Opinion
Don’t give Moussaoui what he wants: martyrdom
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Also by Adam Lichtenheld:
- American policy not very 'Christ-like' (November 26, 2007)
- Media martyrdom plagues shootings (November 14, 2007)
- Discussing Middle East? Go there first (October 31, 2007)
- 'Awareness' weak on Islamic reality (October 17, 2007)
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In a chaotic trial high on emotion and low on facts, Sept. 11 conspirator Zacharias Moussaoui has made it clear what he wants. Having missed out on his deluded sense of divine supremacy nearly five years ago, when he sat hapless in a cell while his ideological comrades flew to their own skewed sense of martyrdom, Mr. Moussaoui seeks a similar theatrical end. Like all suicidal zealots, he wishes to perish as a pawn in God's struggle against His ideological enemies — an insignificant prisoner immediately transformed into a fanatical hero whose name will be forever etched in history.
Yet the American judiciary — backed steadily by the public will — is intending to fulfill Mr. Moussaoui's delusional dreams.
Those seeking execution for the self-proclaimed "20th hijacker" for his seemingly insignificant role in the Sept. 11 attack are consumed by stories of unspeakable horror and irretrievable loss seeping from a gaping national wound that may never heal. They perpetuate the cry for Mr. Moussaoui's head in the name of vengeance and tragedy, the facts of the case and true notions of justice persistently warped by a collective desperation to hold someone — anyone — accountable and dangle him up for the world to see, proclaiming, "If you mess with America, this is what happens."
Such is the fundamental nature of the death penalty. But in this case, execution would serve no purpose. Ending the life of an eager martyr in a glorious execution will not deter religious fanatics bent on terrorism. On the contrary, it will give the revolutionary more reason to slap explosives to his chest, rallying the terrorist cause by bolstering the perceived heroism of immortalized murderers. If anything, an executed Moussaoui would pose more of a threat to our society — giving terrorist cells another marketing demagogue for recruiting their next human time-bomb.
Then again, if we're looking for a punching bag to unleash our pent-up rage on, why Mr. Moussaoui? He never held an important rank within an al-Qaida cell. Despite his delusional testimony that he was to fly a never-before mentioned fifth airplane into the White House, Mr. Moussaoui was not the "20th hijacker." During his time taking flight lessons in the United States, he was never in contact with the other Sept. 11 terrorists. Though he was apprehended less than a month before the attacks, it failed to disrupt the plot's timing or its potency. Since his 50-minute rant in a pre-trial hearing in 2002, it's been apparent that Mr. Moussaoui is violently unstable — quite antithetical of cool, calculating al-Qaida leaders like Osama bin Laden — for whom Mr. Moussaoui makes a poor substitute.
If true punishment is in order, why not bring in more reputable al-Qaida masterminds — such as the infamous Sept. 11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was apprehended in Germany three years ago, or Mohamed al-Kahtani, the real "20th hijacker," who is currently being held at Guantánamo Bay? These men are much more deserving of our wrath than the delirious, pathetic Mr. Moussaoui.
But perhaps this trial is about more than revenge. Perhaps it's about giving Americans a false sense of comfort. Comfort that the twin towers would still be standing if only another nemesis hadn't defied us. Comfort that those responsible for our tragedy have been brought to justice. Forget the failures of government agencies in interpreting pre-Sept. 11 intelligence and warning signs. Forget the fact that bin Laden is still on the loose, having eluded authorities and governments for a half-decade. If Mr. Moussaoui is executed, maybe we could finally stop thinking about the reasons the tragedy happened, stop thinking about the sources of such deep-seeded hatred and fall asleep at night without any sense of responsibility for our loss.
Mr. Moussaoui would have loved to kill 3,000 innocent Americans, but that doesn't mean that we should reward him as if he did. A more just and fitting punishment, rather than making a small-time wannabe bin Laden into an Islamofacist icon, would be to throw Mr. Moussaoui into the darkest cell, forcing him to rot in prison while watching his fanatical comrades forget his existence. Incarceration with the knowledge that he will never achieve true martyrdom is the only way suicidal extremists will suffer; capital punishment is merely their last hope for achieving their ultimate aim.
We cannot claim that the rule of law has been vindicated, or that true justice has been served, if we give Zacharias Moussaoui death when death is all Zacharias Moussaoui wants.
Adam Lichtenheld (lichtenheld@wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in political science and African studies.
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Adam, what you fail to realize is that terrorists are the only ones who'd see Zacharias Moussaoui as a martyr. Real martyrs don't die willingly; Mr. Moussaoui would. When are you liberals going to stop going soft every time a touchy subject comes up? I have no problem executing him. Ask anyone who lost a relative or family member if they feel he should be executed. Overwhelmingly, they will answer "Hell yeah!" I know a guy here in Madison who lost a relative in the World Trade Center attack, and he wouldn't hesitate to execute any al Qaida member if it would prevent the possibility that they'd be paroled someday, or have their sentence sommuted, or even declared insane so that they live comfortably in an institution.
I agree that it is bad to give this guy what he wants but then there is his talk of being traded for hostages.
Much as I don't want this guy to get his 72 virgins in paradise, I also don't want his comrades to kidnap Americans to try to trade for him.
I say lard him with bacon, wrap him in pigskin and bury him alive. Promise this treatment for all jihadi murderers and I would think it would modify their behavior.
If you want, you can pay to house, feed, and clothe that guy while he spends the rest of his life in prison. He's probably got decades left to his natural lifespan.
"If you want, you can pay to house, feed, and clothe that guy while he spends the rest of his life in prison. He's probably got decades left to his natural lifespan."
Well we're already spending hundreds of billions fighting the war on terror.
Execute him? You can not call it Christian, but you can call it law and you can call it revenge, liberal or conservative; no matter; it would defiantly satisfy something in many. The act is definite, the enemy is a storage shed. You put in it what you want. For him, it's you, or me.
Jesus lived the only sinless human life. To do as Jesus did can not be sinful. Jesus condemned and abstained from revenge and violence. It can not be a sin to let him live.
Valid and sound, unless you disagree with the first premise, but then your not a Christian.
"Well we're already spending hundreds of billions fighting the war on terror."
Yeah, high altitude bombing would have been much cheaper. And cheaper yet if we just used chopped up pig guts and cartoons instead of smart bombs.
Adam,
You've got it! Well said.
It will cost us a little money to keep him lockep up for a few years, rottening, but as you well argue, that's the way to go...
"If you want, you can pay to house, feed, and clothe that guy while he spends the rest of his life in prison. He's probably got decades left to his natural lifespan."
The guy wouldn't last in prison. More than likely he would be raped several times and/or murdered within the first year.
Still, his right to "no cruel and unusual punishment" should be waived and he should be covered in gasoline and burned alive.