USA: Bin Laden's Death is Good News at Local Mosque

"We must make sure that we represent Islam properly as a religion of peace, and that's what our community is doing. We're going door-to-door with a message of peace and loyalty."

Saad Ahmad - Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Oshkosh

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: WBAY | ABC 2
By Emily Matesic | May 2, 2011

Those who died on September 11th in the attacks orchestrated by Osama bin Laden weren't the only victims that day. Some Muslims and the Islamic religion also came under scrutiny.

Bin Laden's death gives local Muslims a reason to celebrate.

"Everyone is happy, everyone is congratulating each other in our community. It's great news that we found out Osama bin Laden has been captured and killed," Mustafa Ahmed said.

There was a sense of joy and relief during the afternoon prayer at Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Center in Oshkosh.

While bin Laden called himself a Muslim, these Islamic men say he was anything but. He was a terrorist.


He did not follow the basic principles of Islam, which are submission and peace.

"He can call himself whatever he wants, but he has nothing to do with Islam and the majority of Muslims have no sympathy for what his cause is," Saad Ahmad said.But just because bin Laden, the extremist, is gone doesn't mean terrorism is at rest.

"He got what he deserved, but we must all remember that we must not get complacent at this point. He was a representation of extremism. Extremism didn't die with Osama bin Laden. That kind of tendencies will still be there, and we must not let our resolve or our guard down," Ahmad said.

Instead, members of this Oshkosh Islamic community will take advantage of bin Laden's death.

They plan to use it as a positive by spreading their core values to their neighbors and the rest of the world.

"We must make sure that we represent Islam properly as a religion of peace, and that's what our community is doing. We're going door-to-door with a message of peace and loyalty," Ahmad said.

"This is a good, good day for all of the Muslim nations, especially America as well, so I think it's a very, very happy moment for us, because we keep getting closer and closer to eliminating al-Qaeda, getting rid of terrorism," Ahmed said.


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