Osama bin Laden was born in
1957 to the Yemeni family of Mohammed Awad bin Laden. The 17th child among 54
brothers and sisters, surprisingly, Osama is the only child of his father’s union
with a Palestinian woman, the tenth and least favoured wife of Mohammed. Bin Laden’s father owned the biggest
construction company in Saudi Arabia. A poor porter by birth, Osama’s father had
immigrated to Saudi Arabia in 1930. He shot to fame by bagging a few prestigious
construction projects. Not only did he build a powerful business empire, but also
established close relationship with the royal family.
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The Bin Laden household enforced strict religious and social code. Discipline was a must. At the same time, the children were entertained by picnics and trips. Mohammed expected his children to be confident and responsible right from a young age. He saw to it that his sons handled several projects independently. Osama’s father passed away in 1968 leaving behind a huge industrial and financial empire. Osama began his schooling in Jeddah and along with his brothers went on to study at Victoria College, Alexandria. He studied with the likes of King Hussein of Jordan and actor Omar Sharif. Osama further pursued economics and management at the King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. At the age of 17, he married a Syrian relative. |
As a child, Osama was exposed to the
Islamic culture and views from the hundreds of Haj pilgrims who would stay in his house
every year. He would build up a good rapport with these people, consisting of Islamic
scholars and leaders. His distinguished guides to Islam were Abdullah Azam and Mohammed
Quttub, two famous Islamic scholars.
Osama was just like any other rich child.
He had all the luxuries that he could wish for. He had life laid out on a platter for him.
He could have easily inherited his family business, earning name and fame with it. But,
Osama bin Laden was destined to make a name, albeit in a different way. |
