Posted on 05/01/2011 9:58:53 PM PDT by Cardhu
Osama Bin Laden came to the world's attention on 11 September 2001, when the attacks on the United States left more than 3,000 people dead and hundreds more injured.
In a matter of three years, the Saudi-born dissident had emerged from obscurity to become one of the most hated and feared men in the world.
Osama Bin Laden was born in 1957, apparently the 17th of 52 children of Mohamed Bin Laden, a multimillionaire builder responsible for 80% of Saudi Arabia's roads.
His father's death in a helicopter crash in 1968 brought the young man a fortune running into many millions of dollars, though considerably less than the widely published estimate of $250m.
Mujahideen
While studying civil engineering at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Bin Laden came into contact with teachers and students of the more conservative brand of Islam.
Through theological debate and study, he came to embrace fundamentalist Islam as a bulwark against what he saw as the decadence of the West.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 changed Bin Laden's life forever. He took up the anti-communist cause with a will, moving to Afghanistan where, for a decade, he fought an ultimately victorious campaign with the mujahideen.
Intelligence experts believe that the US Central Intelligence Agency played an active role in arming and training the mujahideen, including Bin Laden. The end of the war saw a sea change in his views.
Lucrative investments
His hatred of Moscow shifted to Washington after 300,000 US troops, women among them, were based in Saudi Arabia, home of two of Islam's holiest places, during the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq. Bin Laden vowed to avenge what he saw as blasphemy.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
“17th of 52 children of Mohamed Bin Laden”
Fortunately for Mohamed’s wife, they did practice birth control.
BIH
How’s that big crap sandwich taste America-hating BBC? EAT IT!
“Obituary”? Who gives a flying ——.
Next are they going to suggest donations to CAIR in lieu of flowers for the funeral?
He’s dead. That’s all I need to know.
The title of the article is a dud as they never say how he died nor that he is even definitively dead. The so called “obituary” is just a summary of things we already know. I think the BBC is using a sensationalist title to lure people to a redundant article of deja view.
Obviously you have no idea what “obituary” means.
Update: someone is in fact reporting that bin Laden died in a purported helicopter crash.
Update: someone is in fact reporting that bin Laden died in a purported helicopter crash.
What?
Check the definition of obituary. Jeeze
Obviously you have no idea what “non sequitur” means.
C,
Obviously you have no idea what “irony” means. My entire point is it is offensive to even print an obituary. Everyone knows all this history, for goodness sake, we’ve been hearing it for a decade. If you squish a bug on the sidewalk, to you write an obituary for it? Some things are not worthy of mentioning because they are so offensive. NOW do you understand?
Yeah, riiiight.
LOL. Obviously, your conclusion - I don’t know what “obituary” means - does not follow from what I posted. The BBC is notoriously anti-American, and this is a hugely positive story for the US. Therefore, it must be killing them to have to report on this story (and post an obituary.) Holy Jesus in a carseat...I can’t believe I’m having to spell it out like this. Slow down, take a cigarette break, and think about it chief.
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