Osama bin Laden
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| − | He claimed responsibility for the [[9/11]] terrorist attacks. In response to this, the [[George W. Bush|Bush]] administration [[Afghanistan War|invaded Afghanistan]], booted the ruling Taliban regime from power, and forced Osama into hiding in the mountains. A while later, the Bush administration [[Iraq War|invaded Iraq]], a country Osama was [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpP7b2lUxVE definitely ''not'' in] and also a country that | + | He claimed responsibility for the [[9/11]] terrorist attacks. In response to this, the [[George W. Bush|Bush]] administration [[Afghanistan War|invaded Afghanistan]], booted the ruling Taliban regime from power, and forced Osama into hiding in the mountains. A while later, the Bush administration [[Iraq War|invaded Iraq]], a country Osama was [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpP7b2lUxVE definitely ''not'' in] and also a country that was itself opposed to Al-Qaeda.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47812-2004Jun16.html The Washington Post: Al Qaeda-Hussein Link Is Dismissed] June 17, 2004</ref> Prior to the invasion, Saddam ran what was at least a mostly secular state (as evidenced by it's brewieries and distilleries) and drew the ire of Al-Qaeda. The rise of the Al-Qaeda affiliated insurgency did not begin until Saddam's grip was forcibly loosened. The was primarily because George W. Bush did not understand complicated [[scientific]] equipment like maps and globes, and just picked the only country [[Saddam Hussein|whose name he could remember at the time]]. |
:[[File:P050310PS-0374POD.jpg|250px|thumb|Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism [[John Brennan]] briefs [[Barack Obama]] prior to the raid to kill bin Laden]] | :[[File:P050310PS-0374POD.jpg|250px|thumb|Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism [[John Brennan]] briefs [[Barack Obama]] prior to the raid to kill bin Laden]] | ||
Revision as of 06:32, 21 June 2014
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“”If you tell the truth, that means you are a good Muslim.
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| —Osama to Robert Fisk. Er... |
Osama bin Laden (whose name is also transliterated as Usāmah bin Muḥammad bin ‘Awaḍ bin Lādin, or Usāmah bin Lādin for short, 1957-2011) was the leader of Al-Qaeda, a fundamentalist Islamist terrorist organization which opposes the intrusion of decadent "Western" values (such as liberalism, Judaism, etc.), the corruption of Middle Eastern governments (well, what they see as it), and certain policies of the United States, notably the stationing of troops inside Saudi Arabia. Osama responded to the Soviet atrocities in Afghanistan by... killing as many people as he needed to let off steam.
Contents |
Background
Osama[1] was disowned from his Saudi family in 1994, two years after the first bombing at the World Trade Center. The bin Laden family are billionaire construction moguls and Saudi royalty, but Osama had been jealous of his brothers, Salem, Tarek (a friend and supporter of Ronald Reagan), Yeslam, and especially Bakr, the current leader of the Saudi bin Laden group, and Shafig, the Carlyle Group representative. This is due in part to Osama having been the son of one of his father's concubines (whom he later married to avoid the scandal).[2] His father, Muhammad, never saw him as a "real" son and he was mostly raised by his mother.
To satiate his jealousy, Osama, seen by his father as the most dull-witted and lazy of his brothers, formed the al-Qaeda movement, through which he hoped to one-up them all. The movement started out small, but Osama led to al-Qaeda becoming a very efficient force which mostly trained other Islamist insurgents. This has made it very difficult to eliminate al-Qaeda, and has spread their influence within the Muslim world and beyond. Perhaps in response to the playboy lifestyle of his brothers, Osama had been a devout Wahhabi for most of his life. In terms of organization, Osama was most influenced by the Qutbi movement, the most extreme extent of the Wahhabi branch of Islam. Wahhabism, a fundamentalist variant of Islam, is itself the most rigid of the "mainstream" (i.e., state-supported) branches of Islam. Essentially, Qutbism sees Islam as under assault from all sides, and contends that rigid adherence to Sharia law is the only way it can be saved. Qutbism rejects technology (although Osama himself had an odd interest in heavy machinery) even going so far as to avoid music and ice water.
