[Mb-civic] OP-ED COLUMNIST Marking Down Bin Laden By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

[Michael Butler]

 The New York Times
February 6, 2005
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Marking Down Bin Laden
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

A few weeks ago it was reported that the Bush administration was considering
doubling the reward for the capture of Osama bin Laden from $25 million to
$50 million. I totally agree with readjusting the reward for bin Laden's
capture, I just think the Bush team has the number totally wrong.

The U.S. should announce that it is lowering the reward for bin Laden from
$25 million to one penny, along with an autographed picture of George W.
Bush. At the same time, it should reduce the $25 million reward for Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi, the chief terrorist in Iraq, to one pistachio and an
autographed picture of Dick Cheney.

Don't get me wrong. Bin Laden and Zarqawi have murdered thousands of people.
I want them brought in dead or alive - and preferably the former. If I
thought $100 million would do it, I'd be for it. But these megarewards
clearly are not working, and in many ways they are sending the totally wrong
signals.

First, both of these guys are obviously megalomaniacs, who think the world
is just hanging on their every word and waiting for their next video. All we
are doing is feeding their egos, and telling them how incredibly important
they are, when we not only put a $25 million bounty on their heads, but in
the case of bin Laden, double the figure. We are just enhancing their status
on the Arab street as the Muslim warriors standing up to America, and only
encouraging other megalomaniacs out there who might have similar fantasies
to follow suit. We should be doing just the opposite - letting these two
losers know that we don't think they are worth more than a penny or a
pistachio.

But there is an even more important issue of principle at stake. We should
not be paying Iraqis or Arabs or Pakistanis to get rid of their problem.
Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi are a curse on their civilization.
Their capture will have meaning or real value to them, to us and to the
world, only if it is done by Arabs and Muslims for the sole purpose of
purging their civilization of these two cancer cells.

Also, if bin Laden's or Zarqawi's own neighbors turn them in for nothing, it
will have a much greater deterrent effect on others. After all, what story
would you rather read after bin Laden's capture?

"Osama bin Laden was apprehended this morning after villagers turned him in
to local police. The villagers collected the $50 million reward and then
fled their country in ski masks, not wanting anyone to know their
identities." Or, "Osama bin Laden was captured this morning after villagers
tipped off local police. One of the villagers, Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed, told
reporters: 'This man sullied the name of Islam, a religion of mercy and
compassion. There is a special place in hell for him. I will dance on his
grave.' "

What I would do with the $75 million we have budgeted as rewards for bin
Laden and Zarqawi is use it instead to sponsor an essay contest for high
school students in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Syria and Egypt. The contest
entry form would say the following: "In 2,000 words, write an essay on one
of these two topics: 1. Why do you believe the Arab-Muslim world is fully
capable of achieving democratic, representative government and how do you
envisage it coming about through peaceful changes inside your country,
without any American or other outside help. 2. Write an essay about the
lives of any of the great medieval Arab or Muslim mathematicians, scientists
or philosophers and how their innovations helped to shape our world today."

The winners would be awarded visas and four-year scholarships to any
accredited university in America to which they could gain acceptance. The
winning essays would be posted on the Web in English, Arabic, Urdu, Farsi
and French. What do you think would make America more secure? Rewarding one
person for turning in bin Laden or putting thousands of young Arabs and
Muslims through American schools?

Maybe we could even call them the "Bin Laden Scholars." I sort of like the
idea of bin Laden sitting in a dark cave somewhere, composing his latest
nutty video message, and suddenly learning that all the reward money we were
devoting to killing him will go instead to killing his ideas - and to
bringing young Arabs and Muslims closer to America rather than pushing them
farther away.

I know the 9/11 families want justice and closure when it comes to bin
Laden. So do I, and I can't think of any better punishment than having him
turned in one day by one of his neighbors in return for a penny or a
pistachio.

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