EKIA

No, I am not referring to a new Scandinavian mobile phone company. Rather, the acronym stands for Enemy Killed In Action, referring of course to the Western World’s most wanted terrorist: Osama bin Laden. For many who had given up hope of ever catching the person responsible for the death of nearly 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001, this news came as a welcome shock. Swarms of people amassed outside the White House, in Times Square, and at the ground zero site itself, chanting “USA, USA!” and waiving American flags amidst a Fourth of July atmosphere. The image, to my mind, rings faintly of poetic justice. After all, what better way to celebrate the death of the Western World’s greatest threat to independence and democracy than with Independence Day “like” celebrations?

But the jubilation isn’t universal. In Jakarta, the militant group Islamic Defenders Front has been wanting to hold “mass prayers” for Bin Laden, labeling him a “martyr”. Others claim that it is morally wrong to celebrate the death of another, even one as odious as the mastermind behind the terrorist group Al-Qaeda. Finally, there are those who refuse to believe he is really dead. They point to the fact that Washington has yet to produce a photo or other verifiable proof and they question his immediate burial at sea as suspicious.

This view is further compounded by the fact that last Wednesday, President Obama decided not to release the photos of Bin Laden’s corpse. The decision was based mainly on the potential threat to national security posed by the release of gruesome photos that may further inflame the Al-Qaeda leader’s supporters. This will undoubtedly swell the ranks of disbelievers who point to conspiracy theories and possibly fudged evidence as proof that the terrorist leader still lives. And given the state of the internet, if the US does not release photos, someone eventually will. But lest we find ourselves washed adrift on the sea of conjecture let us moor ourselves to the sturdy wharf of reported fact.

The operation was “movie-like”. Four US helicopters — carrying 79 members of the elite Navy Seals “Team Six” — touched down on the nondescript compound, sweeping each floor for the terrorist. Forty minutes and five dead bodies later, it was all over. On the third floor of the compound, Bin Laden was killed, shot through his skull just above his left eye. Originally thought to have put up a struggle, Washington later corrected their statement, claiming that he was unarmed when he was gunned down. He was identified via facial recognition software and DNA testing which pegged him at a near 100 percent match. His body was then immediately flown to the USS Carl Vinson (which coincidentally will be visiting Manila next week) and cast into the sea, we are told, to comply with the Islamic rite of burial within 24 hours.

Although some debate the veracity of Bin Laden’s death, there also are those who question the legality of his assassination. Some claim that the US violated domestic and international laws by entering Pakistani airspace without informing their government. The counter argument, of course, is that had the US informed Pakistan of their intent, the government (or a spy thereof) might have tipped off Bin Laden and the US troops would have nothing to charge into but an empty house. Perhaps, we can also consider the $20 billion yearly given by the US to Pakistan as enough basis to constitute implied consent.

Those who oppose the assassination cite US Executive Order 12333 which provides the prohibition against assassinations. However, it is important to note that this EO provides exceptions for instances of self-defense and the killing of specific leaders of an opposing force in cases of military action in ongoing US armed conflicts. Also, the US government has defended itself against such criticisms before by citing the Authorization to Use Military Force Act of September 18, 2001 which authorizes the President to use “all necessary and appropriate force” against persons who authorized, planned, or committed the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Finally, the US government may argue that their actions were permissible under international law since they are “at war” with Al-Qaeda and reports indicated that Bin Laden was planning additional attacks upon the US

In the end, amidst all the debate on matters ranging from the propriety and legality of the US’s course of action to even the fact of Bin Laden’s death, there remains the truth of the existence of the debate and doubt. I surmise that we have not heard the last of Bin Laden. I can only hope that what he did not achieve in his lifetime, his followers will not carry on after his death. In the ancient days of Rome, their Senate resorted to the practice called damnatio memoriae to officially condemn and blot out the memory of a person’s existence. It may be too late in the day to forget about Bin Laden’s memory, but by our actions and those of our American brethren, we can choose how we will remember him — and in that choice, determine who we are and who we have become, in spite of him.

*      *      *     *

Urban Renewal: Four centavos this week are given to the Rustans Group led by their patriarch, Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco, and ABS-CBN Foundation headed by Gina Lopez for spearheading the “renewal” of the Paco Market and Estero de Paco, respectively. (The words “renovation” and refurbishment” simply do not do their efforts justice.) These projects prove that public-private partnerships can spawn a lot of good in a community, provided that — as the visionaries behind this project did — it, too, makes sense to and is, thus, supported by the community. As the ancient marketplace (the Greek agora) did, may the new Paco Market be a gathering place that will infuse new life into the once glorious city of Manila.

*      *      *     *

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”— Dr. Seuss

*      *      *     *

E-mail: mailto:[email protected]