Hi people,
Hope you enjoyed reading the Veerappan episode. It must have given you an idea of how the forest brigand led his life and the important incidents that he influenced and occured during his time, which also eventually led to his killing by the Tamil Nadu Police Force. Well, today, we're delving into something bigger, a wider organization, involving terrorizing the most developed and powerful nation ( USA ). We are talking about global terrorism. Say terrorism, and I can see what is poppin' up in your head. Yes, today's episode is about the Afghan terrorist, Osama bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Laden , commonly known as OSAMA BIN LADEN, the militant islamist and the founder of the Terrorist organization called Al-Qaeda, name that even any hut-dweller in our country would be familiar with. The man who is most widely infamous for his heartless Twin Tower carnage on September 11th 2001. His name spells Terror. A man about whom the world has multifarious opinions. Osama Bin Laden is both one of the CIA's most wanted men and a hero to many young people in the Arab world.
EARLY CHILDHOOD :
Osama Muhammed bin Laden was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In a 1998 interview, later televised on Al Jazeera, he gave his birth date as March 10, 1957. His father, the late Muhammed Awad bin Laden, was a wealthy businessman with close ties to the Saudi royal family. Before World War I, Muhammed, poor and uneducated, emigrated from Hadhramaut, on the south coast of Yemen, to the Red Sea port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he began to work as a porter. Starting his own business in 1930, Muhammed built his fortune as a building contractor for the Saudi royal family during the 1950s.
Muhammed bin Laden was married 22 times, although to no more than four women at a time per Sharia law. Osama was born the only son of Muhammed bin Laden's tenth wife, Hamida al-Attas, nee Alia Ghanem, who was born in Syria.
Bin Laden was raised as a devout Sunni Muslim. From 1968 to 1976 he attended the "élite" secular Al-Thager Model School. Bin Laden studied economics and business administration at the Management and Economics School of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah. At university, bin Laden was influenced by Muhammad Qutb and Palestinian Abdallah Azzam, professors with strong ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Qutb, an Egyptian, was the brother and publicizer of the late Sayyid Qutb, author of Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq, or Milestones, one of the most influential tracts on the importance of JIHAD against all that is un-Islamic in the world.
In terms of personality, bin Laden is a soft-spoken, mild mannered man, and despite his rhetoric, he is said to be charming, polite, and respectful. He speaks only arabic. Osama Bin Laden has used many times in his messages to warn Non-Muslims either to become Muslims or to face the consequences of terrorism and violence. However Islam on the other hand teaches Muslims to respect other people's faith. Using violence against people to forcefully converting them to become Muslims is strictly forbidden in Islam.
Formation of Al-Qaeda :
Any discussion about Osama will be next to incomplete without the mention about his terrorist organization, Al-Qaeda. By 1988, bin Laden had split from Maktab al-Khidamat because of strategic differences. While Azzam and his MAK organization acted as support for the Afghan fighters and provided relief to refugees and injured, bin Laden wanted a more military role in which the Arab fighters would not only be trained and equipped by the organization but also led on the battlefield by Arabic commanders. One of the main leading points to the split and the creation of al-Qaeda was the insistence of Azzam that Arab fighters be integrated among the Afghan fighting groups instead of forming their separate fighting force. Thus, AL-QAEDA was born.
IDEOLOGY:
The ideology of Al-Qa'ida is rather simple and straightforward: Cleansing of the Muslim countries from corrupt and secular leadership, and fight against the powers that threaten Muslim states and the holy places of Islam. The foreign and dangerous powers are principally USA and Israel, USA for interfering in numerous fields in the Muslim world politically and military; Israel for occupying Palestine. The main opponents among the leaderships of the Muslim countries are Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Algeria.
The ideology has been defined in 3 goals:
*Radicalize existing Islamic groups and create Islamic groups where none exist.
*Advocate destruction of the United States, which is seen as the chief obstacle to reform in Muslim societies.
*Support Muslim fighters in Afghanistan, Algeria, Bosnia, Chechnya, Eritera, Kosova, Pakistan, Somalia, Tajikistan, Philippines and Yemen.
