Osama Bin Laden - the Founder of Al-Qaeda

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Osama bin Laden was the founder and chief of the Muslim militant organization al-Qaeda. He was the son of a Saudi billionaire but chose to adopt militancy after taking part in the Soviet-Afghan War (1980s). Due to his motives and activities of his organized, Saudi Arabia canceled his citizenship in 1994. The most famous terror activity of his organization was the September 11 attacks, which initiated the global War on Terror. Later, US Special Forces killed him on 2nd May 2011 in a Pakistani city, Abbottabad.

Early Life

Osama bin Laden was born on 10th March 1957 in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). His father, Mohammad bin Awad bin Laden, was a billionaire and founder of the construction company Saudi Binladin Group. His mother’s name was Hamida Ibrahim. In his childhood, Osama bin Laden attended Al-Thager Model School in Jeddah and earned a degree in Civil Engineering in 1979. In 1974, Osama married his first cousin Najwa Ghanem in Latakia (Syria). Osama bin Laden was a thin and tall man of around six and a half feet. 

Ideology of Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden was born to a conservative family with close relations to the Saudi monarchy. Apart from Salafism, Osama bin Laden was also heavily influenced by Qutbism. He believed that Zionism is the main cause of unrest in the world while the governments in the USA and Western countries are under the influence of Jews as politics, media, and economic institutes of the USA are under direct control of Jews.

In 1998, after the bombing of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Osama bin Laden admitted to Al Jazeera that he believed that targeting civilians of enemy countries is allowed in Islam.

Contribution to the Soviet War in Afghanistan

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 urged Muslims around the world to participate in the armed struggle of Afghan Mujahideen against the Soviet occupation. Osama bin Laden was one of those who started to support the armed struggle against the soviet occupation in the very beginning.

Osama bin Laden went to Pakistan in 1979 and joined a Palestinian scholar, Abdullah Azzam, to support the mujahideen. Osama supported the resistance against the soviet occupation through his money. Osama bin Laden and Abdullah Azzam founded Maktab al-Khidamat in 1984 to supply money, fighters, and arms from the Arab world to Afghanistan. Osama also established camps inside tribal areas (FATA) and NWFP province (now KPK) of Pakistan to recruit and train foreign fighters.

Formation of al-Qaeda

In August 1988, Osama bin Laden formed al Qaeda. Many people from Egyptian Islamic Jihad and other Arab fighters joined this militant organization. The purpose of its formation was to prepare for a global jihad. 

Rift with Saudi Rulers

After the endof the Soviet war in Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden returned to Saudi Arabia in 1990 as a hero. However, the relations between Saudi rulers and Osama bin Laden soon deteriorated after Iraqi President Saddam Hussain’s occupation of Kuwait. Saudi regime invited forces of the USA to Saudi Arabia to save the kingdom from Saddam Hussain’s aggression and to end the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait. Osama became displeased with the decision as he believed it was un-Islamic for non-Muslims to reside in the country with the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah and offered support of his group to the Saudi rulers against Saddam’s aggression. But his offer was rejected by Saudi authorities.

Osama bin Laden continuously criticized the Saudi monarchy. Consequently, Saudi Arabia expelled him from the country, and Osama bin Laden settled in Sudan in 1992. In 1994, Saudi Arabia canceled his Saudi nationality.  

Return to Afghanistan

Osama bin Laden used Sudan for the organization of his group. He also invested heavily in the infrastructure of roads, agriculture, and other businesses in Sudan, while his generous attitude towards the needy made him popular among common Sudanese. Egyptian Islamic Jihad was the main faction of al Qaeda. After its failed assassination attempt on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 1995, the Sudanese government exiled all the members of EIJ from Sudan.

Later in 1996, Sudan also expelled Osama bin Laden and other members of his organization due to mounting pressure from the USA, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Osama bin Laden reached Jalalabad (Afghanistan) in May 1996.

In September 1996, the Taliban captured Kabul. Osama bin Laden allied with the Taliban regime, and Afghanistan became a haven for Osama and al Qaeda. Al Qaeda also took part in several offensives of the Taliban against the Northern Alliance. 

Declaration of war against the USA

Osama bin Laden declared war against America for its alleged occupation of the Land of Two Holy Places due to its military bases in Saudi Arabia against the danger of Iraqi aggression. He declared this war through a fatwa in 1996.

Osama bin Laden signed a second fatwa in February 1998, along with leaders of several militant organizations, in which he declared to liberate al-Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem) and the Holy Mosque (in Makkah) by targeting Americans and their allies. This fatwa was a declaration of war against the USA and its allies for their support of Israel and the military installations of the USA in Saudi Arabia.

On 7th August 1998, two truck bombs exploded at US embassies in Nairobi (Kenya) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), killing hundreds of people. After these attacks by al Qaeda, the FBI placed Osama bin Laden on its list of most wanted terrorists. After the 1998 US embassy bombings, Osama bin Laden planned several attacks on the US, but most of them either failed or caused little damage. 

Deadliest Attack on USA

On 11th September 2001, 19 terrorists hijacked 4 passenger planes in the USA. They burst two of them into the two towers of the World Trade Center, one hit the wall of the Pentagon, and the last one crashed in an area near the White House and Capitol. Around 3,000 men died during the attacks. America blamed Osama bin Laden for these attacks and invaded Afghanistan after the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden to them. Osama bin Laden initially denied his involvement in the September 11 attacks in 2002, but later confirmed in 2004 that he and his organization, al Qaeda, were behind the terror attacks. The Qatari TV channel Al Jazeera released his confirmation videotape.

Death of Osama bin Laden

After the US invasion of Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden managed to escape to Pakistan through the Tora Bora mountains at the end of 2001 or the beginning of 2002. Later, rumors spread about his location in Afghanistan and Pakistan along with his death, capture, and ill health condition. But there was no concrete evidence about his whereabouts.

On 2nd May 2011, US Special Forces killed Osama bin Laden during an operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad in KPK Province. Osama bin Laden was residing near PMA (Pakistan Military Academy) at the time of his death. Later, the body of Osama bin Laden was buried at sea by the USA without mentioning the area. 

Place in History

Osama bin Laden was one of the most significant personalities of the last decade of the 20th Century and the first decade of the 21st Century. He received praise for his role during the Soviet Occupation of Afghanistan. However, he later became a controversial figure due to his formation of the militant organization al Qaeda, his belief in the legitimacy of killing civilians of enemies, his efforts to overthrow several Muslim governments (which he claimed were puppets of the West), and support of terrorism in several parts of the world.

Most of the world, including many segments in the Muslim world, believes that he was a terrorist who committed and supported terrorism in the Middle East, the USA, and several other parts of the world. But it is also a reality that a large faction of Muslims considers him a hero due to his fighting spirit against world powers and also due to his chosen miserable life despite being a member of a billionaire family. He is a role model for many extremist elements in the Muslim world.

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