Was Osama bin Laden’s Burial Handled Correctly?
MILLER-MCCUNE
By Colin Murphy
MIDDLE EAST - It is one of the oldest moral conflicts in world culture: what to do with the body of your slain enemy. The body of Osama bin Laden was buried at sea, according to the White House, apparently in order to prevent his burial place from becoming a shrine. But might the manner of that burial, and the denial of his body to his family, ultimately foster an even greater “martyr” myth? This conflict can be traced back to Greek mythology and the tragedy of Antigone (as written by Sophocles, in the 5th century B.C.). Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, rebelled against their city, Thebes, and was slain in battle. The king, Creon, uncle to Polyneices and Antigone, ordered that Polyneices’ body be left to rot where it had fallen, outside the city walls. Antigone violated Creon’s law, was caught trying to bury her brother, and was sentenced to death; her death brings tragedy down upon her family, and upon the state of Thebes. [link]
By Colin Murphy
MIDDLE EAST - It is one of the oldest moral conflicts in world culture: what to do with the body of your slain enemy. The body of Osama bin Laden was buried at sea, according to the White House, apparently in order to prevent his burial place from becoming a shrine. But might the manner of that burial, and the denial of his body to his family, ultimately foster an even greater “martyr” myth? This conflict can be traced back to Greek mythology and the tragedy of Antigone (as written by Sophocles, in the 5th century B.C.). Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, rebelled against their city, Thebes, and was slain in battle. The king, Creon, uncle to Polyneices and Antigone, ordered that Polyneices’ body be left to rot where it had fallen, outside the city walls. Antigone violated Creon’s law, was caught trying to bury her brother, and was sentenced to death; her death brings tragedy down upon her family, and upon the state of Thebes. [link]
