Q&A: What are your thoughts about the death of bin Laden?

NEW YORK—The news of Osama bin Laden’s death hit close to home for New Yorkers regardless of cultural background, though people’s understanding of the situation varied across the board. On a mild spring afternoon, The Epoch Times set out to talk to people about their thoughts and opinions on the matter that has captured the world’s attention.

Judy Vesporo, 41, Bartender, Long Island

I’m glad that they finally got him. However, the reaction in general, celebrating the death of any living human being … the cheering, that’s not cool. I do believe he was a truly evil person, but at the same time to react in the way that people have been kind of puts you in the same place. I don’t think that we should revel in the death of any human being in general. We should all want to be better.

Genevieve Asselin, 51, Journalist, Montreal, Canada

Americans reacting to it. … I think it’s probably not appropriate to riot and do this [raises fist] like a victory sign for bin Laden’s death. I’m not so sure it’s a victory. The problems are much deeper and the reaction is too victorious, it doesn’t solve the problem. What is the problem? Too many differences in the world, too much exploitation of other people’s resources without sharing the profits, not enough deep understanding of the differences. One wonders why he was shot in the head, so far we haven’t seen his body. The information is controlled; it’s very sensitive information. One has to keep in mind that it is some kind of propaganda, like in wartime.

Giselle Bernidec, 21, Home Attendant, Queens

I’m not happy that he died; I think that he was supposed to suffer a little bit more because he did so much to many people. They killed him too fast, he was supposed to come to the United States and stay here many, many years in jail and suffer like many, many people did.

Kimberly, 30, Pattern Maker, Manhattan

I don’t understand why everyone is celebrating it, their celebrating that they feel like justice is served. But I don’t think that they should celebrate [the] death of anyone, even your enemy. The more that the media shows us celebrating; the more trouble its going cause, for sure.

Faisal, 25, Business Owner, Washington State

I am from Afghanistan. Thirty-five years ago they couldn’t get a good result out of the cold war in Afghanistan. … He was used as a symbol. Later, Bush pretended that he was really fighting against them, but all he was caring about was influencing the Middle East, oil, and having power, and being between the nuclear powers, Iran, China, Russia, [and] Afghanistan. … Afghanistan was the biggest strategic area. Nowadays, Osama bin Laden was really useless. I think there’s a strategy to pull out of Afghanistan, to say that the war against the terror is over, I think it was a good time to kill him. Osama bin Laden was nothing but a weapon. The real killer is still alive. It was just a waste of time thinking about bin Laden as the al-Queda leader, all he was was a political character.