Content about al-Qaeda

The news that the United States military has located and killed Osama bin Laden at his compound in Pakistan comes as the nation prepares to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the downing of United Airlines Flight 93 over southwest Pa. These tragic events left Americans and people throughout the world in shock and grieving the senseless loss of life resulting from this intentional assault planned and carried out by al-Qaida under the leadership of Osama bin Laden.

Following public jubilation at news that a U.S. special operations team had killed terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden, religious leaders across America issued sober reflections on the spiritual significance of the military action and public response.

The following excerpts come from statements and columns issues by religious leaders and journalists.

Years ago I reviewed a book called Unspeakable: Facing Evil in an Age of Genocide and Terror  by social critic Os Guinness. Its thesis was that the capacity for evil exists in every human being; therefore, the then-current political philosophy that Americans were unquestionably the good guys and global terrorists unquestionably the bad guys was both false and unbiblical. I agreed with Guinness then, and I agree with him now that the world is celebrating the death of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden at the hands of a Navy Seals-CIA secret-ops team.