Posted by Nabil Echchaibi on Thursday, February 25, 2010
Well here is a more than reasonable thought. Shouldn't Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Turkey or any other Muslim country where Al-Qaeda has struck since 9/11, be leading the search for Bin Laden and his lieutenant, Al-Zawahiri. Dr. Fadl, a well-known scholar of Islamic jurisprudence and jihad, thinks both men should face an Islamic trial because they've caused enough suffering to Muslims and sullied the image of their religion. I think that's an excellent idea and I hope it gains some traction soon. Obviously, capturing Bin Laden is more political than logistical, but imagine what a public trial of Al-Qaeda would do to an internal debate about jihad in Islam. I think that would be the best public spectacle of the century.
I was born and raised in Morocco. My research focuses on the intersections between Islam, Arab popular culture and the media. I'm currently an assistant professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Colorado-Boulder.