Growing Up bin Laden

by Jean Sasson

  Najwa’s eighth child and second daughter was born in Jeddah in 1990. Iman was only eleven years old when her mother left Afghanistan on September 9, 2001. Osama refused Najwa’s request that her young daughter leave with her. Najwa does not know the fate of her second daughter, although it is assumed that if Iman survived the bombings of 2001, her father would have arranged her marriage upon the onset of puberty. If she is still alive in 2009, Iman would be nineteen years old, and it is thought that she will most likely be living in Pakistan near her father and, if married, her husband.

  LADIN, ALSO KNOWN AS BAKR

  Najwa’s ninth child and seventh son was born in 1993 in Jeddah when Najwa left Khartoum to fly to Saudi Arabia especially for his birth. Ladin was only seven years old when Najwa left Afghanistan on September 9, 2001. Osama would not allow Najwa to take her youngest son with her. Najwa does not know the fate of her young son, although it is thought that if Ladin survived the bombings of October 2001, he would be living in Pakistan with his father. If still alive in 2009, Ladin would be sixteen years old.

  RUKHAIYA

  Najwa’s tenth child and third daughter, Rukhaiya was born in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in 1997. Because of her extreme youth, Osama allowed Najwa to take Rukhaiya with her to Syria in 1999 when she left to give birth to her eleventh child. Najwa was also allowed to take Rukhaiya with her when she left Afghanistan for the final time on September 9, 2001. Rukhaiya is living with her mother in Syria. She is twelve years old.

  NOUR

  Najwa’s eleventh child and fourth daughter was born in Latakia, Syria, in 1999. Osama had granted Najwa’s request to take Nour, along with her sister Rukhaiya and one brother, Abdul Rahman, when she left Afghanistan in September 2001. Nour is living with her mother in Syria. She is nine years old.

  Children with Second Wife, Khadijah

  ALI

  Khadijah’s first child and first son with Osama was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After Khadijah and Osama divorced, Khadijah left Khartoum and returned to live in Saudi Arabia. Ten-year-old Ali accompanied his mother to Saudi Arabia, but returned the following year for one visit to Khartoum to see his father and half-siblings. A few years ago, Ali was arrested by Saudi security and charged with the illegal possession of a weapon. In 2008, after spending years in prison without trial, Ali was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. The family believes Ali to be innocent of any crime. In 2009, Ali will be twenty-three years old.

  AMER

  Khadijah’s second child and second son with Osama was born in Jeddah in 1990. When Khadijah left Khartoum to return to Saudi Arabia, Amer went with his mother, never seeing his father again. Today Amer is living in Saudi Arabia. In 2009, Amer will be nineteen years old.

  AISHA

  Khadijah’s third child and first and only daughter with Osama was born in Khartoum, Sudan, in 1992. In 1993, when Khadijah left Khartoum to return to Saudi Arabia, Aisha went with her mother, never seeing her father again. Today Aisha is living in Saudi Arabia. In 2009, Aisha will be fifteen years old.

  Child with Third Wife, Khairiah

  HAMZA

  Khairiah’s first child and first son with Osama was born in 1989 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. As of 2001, Hamza was Khairiah’s only child. Remaining with his mother and father in Afghanistan, it is not known if Hamza survived the American attacks of October and November 2001. In 2008, there was an al-Qaeda audiotape released, crediting Hamza as the speaker. Omar says that the recording was made years before September 11, 2001, when Hamza was still a young boy and Osama asked for volunteers to make the recording. Hamza was the only son who volunteered. If Hamza survived the bomb attacks in 2001, it is believed he would be with his father in the Pakistani tribal areas. If still alive in 2009, Hamza would be twenty years old.

  Children with Fourth Wife, Siham

  KADHIJA

  Siham’s first child and first daughter with Osama was born in 1988 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. At her 1999 wedding arranged by her father, Kadhija was married to a Saudi al-Qaeda fighter named Abdullah in 1999, when she was only eleven years old. Kadhija remained in Afghanistan with her mother and Siham and was there during the American bombings of October and November 2001. It is not known if Kadhija survived the attacks, but it is thought that if she did, Kadhija would be living with her husband and near to her father in Pakistan. If still alive in 2009, Kadhija would be twenty-one years old.

