The killing of al Qaeda's leader Osama Bin Laden has taken the world by storm and attracted mixed reactions across the Muslim world. In Lebanon, the overwhelming majority expressed relief at the death of the most notorious terrorist of the 21st century.

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri welcomed the news, explaining that "the harm inflicted by Bin Laden to the image of Islam and Arab causes is equal to the harm inflicted by the enemies to the causes of Muslims everywhere."  Hariri added that terrorists like Bin Laden deserve such a fate and that the fight against them is "first and foremost the responsibility of Arabs and Muslims who have the duty of liberating Islam from its kidnappers." Hariri also described Bin Laden as an enemy to the Arab world and Islam, someone "who introduced the culture of killing, terrorism, destruction and sabotage in to minds of thousands of youths."

For his part, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said that the United States' success in eliminating one of "the icons of terrorism, responsible for killing innocents and civilians in the U.S. and other places in the world under the banner of fake jihad" will have a major political impact, calling on Washington to reconsider its policies in the Middle East, especially towards Israel.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah refrained from taking a clear stance; however, editor of Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar Ibrahim al Amin, known for his close ties to Hezbollah, mourned the death of Bin Laden, saying that anyone who attacks Western interests around the world should be venerated.  This was a surprise to many as Hezbollah, a Shiite group, has repeatedly condemned attacks perpetrated by the Sunni al-Qaeda group.

Radical Sunni groups appeared to be more sympathetic to the news of his killing, with the Lebanese al-Jamaa al-Islamiyah issuing a statement condemning the 'assassination' of the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, saying that he should have been brought to justice and tried rather than assassinated. The group added that Bin Laden's emergence was due to 'American and Israeli imperialism'.

Nevertheless, the overwhelmingly majority of Lebanese of different faiths welcomed the news of Bin Laden's death and reiterated their rejection of violence. This is not surprising given previous polls on Lebanese attitudes towards terrorism, as well as their bitter experience with it in the summer of 2007.

In a survey conducted by Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project, Bin Laden received a dismal 1% support among Lebanese Muslims. The poll included six different countries with Muslim populations, and Lebanon came last in the numbers of al-Qaeda supporters.

It should come as no surprise that the Lebanese welcomed the news about Bin Laden, as they have felt Al Qaeda's harmful influence. In 2007, Sunni Islamist group Fatah al-Islam clashed with the Lebanese Armed Forces in the northern Palestinian camp Naher Al Bared. The battle, which lasted more than three months, resulted in the death of 27 Lebanese soldiers and 12 civilians. The radical group allegedly had links to Al Qaeda. Most Lebanese perceive his death as the demise of a dreadful force in their country and their region.