Fresno City College students are divided on their views of Al-Queda leader, Osama Bin Laden Bin Laden. While the announcement initiated spontaneous celebrations across much of the nation, many Americans maintain that the terrorism leader’s death is not adequate for the destruction he brought about in the last decade.
Paralegal major, Theo Hedgpeth, said he believes Bin Laden deserved to die, but he should have been put in prison before he died. Still Hedgpeth says Bin Laden’s death will not change anything. “After Hitler’s death, there were still many messed up things that happened,” said Hedgpeth. “It’s not like a video game, where if you beat the big boss, everything will be fine. That’s also the downfall of us trying to kill Gaddafi. It’s not like if we kill Gaddafi, everything is going to be good. “
English major, Will Christensen, said he is amazed at how long it took a decade to track down Bin Laden. “We put him on high priority, and it took 10 years,” said Christensen. “It says something about the efficiency of the powers of the U.S. It also says something about the ingenuity of the guys that were stashing him.”
Jose Meza, a history major, said Bin laden’s death will not change anything. “Those who sacrificed their lives deserve respect; but the war is pointless,” said Meza.
For nursing major, Shelbi Sinople, news of Bin Laden’s death was reason for celebration. “Bin Laden’s death is Justified,” said Sinople. “My Mom sent me a text. I turned on the TV, and when I saw the headline, I got goosebumps.”
Sinople said she is glad that the resources used to hunt down Bin Laden finally paid off. “What we pursued for 10 years is finally done,” said Sinople. “We made strides with each little thing, but we didn’t have much to show for it.”
Sinople said that while the war wasn’t 100 percent centered on capturing Bin Laden, using the resources to capture him was still justified. “It’s like when Hussein was captured. He was done. He couldn’t hurt anybody anymore. It feels the same now,” said Sinople, who celebrated the night by cracking open a bottle of beer with her husband.
Omar Ali, an international student from Yemen, said he believes Bin Laden’s death brings relief to Muslims around the world. “Bin Laden had created a negative image for Muslims. After all these years, we finally got him. It should be a celebration,” said Ali.”He is the reason we are treated like suspects. Many people miss flights. People look at us like murders.” Ali hopes the U.S. will clarify the misconception and make it clear to the public that this is not a war on Islam. He hopes the public can see that Muslims and terrorists are not one.
“Every nation should check its people and not allow the voices of extremists to be heard,” Ali said. “It creates a negative impact on harmony. The voice of racists hinders coexistence of nations. It’s important to make sure they are silenced.”
