The US jurors’ verdict in the Zacarias Moussaoui case is the right one. The US government may have lost its case in wanting the self-proclaimed Al-Qaeda plotter to be executed for involvement in the events of 9/11 but justice — and political common sense — has won.
Moussaoui clearly wanted to be a martyr and wanted the world, and especially Muslims, to think of him not merely as an important cog in the Al-Qaeda machine but also as an avenging agent of an Islam in a cosmic war against an infidel West.
The Muslim world has not been taken in by this manic schizo who turned his back on true Islam. It has seen him as a sick, dishonest and devious individual with a perverted notion of faith and an ego of massive proportions. The court too has seen him for what he is — a thoroughly arrogant, pompous and vile person that lacks any humanity.
That he was involved in terror, there is no doubt. He trained in Afghanistan, met with Osama Bin Laden and regards him as his master. That he is twisted and evil, there is equally no doubt. He has committed the cardinal sin of trying to portray Islam not as a religion of peace but as one of violence — and to a certain extent, in the minds of many Americans, he succeeded in doing so. Moreover, not only has he no remorse about those who died, he continues to exult in their deaths. All of these facts make him a repugnant individual, but it is not enough to execute him.
In any event, there were just too many unanswered questions about his involvement in 9/11. His dramatic claim that he was to have flown a fifth plane into the White House, having earlier denied any involvement in the plot, seems to be based more on fantasy than reality. Whether that fantasy is because he is deranged or was the result of cold, calculated self-promotion is unknown at this stage.
That the world would be better off without this vile man is undeniable. In an important and undeniable way, life in prison without parole is as successful toward the goal of his removal as a lethal injection would be.
To execute Moussaoui does something keeping him in prison for the rest of his life does not: It makes him a martyr. Keeping Moussaoui alive but in prison till his final days makes political common sense. His death, with all the attendant media coverage and official paraphernalia could have become dangerously symbolic: Washington being seen as putting to death a Muslim hero would serve Al-Qaeda more than it would serve justice.
Left to rot in isolation in a maximum-security prison in the US for the rest of his days, the world will forget this impotent megalomaniac. It is the safest course of events. Not that his life is by no means safe; US prisons are notoriously dangerous. There will be plenty of prisoners wanting to kill him because of what he claims to have done. His hatred of the US will not help either.
The jury’s decision avoids turning Moussaoui into a posthumous hero. We should be thankful for the jury’s wise decision.
