"This is the fate that evil killers deserve," said outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, deploring the harm that bin Laden did to "the image of Islam and Arab causes."
Author and Al-Hayat journalist Hazem al-Amine, who specializes in radical Islamic groups in Lebanon, saw hope in the death. "Bin Laden's assassination comes as the crowning of a new peaceful movement that is taking the Middle East by storm," he said. The popular uprisings taking place in the Middle East "are showing Arabs that democratic revolutions are an efficient substitute to violence, one that can trigger greater change than traditional terrorist attacks."
Al-Qaeda has lost standing among Muslims as its use of terrorist tactics has resulted in significant Muslim casualties. A recent survey of Muslims around the world found little support for bin Laden, according to the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project. The al-Qaeda leader received his highest level of support ? 34% ? in the Palestinian territories.
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