Killing an Unarmed Person: Perspectives on Osama Bin Laden’s Killing

Reading the BBC article entitled “Obama meets Bin Laden raid team,” I would like to propose the following perspective on Osama Bin Laden’s killing.

BBC reports that Obama announced that justice had been done. If based on the mass atrocities committed by Osama Bin Laden, the announcement may seem to be justifiable. But the question is, is committing one wrong to correct another wrong, morally and ethically exemplary for a world which is already violent? This is in light of questions that are being raised on the killing of Bin Laden:

1. Is the killing, justice or revenge?

2. Why was there a quick change on the American raid narrative indicating inconsistency?

3. Is the killing an unarmed captive (even a mass killer) legal?

4. When according to BBC, US Attorney Eric Holder had said that the killing was “conducted in a way that was consistent with our law, our values”, it raises further questions:

a. Since the killing was in Pakistan, how is American law and values applicable in Pakistan?

b. Does Pakistan agree with the American imposition of their law and values in their sovereign territory without consultation?

c. Does this precedent mean that America can impose their law and values on other sovereign countries on this planet?

5. Is this killing an encouragement for nation states to openly condone global assassinations’ on whomever they perceived as a national threat even in another sovereign nation state’s territory? If so,

a. Would America be prepared to accept the same policy by other nation-states if they consider any American as being a national threat to their security?

b. Since an enemy commander can be targeted for assassination, is America prepared to accept the same war ideology being applied on their commanders?

6. How is America going to be held accountable for violating the integrity of a sovereign nation state like Pakistan, by entering and conducting an armed raid which resulted in killings without authorization according to Pakistani claims?

7. Is the killing of Osama Bin Laden in anywhere going to reduce the acts of terrorism globally?

As a lay person, I do not condone any form of killing of an unarmed person. If we start killing unarmed persons and hide behind political powers and legalities, we are no different from those whom we label as criminals and terrorists. By committing the same wrongs as those who are labelled as criminals and terrorist, we are actually condoning and encouraging their wrongful acts. And any wrongful act is not part of justice. And right now, what we need is justice. But justice that is dispensed with unjustness, which means the killing of any unarmed person (even a mass killer) is not just or justice. To kill an unarmed monster by being an armed monster only makes more than a monster.

Is it American law and values to kill unarmed persons?

Article Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13318372