Iman Feisal Abdul Rauf, the cleric behind the controversial plan to build an Islamic cultural center near the World Trade Center site, praised Obama for ordering the killing of bin Laden.

CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and a prominent Muslim advocacy group, issued a statement that “welcomed the announcement of the elimination of Osama bin Laden as a threat to America and the world.”

The Muslim Public Affairs Council issued a statement expressing “an immense sense of relief” at bin Laden’s death.

A contributor at Vox Nova, a Catholic group blog, writes that killing someone “will never be an act of justice … but rather, brings further loss onto the world.”

Joe Carter, web editor for First Things, urges Christians to temper any relief at bin Laden’s death with humility and the understanding that those who commit evil acts are “fallen, sacred yet degraded,” human beings.

David Brody, chief political correspondent for CBN News, criticized Obama’s somber tone in announcing the death. “How about showing a little joy?” wrote Brody, suggesting that the president was overly concerned about Arab reaction.

Read a blog post at America magazine, the Jesuit weekly, titled “What is the Christian Response to Bin Laden’s Death?” It is written by the Rev. James Martin and argues that “as a Christian … I cannot rejoice at the death of a human being, no matter how monstrous he was.”

Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, cautions against celebratory reactions to Osama bin Laden’s death and says bin Laden did not have an earthly court trial but won’t escape God’s judgment. Mohler also describes the raid as fully acceptable under just-war theory.

Former Arkansas governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee responded to the news of Osama bin Laden’s death by saying, “Welcome to hell, bin Laden.”