The world (and I) need some proof of bin Laden's death

More details, and proof, of Osama bin Laden's death are needed to avoid lionising him.

Within minutes of the announcement of Osama bin Laden's death, fake photos and some doubts rose over whether this time it was finally true. For a decade, it was like a case of "Where's Waldo?" with sightings here and there, as well as badly taped videos and voice recording that were analysed and reanalysed for their authenticity.

Online sites were filled with people expressing mixed views over the announcement. I hate to use the term "conspiracy theory", because as soon as anyone says anything against the mainstream feed, he or she is labeled a "conspiracy theorist." This is partly because of Arabs' history with their own governments, and partly from the Soviet Union - it had a notorious way of packaging information.

But you can't blame people for asking for some kind of proof. I am among them, because to be honest, I have been a witness to major news events that were doubtful but nonetheless repeated as facts.

For example, in May 2007, when I was covering the intense fight between the Lebanese army and al Qa'eda-inspired Fatah al Islam militants at the Nahr al Bared Palestinian refugee camp, I ended up interviewing the leaders of this group.

It was one of those strange things where first you end up meeting them in person, then you have their mobile phones and call them only to hear the sound of bombings and shooting in the background. Of course, I kept it balanced, and talked to all sides involved.

One day, the announcement came that the army had killed a particular militant, and they named him and a gruesome photo of him was broadcast across national channels. I don't know what drove me to give him a call. While his mobile phone rang, I had this morbid image of the phone lying somewhere near the body, but someone picked up, and it sounded exactly like the same man I had interviewed before.

"So you are not dead?" I asked. "No", he said. "Unless I am someone else faking the voice."

Well, maybe. And that is how yet another set of "conspiracy theories" was born.

Fatah al Islam claims they never met bin Laden, but said they were "inspired" by him and his message. There were several incidents like this in Lebanon, with al Qa'eda cells being captured or eliminated, while other militants simply escaped.

In all scenarios the one common element that I wrote about at the time was their sneakers. Plain, white, somewhat shabby, I dubbed them "Osama sneakers", since most militants seemed to be receiving them from the same supplier - and they happened to be similar to ones sported by Osama in one of his videos.

Personally, I would like to see some proof of his death, because I want to believe it is over and move on. Enough has been written about him, his number twos and threes, the extremist groups he inspired, and what a world without him means.

I hesitate to say "in a world without bin Laden", as this one man stigmatised one of Saudi Arabia's biggest families. I grew up with several bin Ladens in my class, and they are as diverse as any family. They rarely comment on the one black sheep that made them infamous.

One of my bin Laden friends used to joke that he couldn't fly anywhere because he had the same first and last name, but a different middle name that no security check paid any attention to. A friend named Osama with a completely different last name always struggles at airports, too.

Except for some children and a wife, the immediate family of Osama bin Laden have kept a low profile.

But the bin Laden construction company's logo can be seen in the Muslim world's holiest city, Mecca, and the name lives on. In Jeddah just last year, I saw a group of men approaching an elderly Saudi man at a popular beach cafe. One of them kissed the man's hand and said: "brother of Osama".

While Osama's actual body was quickly disposed of in the sea to avoid any shrines being built for him, his ideology, or what is perceived as his "message", will be much harder to bury.