Local Muslims Happy to Hear of Bin Laden’s Death

As local residents have reacted to the news of Osama bin Laden's death with happiness and concern, local Muslims expressed relief and prayed for an end to violence around the world.

“We are happy just like every American,” said Mohammed Mehboob, director of the Muslim Association of Virginia, based in the Dale City area.

“Since 9/11, the whole world has been in turmoil,” Mehboob said. “It has been a bad time for Muslims.”

He echoed President Obama’s statement May 1 that bin Laden was a “mass-murderer of Muslims” and said that there had been backlash around the world against Muslims.

“But we are proud to say that in Prince William County, we have good relations with our neighbors,” Mehboob said. “We have never had any problem. Our mosque is very open. The whole community is welcome any time.”

Mehboob said that it was likely that some in Muslim countries would react with anger to the news of Osama’s death.

“There will be people going around making slogans. There will be some strikes,” he said. “But we must remember, the situation in those societies is very different. The information in those countries is not very open.”

But he still hopes that will be the death blow to al-Qaida.

“Hopefully his followers will understand that this has to end now,” he said.

Muslim Association of Virginia Vice President Rafi Ahmed agreed.

“I believe that justice is served,” he said. “[Bin Laden] did not discriminate: he killed Muslims, non-Muslims, everyone. A lot of innocent people lost their lives in the U.S. and throughout the world after 9/11.”

Ahmed said that bin Laden was not a good reflection on Islam.

“It clearly states in the Koran that if you kill one person, it’s as if you killed all of humanity,” he said. “If you save one person, it’s as if you saved all of humanity. A black spot was put on our record because of [his] acts.”

Ahmed said that no Muslim he knew or associated with supported the terrorist actions of al-Qaida.

“Often we hear rhetoric in the media about what Islam represents, but they misrepresent what Islam is really about,” he said. “Hopefully, our voices can be heard as well, that we don’t support these kinds of actions.”

In a prepared statement, the Islamic Society of North America condemned terrorism worldwide, and thanked Obama for “fulfilling his promise to bring Osama bin Laden … to justice.”

“We hope his death will bring some relief to all the families, of every faith and walk of life, who lost loved ones on 9/11, and in every other terrorist attack orchestrated at the hands of Osama bin Laden,” it read.

ISNA President Imam Mohamed Magid, who also serves as the executive director for the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, prayed for healing.

“As the nation continues to heal from the devastation inflicted upon them at the hands of bin Laden, we will turn to each other today, united, and emerge tomorrow with an even stronger resolve to take every action necessary to protect the precious ideals of our nation that bin Laden attempted to destroy on 9/11: peace, tolerance, respect, and freedom for all,” he said.