Osama bin Laden

The US accused Bin Laden of being the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks [AFP]

In his death on May 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden kept a promise made in a 2006 audio message.

Alluding to the United States’ hunt for him, the al-Qaeda leader stated his determination to avoid capture: “I swear not to die but a free man.”

His death ends the largest manhunt in history that began a decade ago involving thousands of US troops in Afghanistan and tens of thousands of Pakistani soldiers in the rugged mountains along the border.

Whether reviled as a terrorist and mass murderer or hailed as the champion of oppressed Muslims fighting injustice and humiliation, bin Laden changed the course of history.

Challenging the might of the US, the most powerful nation ever, he masterminded a string of attacks against it and then built a global network of allies to wage a war intended to outlive him.

The man allegedly behind the suicide hijack attacks of September 11, 2001, was the nemesis of former US President George Bush, who pledged to take him “dead or alive” and whose two terms were dominated by a “war on terror” against his al-Qaeda network founded in 1988.

With his long grey beard and wistful expression, bin Laden became one of the most instantly recognisable people on the planet. His gaunt face stared out from propaganda videos and framed a US website offering a $25 million bounty. In 2007, that bounty was doubled.

Born in Saudi Arabia in 1957, one of more than 50 children of millionaire businessman Mohamed bin Laden, he lost his father while still a boy.

Osama’s first marriage, to a Syrian cousin, came at the age of 17, and he is reported to have at least 23 children from at least five wives. Part of a family that made its fortune in the oil-funded Saudi construction boom, bin Laden was a shy boy and an average student, who took a degree in civil engineering.

Radicalisation

A book by US writer Steve Coll, The Bin Ladens, suggested the death in 1988 of his extrovert half-brother Salem was an important factor in Osama’s radicalisation.

The elite Al Thagher Model School in the Saudi city of Jeddah also exposed him to the ideas of political Islam.

Steve Coll wrote that “bin Laden’s introduction to Islam as the basis for political, and potentially violent-activism, was through informal sessions run by the Al Thagher’s teachers”.

A key influence on Osama was Dr Abdullah Azzam, a Palestinian professor and member of the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood.

During his stay at Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia, Osama was hugely influenced by Azzam’s radical views.

It is believed that Azzam encouraged bin Laden to solicit funds and recruit Arab fighters for the Afghan war against Russians.

The US’ Central Intelligence Agency provided a conduit for him to join the fight in Afghanistan.

Osama’s slide away from the US was first observed when he raised objection to US military presence in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf war against Iraq.

The Saudi monarch smelled rebellion in Laden and expelled him 1991. He was stripped of his Saudi citizenship in 1994 and his assets were frozen.

Trail of attacks

He declared war against the very United States which had spent billions of dollars bankrolling the Afghan resistance in which he had fought.

Al-Qaeda embarked on a trail of attacks, beginning with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six and first raised the spectre of Islamist extremism spreading to the United States.

Bin Laden was the prime suspect in bombings of US servicemen in Saudi Arabia in 1995 and 1996 as well as attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 that killed 224.

In October 2000, suicide bombers rammed into the USS Cole warship in Yemen, killing 17 sailors, and al-Qaeda was blamed.

Disowned by his family and stripped of Saudi citizenship, bin Laden had moved first to Sudan in 1992 and later resurfaced in Afghanistan before the Taliban seized Kabul in 1996.

With his wealth, largesse and shared radical Muslim ideology, bin Laden soon eased his way into inner Taliban circles as they imposed their rigid interpretation of Islam.

From Afghanistan, bin Laden issued religious decrees against US soldiers and ran training camps where fighters were groomed for a global campaign of violence.

Recruits were drawn from Central, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and even Europe by their common hatred of the United States, Israel and moderate Muslim governments, as well as a desire for a more fundamentalist brand of Islam.

After the 1998 attacks on two of its African embassies, the United States fired dozens of cruise missiles at Afghanistan, targeting al Qaeda training camps. Bin Laden escaped unscathed.

The Taliban paid a heavy price for sheltering bin Laden and his fighters, suffering a humiliating defeat after a US-led invasion in the weeks after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Escape to Pakistan

Al-Qaeda was badly weakened, with many fighters killed or captured. Bin Laden vanished — some reports say US bombs narrowly missed him in late 2001 as he and his forces slipped out of Afghanistan’s Tora Bora mountains and into Pakistan.

But the start of the Iraq war in 2003 produced a fresh surge of recruits for al-Qaeda due to opposition to the US invasion.

Apparently protected by the Afghan Taliban in their northwest Pakistani strongholds, bin Laden also built ties to an array of south Asian militant groups and backed a bloody revolt by the Pakistani Taliban against the Islamabad government.

Amid a reinvigorated al-Qaeda propaganda push, operatives or sympathisers were blamed for attacks from Indonesia and Pakistan to Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Spain, Britain and Somalia.

Tougher security in the West and killings of middle-rank al-Qaeda men helped weaken the group, and some followers noted critically that the last successful al Qaeda-linked strike in a Western country was the 2005 London bombings that killed 52.

Diatribes

But, by his own account, not even bin Laden anticipated the full impact of using 19 suicide hijackers to turn passenger aircraft into guided missiles and slam them into buildings that symbolised US financial and military power.

Nearly 3,000 people died when two planes struck New York’s World Trade Center; a third hit the Pentagon in Washington, and a fourth crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania after passengers rushed the hijackers.

“Here is America struck by God Almighty in one of its vital organs,” bin Laden said in a statement a month after the September 11 attacks, urging Muslims to rise up and join a global battle between “the camp of the faithful and the camp of the infidels”.