STRUCTURE AND WORKING :
The core of Al-Qa'ida is made up of Osama on top, working close with a Shura Majlis consisting of about 10 members. Below this are the administrative parts of the organization, made up of 4 executive committees covering these 4 fields: military activity and training; commercial activity; media relations and publishing. Below this, there is a wide network of organizations of all kinds, some involved in economy, some in humanitarian work, some in media relations and many in recruiting, training and acting according to the common goals. The network is built in such a way that none of the members know more than they need to know. Many groups are unaware of other groups in the same country, and very few (if any, including Osama) have total knowledge of what all parts of Al-Qa'ida are involved in at any time. Al-Qa'ida's main strength lies in its ability to support other organizations with first and foremost money, but also with an ideological framework. The economic activities of Al-Qa'ida are diverse and unclear. Osama bin Laden owns many companies in many countries, but mainly in Sudan. Through the network money are channeled to hundreds of organizations, many humanitarian. Money can be channeled again from these organizations to other organizations, which perform the actions that are part of Osama's jihad.
The September 11 2001 Attacks :
The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist suicide attacks by Islamic extremists on that date upon the United States of America. On that morning nineteen terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. Each team of hijackers included a trained pilot. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners (United Airlines Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11) into the World Trade Center in New York City, one plane into each tower (1 WTC and 2 WTC), resulting in the collapse of both buildings soon afterward and extensive damage to nearby buildings. The hijackers crashed a third airliner (American Airlines Flight 77) into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, near Washington. Passengers and members of the flight crew on the fourth aircraft (United Airlines Flight 93) attempted to retake control of their plane from the hijackers; that plane crashed into a field near the town of Shanksville in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania. In addition to the 19 hijackers, 2,974 people died as an immediate result of the attacks.
Reports alleging Osama bin Laden's death have circulated since late 2001. In the months following the 9/11 terrorist attack, many people believed that bin Laden was dead. This belief was perpetuated by subsequent media reports, though there has been stronger evidence to suggest that he is still alive. Recently, it was alleged that Osama is still alive and that the allegation was based on a tape received from Al-Qaeda with video footage of the Afghan terrorist confirming his existence and issuing further terrors to the world, and that he had quoted in the video tape, that if America did not wholly adopt Islam, they would face further damage to life and property. The authenticity of the tape and its origin are still under scrutiny.
What more has the world got to see from him ?
Will there be an end to this inhuman civilization ?
With these questions haunting my mind, I am forced to bring this topic to a close. Let us wake up for a better tomorrow.
sincerely,
Praveen Chandar.
Hope you enjoyed reading the Veerappan episode. It must have given you an idea of how the forest brigand led his life and the important incidents that he influenced and occured during his time, which also eventually led to his killing by the Tamil Nadu Police Force. Well, today, we're delving into something bigger, a wider organization, involving terrorizing the most developed and powerful nation ( USA ). We are talking about global terrorism. Say terrorism, and I can see what is poppin' up in your head. Yes, today's episode is about the Afghan terrorist, Osama bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Laden , commonly known as OSAMA BIN LADEN, the militant islamist and the founder of the Terrorist organization called Al-Qaeda, name that even any hut-dweller in our country would be familiar with. The man who is most widely infamous for his heartless Twin Tower carnage on September 11th 2001. His name spells Terror. A man about whom the world has multifarious opinions. Osama Bin Laden is both one of the CIA's most wanted men and a hero to many young people in the Arab world.
EARLY CHILDHOOD :
Osama Muhammed bin Laden was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In a 1998 interview, later televised on Al Jazeera, he gave his birth date as March 10, 1957. His father, the late Muhammed Awad bin Laden, was a wealthy businessman with close ties to the Saudi royal family. Before World War I, Muhammed, poor and uneducated, emigrated from Hadhramaut, on the south coast of Yemen, to the Red Sea port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he began to work as a porter. Starting his own business in 1930, Muhammed built his fortune as a building contractor for the Saudi royal family during the 1950s.
Muhammed bin Laden was married 22 times, although to no more than four women at a time per Sharia law. Osama was born the only son of Muhammed bin Laden's tenth wife, Hamida al-Attas, nee Alia Ghanem, who was born in Syria.
Bin Laden was raised as a devout Sunni Muslim. From 1968 to 1976 he attended the "élite" secular Al-Thager Model School. Bin Laden studied economics and business administration at the Management and Economics School of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah. At university, bin Laden was influenced by Muhammad Qutb and Palestinian Abdallah Azzam, professors with strong ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Qutb, an Egyptian, was the brother and publicizer of the late Sayyid Qutb, author of Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq, or Milestones, one of the most influential tracts on the importance of JIHAD against all that is un-Islamic in the world.
