After economical crisis, natural catastrophes, old and new wars, rebellions and violence explosions the news of the death of the number one world’s terrorist is just what we needed.

Meanwhile the people all over the world question on which is the true reality about this unclear story, the news of Al Qaeda leader’s death is spreading on all newspapers and TV news.

The images of American people gathered on the streets around US jumping, singing joy’s choruses and crying after receiving the announcement from President Obama of the murder of the West’s greatest enemy, is the demonstration of how it could be strong the effects of news like that.

Osama Bin Laden, called also the “terror shaykh”, has been for decades the most wanted terrorist of the world and the most feared man for the western world.

His mysterious figure frightened and fascinated at the same time. He was the icon of the evil, he embodied fear and terror, he was the perfect enemy dangerous and elusive.

The world knows his face and voice only thanks to the various videos which appeared systematically on TV. He has always been untraceable but his presence could be perceived anywhere.

Maybe his greatest weapon was the speech, a speech with the power of killing thousands of people in name of the Jihad against the West. His disciples following his speech sacrificed themselves to accomplish the mission of eliminating American and western enemies.

He is a negative hero who skilfully constructed a self image of legendary man, feared by his enemies, adored and esteemed by his followers. He presented himself as the warlord and the spiritual guide to Islamic world in the struggle against the western countries, succeeding in putting together an “evil army” ready to obey and execute his orders blindly.

He understood well how to take advantage of the modern mass media to nourish the greatness of his figure. Osama has always been a clever man and an able communicator, being good at uniting archaic symbols and media modernity.

Some expert analysts defined him a borderline character, who constructed a double self image of ancient and modern, elitist and popular, of an expert Jihad’s strategist and of an expert communicator at the same time.

His war against the West was essentially a psychological war, made by terror and fear’s spreading and virtual treats that in some terrible occasion turned into crude facts.

Osama Bin Laden was more than a man, he was a powerful double sided symbol. His death is still a bit unclear, some people believe it is real and it represents the victory of good against evil, some others think it is maybe the result of a conspiracy or a real hoax. At the moment nobody knows the truth.

The only certain thing is that his death, real or not, is a symbolic death. It could nourish hope for a better future and a better world, or it could nourish hatred and a strong push for “fundamentalisms” – not only the Islamic one -. It remains just one question: can a symbol be defeated with a man’s death?

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About the author

Francesca Biggio
I'm an Italian "Islander" from Sardinia.I love languages and I'm very interested in all concerning communication strategies,journalism,politics,history and social issues. I love travelling and coming into contact with different cultures and universes.

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