Even though such a trial may never occur, it is worth envisaging, if only to realize the cathartic impact it might have on terrorist followers. In the dock, bin Laden would no longer appear the tall, wistful, Christ-like figure on the mountain, nor would he leave the world with a picture of his martyr’s body, strung from a lamppost by the Northern Alliance or stretched, Che Guevara-like, on a mortuary table. On trial, he would be reduced to human stature—sub-human, if he takes the witness box and admits (as he must) to engineering the killing of women and children.

His disciples have shown through their kamikaze acts on September 11 an obsession with sacrificing their own lives in a holy war. Logic has its limits in persuading people bent on glory through death: committed minds cannot be pried open by rational argument, and terrorism of this nature will not be deterred by the death penalty. But since their belief is essentially mystical, a process of demystifying its apostles is necessary. A fair trial of Al Qaeda leaders might serve at least to start this process.