Why Was Bin Laden Buried At Sea?

Just hours after he was killed in a United States-led operation, Osama bin Laden’s lifeless body -- bathed, wrapped in a sheet and placed in a weighted bag -- was “eased” off the decks of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson into the waters of the north Arabian Sea.

ABC News reports that traditionally, Muslims are not buried at sea, but in a grave without a casket. According to a mortuary transportation trade site, "the most devout Muslims require the bathing, shrouding and burial within 24 hours of death, even if it means delaying the declared time of death."

So why was bin Laden buried at sea?

Time reports that it would have been a challenge to find a country that would allow bin Laden to be buried in its soil, and there were “rumors” that Saudi Arabia refused the offer.

Additionally, The New York Times reports that a sea burial also keeps his final resting place from becoming a shrine to extremists.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a press conference Tuesday that a member of the military “read prepared religious remarks” that were translated into Arabic at the burial ceremony. It reportedly lasted about 40 minutes.

Do you think the decision to bury bin Laden at sea rather than on land was a good one? Share your opinion in the comments section below.

Comments

[rshrink]

02:03 PM on 05/04/2011

News Break, turns out this guy was actually Ben Laidon. Sorry about the confusion.

[Mark128]

03:52 PM on 05/04/2011

HAHA AWESOME

[rshrink]

01:59 PM on 05/04/2011

Burying him at sea, along with not releasing pictures, creates suspicion that this was not bin laden. We have enough suspicion about the Kennedy brothers and numerous others deaths and situations where it appears that many facts were hidden from view. This is why someone comes along and does the wiki-leaks. This is why we have whistle blowers and why whistle blowers are persecuted. We have seen way too much corruption over the years. To expect people then to just blindly accept whatever story is put out there, well, it certainly isn't going to happen.

[Mark128]

01:28 PM on 05/04/2011

I CANNOT believe the amount of sheep who are actually buying this nonsense. You people are so God Damn Naive!

[rshrink]

02:00 PM on 05/04/2011

You people? You people? Who are you to call people, "you people."

[Mark128]

03:51 PM on 05/04/2011

you people who fell for such a terribly orchestrated story full of NONSENSE! I am insulted at the arrogance our Government shows. I could have fabricated a better scenario/story!

[Kalemanao]

01:16 PM on 05/04/2011

Why Ask Why?

Note:No need to read further than the column headline...

[yote60]

10:34 AM on 05/04/2011

The sharks have to eat too!!!

[puredeva]

02:59 AM on 05/04/2011

I don't beleive for 1 minute that there was a 40 minute burial reading for this demon. I definitely don't believe that we "eased" his body off anything. As far as I am concerned, that could have been the fire we saw at the compound the night the news broke. After we beat him and tortured him they probably burned him alive. Burning a helicopter that bumped the ground too hard, HA! Eye for an eye, baby. I wouldn't be mad at them, because he certainly did worse to the innocent men, women and children over the years. They probably kicked him in the head right into the water, BOOP! Religious ceremony, yeah right, God accepts him as much as he accepts Satan the Devil himself. I know I shouldn't judge, but I do know God does not like such ugliness. So I don't care if the ceremony for him lasted all day, God knows his heart was full of evil, so it does not matter.

[ratstar]

02:04 AM on 05/04/2011

I think it's not ok for the Islamic community for him to have been buried at sea, and for some of us it sounds like a convenient excuse to say why the body can not be shown. But I understand that this was perhaps the only way given time constraints. It is good to treat anyone's body with respect, even one who has sown evil, as it indicates how civilized America is. It sends the message that it is serious about finding a terrorist who has killed so many, and it does so not with childishness.... Obl had waged a holy war, and so should have been ready to die at any time.

[ver1tas]

01:38 AM on 05/04/2011

Whether it's a good or bad idea is irrelevant.. what matters is that it was a very convenient one ;)

[Opinionated1111]

01:36 AM on 05/04/2011

ABSOLUTELY the best choice - and NOW the Pakistani Government should show GOOD FAITH to the United States - and totally level and obliterate the Bin Laden Compound - so there is not a scrap of gravel left for anyone to make a shrine of....

