Early Life:
Osama Bin-Laden was the 17th of 50 children that were born to Mohammad Bin-Laden. He had a very wealthy upbringing as his father owned the largest construction company in the Middle East. Rather than receiving Western education and working for his father’s company like most of his siblings, he went with his mother who was divorced to his father. He attended a prestigious school in Jeddah and was recognized as a gifted yet shy student. It is believed that one of his teachers was part of the Islamic Brotherhood and taught him the ideas of purifying Islam.
The Rise:
When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, Osama joined the Afghan resistance. He received training and weaponry from the United States themselves as he became a Mujahideen (Islamic jihadists supported by US government in the CIA’s Operation Cyclone). When Osama was done fighting in Afghanistan, a reawakened angered formed towards the United States with how they occupied parts of Saudi Arabia at the time. When he spoke against Saudi Arabia’s dependence on American troops he was banished and lived in Sudan. It was in his exile that he formed what is now one of the most powerful terrorist organizations, Al Qaeda.
Terrorism:
Osama waged war against America through the use of terrorism with bombs. He bombed the United States embassies in Nairobi and Tanzania, killing almost 300 people. Eventually Sudan became aware of his actions and exhiled him. He then went to Afghanistan and found refuge with the Taliban where he would continue his endeavors to destroy America. It was then that he plan and successfully carried out the idea of 9/11 and toppling the world trade centers. The United States under George Bush lead a manhunt to find and kill Osama Bin-Laden for the loss of nearly 3000 civilian lives during 9/11. In 2011, Osama Bin-Laden was killed in a terrorist compound by the United States.
http://www.history.com/topics/osama-bin-laden
http://www.biography.com/people/osama-bin-laden-37172
This is a very interesting post because it shows the development of Osama's activeness in political/nationalistic movements. It also shows how he rose up to power in Afghanistan. it also shows a bit about the political scene in the middle east.
ReplyDeletevery great post! It's so interesting to learn about Osama Bin Laden's background and upbringing. You showed how he rose to power and explained what led him to wage war against America.
ReplyDeleteYou briefly mention how one of his teachers at Jeddah may have had an impact on his views of purifying Islam. It would be interesting to go further in depth about what drove Bin Ladan and where his ideology and reasoning sourced.
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