  KHALID

  Siham’s second child and first son with Osama was born in 1989 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Little is known about Khalid, although he remained with his mother in Afghanistan. If Khalid survived the 2001 bomb attacks, he would most likely be living with his parents in Pakistan. If still alive in 2009, Khalid would be twenty years old.

  MIRIAM

  Siham’s third child and second daughter with Osama was born in 1990 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Born prematurely, and on the same day as Najwa’s daughter Iman, Miriam had a challenging early life. Little is known of Miriam other than she remained with her mother in Afghanistan. If Miriam survived the 2001 bomb attacks, her father would have arranged an early marriage to a fighter at puberty, and she would probably be living today in Pakistan with her family. If alive in 2009, Miriam would be nineteen years old.

  SUMAIYA

  Siham’s fourth child and third daughter with Osama was born in 1992 in Khartoum, Sudan. Little is known about Sumaiya other than she remained with her mother in Afghanistan. It is believed that her father would have arranged a marriage to one of his fighters at the onset of puberty. If Sumaiya survived the 2001 attacks on Afghanistan, she would probably be living with her family in Pakistan. If alive in 2009, Sumaiya would be seventeen years old.

  Child with Fifth Wife, Yemeni Amal al-Sadah

  SAFIA

  Amal’s first child and first daughter with Osama. Although Safia’s mother married Osama bin Laden in Kandahar, Afghanistan, prior to Najwa’s leaving the country, unlike his other marriages, Najwa knew little of Amal. Today there is no firm information about Amal al-Sadah or her daughter, Safia. Some reports have Osama sending Amal and Safia back to Yemen and out of danger before the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, while others say that Amal and Safia remained with Osama and his extended family, fleeing Afghanistan into Pakistan. Since Najwa and Omar are no longer in contact with the family, there is no current factual information to report. However, if Amal and her child remained in Afghanistan through the bombings and survived the attacks, Safia would be around eight years old in 2009.

  Appendix B

  Osama bin Laden Chronology

  The following are important dates in Osama bin Laden’s personal, political, militant, and Islamic life from 1957 to 2009.

  1957: Friday, February 15: Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Aboud bin Laden al-Qatani* is born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the early hours of the morning to Mohammed Awad bin Laden and Allia Ghanem. He is the eighteenth of twenty-two sons that will be born to Mohammed Awad bin Laden, and the first child born to Allia Ghanem. His paternal and maternal families hail from Hadramaut in Yemen. A young Mohammed bin Laden settled in Saudi Arabia and became a Saudi citizen. Allia Ghanem’s family settled in Syria and became Syrian citizens. Their only child, Osama, is born a citizen of Saudi Arabia.

  1959: Mohammed Awad bin Laden and Allia Ghanem divorce. Allia keeps physical custody of her son, Osama, although he remains a part of his father’s family.

  1959: Allia Ghanem marries Muhammad al-Attas and will have four children with her second husband.

  1963: Osama is registered at the Al-Thager Model School in Jeddah, considered to be one of the most progressive schools in Saudi Arabia.

  1966: Osama’s father purchases the family’s first aeroplane.

  1967: On September 3, there is a plane crash at Oom, Saudi Arabia, and Osama’s father, Mohammed bin Laden, is killed.

  1974: Osama marries Najwa Ghanem. Najwa is fifteen and Osama is seventeen. Najwa is his mother’s niece, and Osama’s first cousin. A simple wedding is held in Sy
ria, at the home of Najwa’s parents. According to Najwa, media reports are wrong that she was coerced into the marriage. Her marriage to her first cousin Osama was a marriage of love. After receiving official documents, Najwa joins her husband, Osama, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The young couple resides in the home of his mother and stepfather while Osama continues with his schooling.

  1974: Osama assumes part-time duties in his father’s huge multinational construction business, the Saudi bin Laden Group.

  1976: Osama enrolls as a student at the King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. He studies economics and management. (Najwa says that her husband never studied engineering, although that is a popular myth.) During these years the Muslim Middle East undergoes an Islamic awakening, called the Salwa, which came about after the 1967 war with Israel, when Egypt, Jordan, and Syria suffered a demoralizing military defeat. Osama came of age during this political change.

  1976: Osama and Najwa welcome their firstborn, a son they name Abdullah. From that time Osama will be known as Abu Abdullah, meaning father of Abdullah, to his closest friends and associates. Najwa becomes known to family and friends as Um Abdullah, or mother of Abdullah.