And the earth should be salted so nothing would ever be allowed to grow there - and no one should ever be allowed to build on that property again either......

THE SITE SHOULD BE OBLITERATED COMPLETELY!!!!!!!!! WIPED FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH!!!!!!!!!!!

[Parade Keegan]

02:06 AM on 05/04/2011

Crash a plane into it loaded with jet fuel? Ya, that would be dramatic and great but devastating ecologically to the environment and those who live there and we are better than that.

[reecegswofford]

01:10 AM on 05/04/2011

As for burial, whatever is the most hateful way to dispose of this
monster's body is what actually should have been done. And....
it should have been filmed and distributed widely to the Muslim
world. This man showed no mercy, no decent behavior and his
mutilated ours, hung them on bridges etc. Nothing would have
been too low for this non-human!!! In fact, burying him alive
then soaking the grave in gasoline and lighting it would have
been a nice touch!!!

[Abdul Nabi]

04:46 PM on 05/05/2011

Because creating a terrorist recruiting video that mKes citizens less safe is what we want... Well I guess it may be what you want as you might be very into the idea of America becoming more of a Christian police state

[Doris Bachman]

12:04 AM on 05/04/2011

Personally I do not agree with burial at sea for 2 reasons.....1)it really isn't in keeping with Moslem teachings and faith; and 2) I belive better to have a body which is indisputable than to no longer have it at all......certainly there could have been some resolution. And what is to stop the terrorists and radicals from making that entire body of water a shrine in which attempts to sacrifice others' lives in that body of water potentially could be carried out in retribution? I for one am uncomfortable about that aspect of the events. However, I salute the special ops and Seals and our President as well as his advisors for having the courage to go through with this and prevail after 10 long years! We live in the greatest country on earth for which I am so proud to be an American citizen. Today I am just a little bit moreso. But I know this is not an end but only a stopping point to celebrate on a long road ahead as there are other radicals out there and I am afraid they will retaliate.

[chromehippie2]

12:02 AM on 05/04/2011

So I don't hear to many folks commenting that the attack on OBL occurred on May Day. (as in May day! May Day!)

A great ironic answer to Al Queda's choice of 9/11 to attack us. Great job Pres. Obama!

[Richie MuadDib]

11:35 PM on 05/03/2011

Very weird, taking him alive makes so much more sense, for intelligence reasons alone; not to mention the people's desire for evidence and trials.

What if Obama found out that ObL most likely died many years ago? Would he be wrong for finally putting the matter to rest while taking out a high-ranking Al Qaeda target?

If ObL isn't dead, he or AQ will be repsonding with a video soon.

[williamssfemail]

12:38 AM on 05/04/2011

I fully understand your opinion. But a trial would have been extremely difficult. It is extremely likely that a civilian court would have cited that he was forcefully abducted from a foreign country without that country's permission. And the case might have been completely thrown out and he would have just walked away free.

[Nicholas Rasmussen]

11:53 AM on 05/04/2011

Actually, I doubt there would have been substantial procedural objections to a trial -- Supreme Court case-law holds that the kidnapping of a suspect from a foreign country is no bar to trial in the United States [case is United States v. Avarez-Machain], and from his videos alone there is a mountain of evidence in which ObL claimed responsibility for the attacks. I think the real concern is simply the circus (and domestic terror threat) such a trial would pose, as well as the long-term dangers of keeping the S-o-B confined while awaiting his (presumable) death sentence. Not to mention how to dispose of the body afterwords.

In other words, killing the man outright appears to be the cleanest solution available, and I suspect that was the reason for the decision to do so. (Whatever they are now saying about 'willingness to capture him alive.').

[Vincent Hayden]

11:27 PM on 05/03/2011

I think burning would have been more suitable, just my opinion. I still wonder if his followers will regard him as a martyr.

[TheNative]

10:52 PM on 05/03/2011

Frankly, the sea burial limits the possibility that grave site would be used as a shrine. So from that regard it was probably the right choice although I'm not speaking from knowledge of the Muslim customs, just an observation.