing.
Granted, a dead bin Laden is a good bin Laden, but his death alone will not stop all the lunatics following him.
No, but the point in #2 is "dead on". Justice demands the man's death.
LOL...the fact that just capturing (or even killing) him won't completely end Islamic terrorism is no reason NOT to capture or kill him. Then again, it wasn't their country that suffered those massive attacks on 9/11/01, so it doesn't matter to them
I wonder if his followers also happen to have any particular religious belief in common? Just wondering...
Yes, I wonder what that might be...
No, but it is still a good start.
Perhaps they can join him.
The point in capturing Bin Laden is that he is a criminal implicated in the deaths of 3,000 innocent people.
That's the best idea I've heard today.
I'd say it would be a good start. We keep saying its a war on terrorism, but its actually a war on Islam.
As long as Islam calls for either the conversion or death of non-believers, then we'll be in this thing.
I'd like to see bin Laden carbonized like in Star Wars. Wouldn't he look nice at the WTC memorial? With a pig's foot sticking out of his mouth?
"We must not suppose that the day we catch bin Laden will mean the disappearance of terrorism," said French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie.
Why do they need to import geniuses like Jerry Lewis when they have this homegrown geniuses like this rocket scientist?
If "Yo' Mamma's Bin Hidin'" were to be captured, tried, executed, cremated, his ashes mixed with pig urine & feces, stuffed into a sausage casing, loaded into the warhead of a JDAM, and dropped on some of his followers -- all recorded on video & broadcast to the world -- that would be a powerful statement to his rag-head/towel-head rat-b@$t@rd lunatic followers that we mean business. Fear is the key.
Between the French and one of the top Clintoids from the CIA making the same sort of statement at about the same time, it does make you wonder...
Fear and humiliation seems to be the only language the Koranimals understand.
I think you had the latter covered pretty well too... cut to the heart of their delusional belief system. ;o)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.