  1978: Osama and Najwa welcome their second-born, a son they name Abdul Rahman.

  1979: According to the Muslim calendar, 1979 is the first year of a new century.

  1979: Osama, Najwa, and their two sons travel through England and to the United States for Osama to meet with Abdullah Azzam, the man many call Osama’s first mentor. Abdullah Azzam was on a speaking tour in America to recruit for Jihad. Osama, who had recently awakened to the passion of Jihad, met with Abdullah Azzam to discuss and make plans for his role in the movement. While on this trip, Abdul Rahman becomes ill, and Osama and Najwa consult a medical specialist for their second-born son.

  1979: Osama and Najwa welcome their third-born, a son they name Sa’ad.

  1979: Muslims the world over received a terrible blow on November 20, 1979. The annual Haj pilgrimage had ended and Haj worshippers were preparing to leave Mecca. Since there are always foreign Muslim worshippers in Mecca, the Grand Mosque was filled with people. At the moment the Imam concluded the first prayer of the day, gunshots were heard and worshippers were attacked.

  Three hundred rebels led by Juhayman al-Uteybi, a formal corporal in the National Guard of Saudi Arabia, quickly overtook the men of religion and the worshippers, declaring them all hostages. The rebels seized total control of the Grand Mosque, broadcasting their goals over the loudspeakers throughout Mecca.

  The Saudi Army and National Guard poured into Mecca, ordering an evacuation of the city and surrounding the Grand Mosque. Since the Koran forbids violence within the Grand Mosque, the Saudi royal family first sought approval from the religious authorities to use deadly force against the insurgents, which was given.

  The ensuing battle lasted for two weeks. Control of the Grand Mosque was finally regained on December 4, 1979. Official reports say that 255 fanatics, troops and pilgrims were killed, while 560 were injured. The rebels who survived were imprisoned or beheaded, with reports of 63 beheadings.

  1979: On December 26, Russia invades Afghanistan.

  1980: Osama responds to what he calls the invasion by “Godless communists” by organizing charities to benefit the Afghan resistance fighters, known as the Mujahideen. His friend and mentor, Abdullah Azzam, founds an organization for this purpose. Osama, backed by his family wealth and the Saudi government’s encouragement, becomes a chief financier.

  1980: Osama begins the first of his travels to Pakistan to deliver supplies and offer assistance to his Afghan Muslim brothers. From this time on, Osama is heavily involved in the Afghan struggle against Russia, coordinating his trips to fit around his schooling and family responsibilities.

  1980 or 1981: Due to his Jihadi responsibilities Osama drops out of university, although he had only one more term before graduation.

  1981: Osama continues to raise funds and to deliver supplies to Pakistan for the Afghan resistance against the Soviets.

  1981: During the month of March, Osama and Najwa welcome their fourth-born, a son they name Omar.

  1982: Osama bin Laden becomes more involved with the conflict in Afghanistan. The war between Russia and Afghanistan changed, with the Russians occupying the main cities and the Mujahideen (who were divided into many groups) waging a guerrilla war. From 1980 until 1985, there were nine main Russian offensives resulting in heavy fighting. While his friend and mentor, Abdullah Azzam, recruits Arab fighters to join the war, Osama bin Laden becomes further involved, collecting millions of dollars from wealthy Gulf donors for the purpose of contributing to the Mujahideen.

  1982: While in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Osama meets some of the Egyptian Jihadists who will inspire the young Saudi. Later, they will become his followers. Five of these men are Mohammed Atef (Abu Hafs), Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Abu Ubaidah al-Banshiri, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, and Omar Abdel Rahman.

  1983: Osama purchases a large twelve-apartment building in Jeddah, where he moves Najwa and their children.

  1983: Osama marries a second wife, a Saudi woman from Jeddah named Khadijah Sharif. The Sharif family is descended from the al-Hussain line. (The Prophet’s daughter had two sons, one named al-Hassan and the other named al-Hussain. When a Saudi family is descended from the Prophet, they always clarify from which line, al-Hassan or al-Hussain.)

  1983: Osama and Najwa welcome their fifth-born, a son they name Osman.

