Osama bin Laden, Shaheed

It has taken me six months to muster up the courage to write this article, and another six months to publish it. That makes it a full one year.

May 02, 2011: Osama bin Laden was killed on his residential premises in Abbotabad by the American forces.

My heart ran cold when I heard the news. The news was shocking, to say the least, in every aspect. The fact that Osama bin Laden had been living in Abbotabad. The fact that Osama bin Laden had been killed by the American forces. The fact that Osama bin Laden had been alive. The fact that Osama bin Laden was no more.

Who was this Osama bin Laden? Osama bin Laden was of Saudi origin. He belonged to a filthy rich family and lots of brothers and sisters who would go for vacations to Europe. He was a rather shy and sensitive child, and probably that is why he chose the life he did. He must have found it hard to doodle around with a golden spoon in his mouth while the children of the Ummah witnessed the murder of their fathers, the rape of their mothers, their houses being demolished, their facilities being confiscated, their resources being taken over, their independence being enslaved, their religion being scandalized and their identity being wiped out.

Osama bin Laden earned an international recognition when he fought in the front ranks against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan backed by America and front supported by Pakistan. This Afghan Jihad did not belong to Saudi Arab. Osama bin Laden was neither a Pakistani, neither an Afghani and nor an American. So what business did he have in fighting the Afghan Jihad…other than, Islam?

At one time I also got confused about the identity and objectives of Osama bin Laden. One conspiracy theory said that he was actually an American agent, posing as a Mujahid, for every feat of Osama bin Laden gave America more reasons to invade more Muslim countries. However, reading the journalism reports of Saleem Shahzad (after his death) I understood facts from fiction about Osama bin Laden.

We still do not know whether it was really Osama bin Laden or not, killed in the Abbotabad Operation. The interesting thing, however, remains is this; almost all media avenues used the word ‘killed’ for him, and not Shaheed. Benazir Bhutto, Salman Taseer and so many others are entitled to being called Shaheed, but not Osama bin Laden. While, Shaheed is a term specifically coined by Islam for those who die fighting to fortify Islam. Did Benazir Bhutto and Salman Taseer die fighting to fortify Islam? And Osama bin Laden had some other objectives?

As I lay down to sleep that night, it kept disturbing me. The life, priorities and struggle of Osama bin Laden and our political gentry’s past association with him and now slavish celebrations upon his death haunted me. One may differ with his chosen line of action but there could be no second opinion as to the cause and objectives of Osama bin Laden. This was the man who left a life of comfort, riches and luxuries to reside in the cold, barren and rugged mountains of Afghanistan to resist and fight invasion into a Muslim land and raised struggle against all such invasions. Then, why was Osama bin Laden not titled Shaheed?

Yes, of course. To America (now, after Russia had been defeated with the same), Osama bin Laden and the likes of him, are all terrorists. Consequently, we should all obediently pronounce them terrorists as well. We dare not pronounce them anything else for fear of unacceptability among our peers, persecution at the hands of agencies, annoying America, international sanctions and being called terrorist ourselves.

I hate this mental slavery. I hate my cowardice. And I feel fear of Allah’s verse,
"So do not fear people, but fear Me and do not sell my revelations for a petty price. Those who do not judge by the revelations of Allah, are indeed unbelievers." [The Holy Qur~an, [5] Surah Al-Maidah, Excerpt from Verse 44]

Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, the author of ‘1492-The Year the World Began’ wrote, “Every hero is somebody else’s villain”. Consequently, every freedom-fighter is somebody else’s terrorist.

Therefore, allow me to say, Osama bin Laden, Shaheed.