The startling news that Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been killed by a United States Navy S.E.A.L team, announced May 1, drew jubilation from around the nation, as well as questions on how the battle against global terror networks will look over the next several months and years.
Rep. Karen Bass (D-Culver City) expressed hope that the loved ones touched by terrorists acts or war would take comfort in the fact that the man responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 World Trade Center bombings in New York City had been killed in a war launched almost 10 years ago.
“The death of Osama bin Laden will never bring closure to the families who suffered because of his cruelty, but I hope it will provide comfort to the fathers and mothers, daughters and sons who continue to grieve for lost loved ones,” the congresswoman said in a statement on May 2.
Bass also credited President Barack Obama, as well as the Special Forces team and intelligence agencies for their work in helping to locate and eventually kill the terrorist leader.
“The quiet professionals of the intelligence and national security committees, the citizen soldiers of our Armed Forces and their families who continue to make sacrifices to keep our nation safe are at the forefront of my mind,” Bass said. “A new generation of great Americans has made it their mission to bring this mastermind of evil to justice. Under the leadership of our Commander-in-Chief, this day belongs to the many quiet heroes who work to protect all of us.”
How the U.S. will proceed in its battle against Al Qaeda, and the broader picture of the nation’s involvement in Afghanistan are still being defined. Perhaps the disparate views of candidates seeking to replace former Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) in the 36th Congressional District are a microcosm of how some California lawmakers, current and future, might navigate the nuances of terrorism abroad and what the nation’s role should be in foreign wars.
Democrat Marcy Winograd, a teacher and Santa Monica resident seeking to replace Harman, recently signed a declaration issued by the Los Angeles chapter of Veterans for Peace pledging that she would not vote in favor of additional war funding if elected to Congress.
“As we witness the revelry and celebration at Osama Bin Laden’s death, we must remain grounded in the belief that history, however tragic, is not made by one angry man orchestrating mass murder,” said Winograd, who is well-known for her anti-war positions.
“While we may have reviled Bin Laden … we must still examine why his tirades and plots ever gained resonance in the Arab world, and we must resolve to bridge the gap between the United States and much of
the Middle East.
“In Congress, I will vote against war funding that continues counter-productive wars and occupations,” Winograd pledged. “Unlike my opponents, I will allocate funding only to bring our troops home and out of harm’s way.”
Winograd was one of three out of 12 candidates at an election forum on April 27 to sign the declaration. The rest of the field, composed of Democrats, Republicans, a Libertarian and two declined-to-state challengers, declined repeated invitations to sign the pledge.
Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) has supported the war in the Middle East, while her colleague Barbara Boxer (D-California) has pushed for an Afghanistan exist strategy.
Usman Madha, the spokesman for the King Fahad Mosque in Culver City – one of the largest mosques in Southerin California – said the mood among the worshippers at the mosque was “universally the same” as it has appeared all over the nation, as television cameras have captured celebration after celebration upon the learning of bin Laden’s death.
“There is relief that the patron saint of violence is no longer a part of society,” Madha told the News.
While certain politicians have engaged in anti-Muslim rhetoric and provocateur Pastor Terry Jones of Florida has burned the Koran and participated in numerous anti-Islam acts, Madha believes that most Americans do not share these views.
“The vast majority in the U.S. are very well aware of the fact the Muslims also abhor violence,” the mosque spokesman said.
Attorney Steven Gourley, a member of the Culver City Unified School District Board of Education, said the mosque’s worshippers and representatives have a long history in Culver City and have always been peaceful people.
“They are a very friendly people, who found their way to a friendly city,” said Gourley, a former legal representative of the mosque.
Bass, elected to Congress last November after three terms in the Assembly, called bin Laden’s killing a landmark moment and “a milestone in our pursuit against terrorists and those who wish to perpetrate acts of inhumanity against innocent people.” She concluded,“Our vigilance against terrorism continues, but our hope for a better day absent these threats remains.”