  1984: On occasion, Osama takes both wives and his children with him on trips to Pakistan, where they live in a spacious villa in the city of Peshawar, close to the Afghanistan border.

  1984: Osama and his second wife, Khadijah, welcome their first child, a son they name Ali. From that time on, Khadijah will be called Um Ali, although Osama will forever be called Abu Abdullah.

  1984: Osama helps Abdullah Azzam to set up the Services Office, which organizes the placement of Jihad fighters from Arab nations in Afghan fighting units, or in relief organizations responsible for collecting food and weapons for the Mujahideen.

  1984: Osama further expands his participation in Jihad, helping to establish fighter training camps across the Afghanistan border. He begins to build tunnels, roads, and training camps needed to help his Muslim brothers fight the Russian invaders.

  1985: Osama and first wife, Najwa, welcome their sixth-born, a son named Mohammed.

  1986: Osama becomes even more involved in the Afghanistan-Russia conflict. He sets up his first military base in eastern Afghanistan, near a village called Jaji, which is located only ten miles from the border of Pakistan. The military base is for his Arab fighters, and is named the Lion’s Den. During his frequent trips to Pakistan he routinely crosses the Pakistan border into Afghanistan to fight as a guerrilla commander, leading his Arab troops in a number of battles with the Russians.

  1986: In order to introduce his eldest child to Jihad, Osama takes his eight-year-old son, Abdullah, with him to the fighting base near Jaji. He receives unexpected criticism from his family and other Jihadi leaders for exposing his young son to the danger of war. This is only the first of many instances when Osama will push his unenthusiastic sons to the forefront of his personal passion for Jihad.

  1986: With many Muslim radicals joining the struggle in Afghanistan, Osama becomes more politically aware and active, leading him to think about his mission in life, which will expand to fighting for Islam on every front.

  1987: Osama marries his third wife, a Saudi woman from Jeddah named Khairiah Sabar. With Osama’s encouragement, Khairiah was selected by his first wife, Najwa.

  1987: In the spring of 1987, Osama gains his reputation as the leading Saudi hero after the battle of Jaji, where his Arab fighters are pitted against the Russians.

  1987: Osama marries his fourth wife, a Saudi woman from Medina named Siham whose family is from the al-Hassan line of the Prophet. Siham is the sister of Saad, a Saudi soldier under Osama, who was married to one of Osama’s nieces in the bi
n Laden family.

  1987: After undertaking a major bin Laden family construction project in Medina, Osama moves his three wives and children to that city.

  1987: Osama and Najwa welcome their seventh child, a girl they name Fatima. Fatima is the first daughter born to the family.

  1988: Osama and Siham, his fourth wife, welcome their first child, a girl they name Kadhija.

  1988: In August of 1988, Osama turns to a global crusade, founding al-Qaeda al-Askariya (which translates “the military base,” later shortened to al-Qaeda, “the base,” or “the foundation”). By this time Osama has achieved hero status in the Arab press. Due to Osama’s prominence, fighters for his organization are easily recruited.

  1988: Osama replaces his friend and mentor, Abdullah Azzam, as the leader of the Arab fighters in Peshawar, training for the conflict in Afghanistan.

  1989: The Soviets withdraw from Afghanistan.

  1989: Osama returns to Saudi Arabia, bringing approximately one hundred of his veteran fighters to live in Saudi Arabia.

  1989: Abdullah Azzam and one of his sons are assassinated when they are targeted by a roadside bomb in Peshawar. After Abdullah Azzam’s death, Osama bin Laden is the undisputed leader of the Arab fighters.

  1989: Osama and his third wife, Khairiah, welcome their first child, Hamza.

  1989: Osama and his fourth wife, Siham, welcome their second child, Khalid.

  1990: On August 2, 1990, Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait. Osama approaches the Saudi royal family, volunteering his military expertise and holy warriors to fight and defeat Saddam Hussein. Confident of his ability to convince the royal family of the wisdom of his plan, Osama prepares his forces to defend the kingdom.

  1990: The Saudi government allows the United States to form a coalition of many countries, including many Muslim countries, to battle Saddam Hussein. The United States begins sending troops to Saudi Arabia.

  1990: Osama is so enraged at what he considers a royal slight in allowing infidel troops on Islamic holy land that he begins to speak out and write treatises against the Saudi regime, leading to an end to their previous friendly relationship.