Osama, like many religious radicals, was anti-socialist, anti-capitalist, anti-corporate, and anti-democracy; this rhetoric was mostly an attempt to cultivate personal loyalty in his followers, instead of loyalty to his cause.
However, much of Osama's personality was a carefully crafted facade. He took great pains to appear generous with his money and live a simple and "moral" lifestyle, aka. trying to pull off a second Jesus. He had never been one for ostentation and chose to dress in well-worn clothes, although he always still loved sports cars.[3] He even ate with his right hand, although he was left handed, because this is what Muhammad did. However, there are reports that he was quite different in private.
Mujahadeen
Osama was an important leader of the Arab mujahideen rebels during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Some people believe that Osama was directly trained by the CIA, but this is a myth propagated by conspiracy theorists. The CIA worked through the Pakistani intelligence services to arm and train any and all anti-Soviet resistance; Osama was part of a parallel operation that indiscriminately funneled fighters and funds to Afghanistan from across the Arab world. In short, while the CIA may have co-operated with with Osama's group, they did not collaborate with them.[4] Indeed, Osama and his like were largely absent from the Afghan War until the last few years of the 1980s, when the Pakistani government began importing religious extremists en masse, with the eventual goal of installing an Afghan client government to act as a counterweight against India. (Still a gigantic case of blowback, nonetheless.)
9/11
He claimed responsibility for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In response to this, the Bush administration invaded Afghanistan, booted the ruling Taliban regime from power, and forced Osama into hiding in the mountains. A while later, the Bush administration invaded Iraq, a country Osama was definitely not in and also a country that was itself opposed to Al-Qaeda.[5] Prior to the invasion, Saddam ran what was at least a mostly secular state (as evidenced by it's brewieries and distilleries) and drew the ire of Al-Qaeda. The rise of the Al-Qaeda affiliated insurgency did not begin until Saddam's grip was forcibly loosened. The was primarily because George W. Bush did not understand complicated scientific equipment like maps and globes, and just picked the only country whose name he could remember at the time.
Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism John Brennan briefs Barack Obama prior to the raid to kill bin Laden
Desperately seeking urea
According to rumors circulated by the Paris La Figaro and the Times of London Osama had been a kidney patient, and not only was the US unable to detect him amongst all the men in beards and turbans running around the Pakistan/Afghanistan border region, they appeared to also be unable to detect the kidney dialysis machine amongst all the others in the area, much of which does not even have access to electricity on a regular basis.[6]
Death
Bin Laden was killed in his compound by US Navy SEALs on May 2nd, 2011 in Abbottabad, in northeastern Pakistan in the operation codenamed "Neptune's Spear" (the proclamation "Geronimo E-KIA" was especially controversial because it compared Osama to a 19th century Native American freedom fighter[7] He was buried at sea to prevent any possible shrines from being made by his followers.[8]).
The extra-judicial killing of Bin Laden was criticized by some, including left-wing activists Noam Chomsky and Michael Moore, who claimed that at the very least, the guy deserved a trial. (This is where we get to the old "were the Nuremberg Trials necessary?" squabbling again.)
There are plenty of bullshit conspiracy theories surrounding his death, as one would expect, none of which have been substantiated whatsoever. Rest assured, the guy is dead.
External links
- It's funny because I'm about to kill him.
- The man who tweeted the attack on Osama bin Laden - without knowing it
- The photo that launched a thousand memes.
Footnotes
- ↑ "Bin Laden" is a patronymic rather than a last name, and hence cannot properly be used on its own, as is often done.
- ↑ CNN.com/Transcripts: Bin Laden Family Believes Osama Is Alive, March 19, 2002
- ↑ Osama bin Laden, a passion for fast cars, The Telegraph
- ↑ See Steve Coll, Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Osama, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
- ↑ The Washington Post: Al Qaeda-Hussein Link Is Dismissed June 17, 2004
- ↑ What They're Saying About the War, France: In Search of Bin Laden's Urologist, Time, November 01, 2001.
- ↑ Udall, Senators Denounce Geronimo Connection To Bin Laden
- ↑ See the Wikipedia article on Death of Osama bin Laden.
