After some days of debating at the White House, President Obama decided that he will not release picture's of Osama Bin Laden's body. His main argument behind this decision is that putting those pictures on the internet will only "inflame tensions" in the Muslim world and would do little to convince skeptics.
Personally, I understand the president's reasoning and I do agree that by not releasing the photos he will avoid violent acts that could arise from Bin Laden supporters. As I have been reading about Osama Bin Laden's death, I have encountered many arguments lead by skeptics in which they argue that without proof in the form of photographs, they cannot be sure that Osama was actually killed. Looking at the issue from the skeptic perspective I understood their point, but how would those skeptics know that the photos are real? If we are going to be completely skeptic, we might as well argue that in current times the government possesses the adequate technology to release "fake" pictures, and therefore the photographs would NOT constitute enough evidence to convince the public.
Although it is true that the public deserves to know of the details of the operation and what was done afterwards (i.e. why did authorities decide that they would throw the body into the sea? that struck me as an interesting decision), I agree that it is more important to be cautious about how the information impacts the Muslim world. As Representative Mike Rogers, Republican of Michigan and chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, explains in this article "Imagine how the American people would react if Al Qaeda killed one of our troops or military leaders, and put photos of the body on the internet (...) Osama Bin Laden is not a trophy. He is dead, and let's now focus on continuing the fight until Al Qaeda has been eliminated".
Laura Zocchi
Ryan Maness Friday Section 1pm
They have already showed the public the visuals of how the house was left after the attack. It is obvious that the American people want to know how the whole thing was done and how Obama can be so sure it is Osama. In a way I do feel that it would be better not to release the pictures since they might be to graphic for some people, especially since some people are starting to wonder if killing was the best thing since it is said that he was unarmed when the Navy SEALS arrived at the premises. Also because there a long of his followers who would be really offended by the pictures.
ReplyDeleteKaren Ledezma---Armel 10
I also agree that it would be a bad idea to release the photos. Aside from being disrespectful, it would most likely perpetuate more violence.
ReplyDeleteIpek Hacioglu
(Ryan @ 11)
The death reports are credible and so most people will sway away from skepticism. I do think that the actual pictures will leak eventually, but for now the publication of such photos would only convey the wrong message.
ReplyDeleteErnestina Perez
Armel 10am Fri
I think that releasing the photos is the right thing to do from a credibility stand point. Skeptics and non-believers will complain either way: if they don't release them the government is hiding something, if they do release them they're a fake. But I think it's better to release them now since just about every other major terrorist/target who has been killed had their pictures released.
ReplyDelete-Cullen, Ryan@11
Regardless of what the president does there will still be non-believers. Currently there are 'fake' photos circulating the internet.( Be careful they have been infecting computers with Trojans). Conspiracy theories have been popping up left and right.The most interesting one I have heard so for is:
ReplyDelete"Osama was not killed. The Navy seals captured him and they are holding him at GITMO. The United Sates said they buried him at sea but he is really being tortured in Cuba."
It is only a matter of time that the actual photos are leaked.
-Alexander Guevara
Ryan- Friday 1:00pm
I really don't believe that the photos should be released. If they do get released, I think it would just cause more violence like Ipek said. Additionally, releasing the photos may re-entrench the hatred for the Muslim community as many ignorant people see Osama as a figure for Muslims.
ReplyDeleteKevin Ho
Armel @ 1p.m.
I am torn between whether I think the photos should be released or not. A part of me thinks that things will just become worse if they were, and the other part of me wants to also see them for credibility reasons. I don't doubt that he is dead, but I question if everything relayed by the media is true.
ReplyDeleteRazan Abu-Hashish
Ryan @11