Osama bin Laden may get his shrine after all.

Days after bin Laden was killed by US Navy SEALs, hundreds have gathered outside the compound that housed him, reported Fox News.

“People parked their cars just a few hundred metres away, weaving their way on foot across the fields right up to the walls, while correspondents filed live reports in front of the guarded, sealed gates,” reported India’s Economic Times.

Some of these people are just curious tourists or reporters on the job. However, others are admirers of bin Laden. A few may even be devotees making a pilgrimage to this new shrine.

A visitor named Ahmed said: “'I’ve come here today to see a piece of our history. Osama was a good Muslim who fought for Islam. He was a hero to us,” reported Fox News.

US and Pakistani authorities fear precisely this outcome.

The US decision to dump bin Laden’s corpse into the sea was largely motivated by the desire to leave no shrine for bin Laden devotees. Now, they have to contend with bin Laden’s evacuated compound.

There are rumors that Pakistani authorities will soon destroy the compound, reported Economic Times. However, if the compound is destroyed, its location remains, which may continue to attract bin Laden devotees.


India