In terms of personality, bin Laden is a soft-spoken, mild mannered man, and despite his rhetoric, he is said to be charming, polite, and respectful. He speaks only arabic. Osama Bin Laden has used many times in his messages to warn Non-Muslims either to become Muslims or to face the consequences of terrorism and violence. However Islam on the other hand teaches Muslims to respect other people's faith. Using violence against people to forcefully converting them to become Muslims is strictly forbidden in Islam.
Formation of Al-Qaeda :
Any discussion about Osama will be next to incomplete without the mention about his terrorist organization, Al-Qaeda. By 1988, bin Laden had split from Maktab al-Khidamat because of strategic differences. While Azzam and his MAK organization acted as support for the Afghan fighters and provided relief to refugees and injured, bin Laden wanted a more military role in which the Arab fighters would not only be trained and equipped by the organization but also led on the battlefield by Arabic commanders. One of the main leading points to the split and the creation of al-Qaeda was the insistence of Azzam that Arab fighters be integrated among the Afghan fighting groups instead of forming their separate fighting force. Thus, AL-QAEDA was born.
IDEOLOGY:
The ideology of Al-Qa'ida is rather simple and straightforward: Cleansing of the Muslim countries from corrupt and secular leadership, and fight against the powers that threaten Muslim states and the holy places of Islam. The foreign and dangerous powers are principally USA and Israel, USA for interfering in numerous fields in the Muslim world politically and military; Israel for occupying Palestine. The main opponents among the leaderships of the Muslim countries are Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Algeria.
The ideology has been defined in 3 goals:
*Radicalize existing Islamic groups and create Islamic groups where none exist.
*Advocate destruction of the United States, which is seen as the chief obstacle to reform in Muslim societies.
*Support Muslim fighters in Afghanistan, Algeria, Bosnia, Chechnya, Eritera, Kosova, Pakistan, Somalia, Tajikistan, Philippines and Yemen.
STRUCTURE AND WORKING :
The core of Al-Qa'ida is made up of Osama on top, working close with a Shura Majlis consisting of about 10 members. Below this are the administrative parts of the organization, made up of 4 executive committees covering these 4 fields: military activity and training; commercial activity; media relations and publishing. Below this, there is a wide network of organizations of all kinds, some involved in economy, some in humanitarian work, some in media relations and many in recruiting, training and acting according to the common goals. The network is built in such a way that none of the members know more than they need to know. Many groups are unaware of other groups in the same country, and very few (if any, including Osama) have total knowledge of what all parts of Al-Qa'ida are involved in at any time. Al-Qa'ida's main strength lies in its ability to support other organizations with first and foremost money, but also with an ideological framework. The economic activities of Al-Qa'ida are diverse and unclear. Osama bin Laden owns many companies in many countries, but mainly in Sudan. Through the network money are channeled to hundreds of organizations, many humanitarian. Money can be channeled again from these organizations to other organizations, which perform the actions that are part of Osama's jihad.
The September 11 2001 Attacks :
The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist suicide attacks by Islamic extremists on that date upon the United States of America. On that morning nineteen terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. Each team of hijackers included a trained pilot. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners (United Airlines Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11) into the World Trade Center in New York City, one plane into each tower (1 WTC and 2 WTC), resulting in the collapse of both buildings soon afterward and extensive damage to nearby buildings. The hijackers crashed a third airliner (American Airlines Flight 77) into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, near Washington. Passengers and members of the flight crew on the fourth aircraft (United Airlines Flight 93) attempted to retake control of their plane from the hijackers; that plane crashed into a field near the town of Shanksville in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania. In addition to the 19 hijackers, 2,974 people died as an immediate result of the attacks.
Reports alleging Osama bin Laden's death have circulated since late 2001. In the months following the 9/11 terrorist attack, many people believed that bin Laden was dead. This belief was perpetuated by subsequent media reports, though there has been stronger evidence to suggest that he is still alive. Recently, it was alleged that Osama is still alive and that the allegation was based on a tape received from Al-Qaeda with video footage of the Afghan terrorist confirming his existence and issuing further terrors to the world, and that he had quoted in the video tape, that if America did not wholly adopt Islam, they would face further damage to life and property. The authenticity of the tape and its origin are still under scrutiny.
What more has the world got to see from him ?
Will there be an end to this inhuman civilization ?
With these questions haunting my mind, I am forced to bring this topic to a close. Let us wake up for a better tomorrow.
sincerely,
Praveen Chandar.
