YEMEN: Yemenis are divided in their opinion over the death and burial of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden

Record ID: 269001

  • Title: YEMEN: Yemenis are divided in their opinion over the death and burial of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden
  • Date: 4th May 2011
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF WOMEN CHANTING
  • Embargoed: 19th May 2011 13:00
  • Keywords: Yemdunc
  • Location: Yemen, Yemen
  • Country: Yemen
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA1BPNARC5V1YJF9BFZ4HN0AUWA
  • Story Text: Yemenis on Tuesday (May 3) gave mixed opinions on the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
    Yemen is bin Laden's ancestral homeland where anti-government protesters have been staging demonstrations for weeks.
    Bin Laden was killed in a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan on Monday (May 2), ending a nearly 10-year worldwide manhunt for the leader of the global Islamist militant network that orchestrated the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
    On Monday, activists urged street protesters not to raise banners of bin Laden to avoid triggering a harsher crackdown on demonstrations seeking democratic change.
    Tens of thousands of Yemeni protesters have camped out for three months in public squares across the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state to demand the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled autocratically for nearly 33 years and has long been a U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda.
    "Osama bin Laden did a lot, he tarnished the image of Islam, in my opinion he tarnished the image of Islam. The West sees Islam in a negative light, as terrorism, and he used Islam for this purpose (terrorism)," said protester Samah Alqudsi.
    "We felt sad over him (his death) as if he were Yemeni. But he did ugly things, and so I say he deserved (to die) a thousand times, not just once," said protester Samia Ahmed.
    But others disapproved of the way bin Laden was buried at sea, with some saying his remains should have been brought back to Saudi Arabia, the country of his birth.
    "This makes a mockery of Arabs, this proves that Arabs have no say in anything and don't carry any weight. Because he holds Saudi nationality, Saudi Arabia should demand his body," said Abd Alsamad Khader.
    Yemen, which has struggled to contain al Qaeda within its borders, welcomed the operation that killed bin Laden.
    "The successful operation ... marks a monumental milestone in the ongoing global war against terrorism," the Yemeni embassy in Washington said in an emailed statement.
    Saleh's sway over Yemen, long shaky in remote provinces where al Qaeda is most active, has weakened further as protests have gathered steam, with security forces and officials deserting large swathes of several provinces.
    A Gulf-mediated deal to ease out Saleh and defuse Yemen's political stalemate looked doomed after he refused to sign on Saturday (April 30), increasing the threat of instability in the country.
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