In video and audio messages over the next seven years, the al-Qaeda leader goaded Washington and its allies. His diatribes lurched across a range of topics, from the war in Iraq to US politics, the subprime mortgage crisis and even climate change.

A gap of nearly three years in his output of video messages revived speculation he might be gravely ill with a kidney problem or even have died, but bin Laden was back on screen in September 2007, telling Americans their country was vulnerable despite its economic and military power.

The vulnerability still remains, as death could make him an even more powerful motivator for his supporters.

(Courtesy Al Jazeera English)

Related posts:

1. Osama bin Laden Killed in Pakistan Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, is dead....
2. Osama bin Laden’s Final Victory? By Ray McGovern As America’s morbid celebrations over the killing...
3. US Football Player Targeted for Criticizing Celebration of Bin Laden Killing By Jerry White Following the assassination of Osama bin Laden,...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

 Staff Writer

Hilmi Ibrahim, who served on the Whittier College faculty for 43 years, died of congestive heart failure July 12. More than 300 relative, friends and former students  gathered Aug. 22 at the Ruth B. Shannon Center for Performing Arts in Whittier to celebrate the life of the popular educator.

He was born Sept. 30 in Cairo, Egypt and earned his Masters and Ph.D. degrees in education and recreation at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. Ibrahim taught at Helwan University in Egypt before joining the Whittier College faculty in 1964 where he taught and designed courses ranging from physical education and sociology to Arabic.

 In 1970, he received a master’s degree in sociology from California State University at Fullerton and taught sociology part-time on the community college level. He published and co-published 15 books and was the recipient of the Harry W. Nerhood Award, one of Whittier College’s highest honors bestowed on faculty members.

 Ibrahim co-taught with Professor Joe Price a course, entitled “Arabs and Muslims.” He mentored many students from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and served for 30 years as an advisor to Whittier College’s Thalian Society.

He also was a Whittier Parks and Recreation commissioner for 10 years and was president of the California Association of Parks and Recreation Commissioners.

Ibrahim is survived by his wife, Cynthia, four children and seven grandchildren.

Published in The Independent Monitor October 2009 issue.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

R. Hilmi Elias (79), passed away at our home in Beino-Kboula (Akkar, North Lebanon); after a silent battle with metastasized cancer and without him voicing a single complaint or being discontent with the inevitable.

By Ghassan H. Elias, Guest Writer, Los Angeles

August 19, 2009

Those of us living abroad may be working and living well, but one remains far from al-watan, the motherland, and is certainly away from parents, relatives and childhood friends.  Time passes without a break, tough constraints evolve but are overcome throughout a natural course of events, life keeps changing for all of us…..and all that has passed cannot be regained.

Having tried so hard in the month of July to obtain an airline ticket to Lebanon to see my ailing father, it was all to no avail until a sudden success on August 4th.  However, only one hour after the airplane took off from Los Angeles, my beloved father, R. Hilmi Elias (79), passed away at our home in Beino-Kboula (Akkar, North Lebanon); after a silent battle with metastasized cancer and without him voicing a single complaint or being discontent with the inevitable.  Surrounded by my mother Laila, my sister Juliette and other family members, he departed peacefully.  Although I could not get a glimpse of my father while still alive, I am content to have made it to al-watan and said one last goodbye.  May God bless his soul.

For me, it hurts deeply to have been so far away and not been able to tend to him albeit

Many thanks to mr. Issam Fares (represented) and the residents of Beino-Kboula and neighboring villages for attending the funeral.

for a little bit, but the good memories are cherished.  I last saw my father in August of 2005 — he always enjoyed the moment with modesty and without conditions.  I will remember him “as-is” and with what made him most joyous; the presence of his family and grandchildren, laughter, a calm conversation, and of course, a smoke and a drink.

For the phone calls I received from al-watan and overseas, the kind words and thoughtful emails, heartily thanks and genuine appreciation are relayed via this email to my friends Sofia Saadeh, Antoine Boutros, Nora Haddad, Abeer Awwad, Hamzi Mousawi, and Aboudy Bazzy, wal-Umana’ jazeeli al’i7htiram Alissar Saadeh, Ali Osseiran, Edmond Melhem, Ahmad el-Hachem, Issam Bitar, Mahmoud el-Hasan, Saseen el-Yousef, wal-Roufaqa’ al-mo7htarameen Arwa Abou-Ezzeldine, Bassam Koussa, Ehsan & Fida Nehmeh, Simon Ibrahim, Leila Ghobril, Fadi Khouri, Gaby Khouri,  Michel Abs, Taha Ghaddar, Adel Majdelani, Ayoub & Amal Ayoub, Jihad Berbari, Serge Haitayan, Rabih & Dana Abdul-Khalek, Said & Nawal Rafeh, Imad Lakees, Rodolf Tikli, Hanna Haddad, Nehman Muqaddim, Oussama Hamadani and Salman Shehayeb.  I regret the delay in replying to your messages as I did not access my email whilst in Lebanon; it is only now that I did so after having arrived in Los Angeles late Tuesday night.

Also, many thanks to Mr. Issam Fares (represented) and the residents of Beino-Kboula and neighboring villages for attending the funeral.  For those of you who took the time to drive the long distance to Beino-Akkar to attend the funeral and offer condolences, your comradeship, friendship and love were overwhelming.  Thank you A. Labib Nassif, A. Sayed el-Nakat, A. Elie Khawwam, R. Ousssama el-Mohtar, R. Nazih Noweihid, Mr. Joseph Hage, Mr. Namir Kanaan, and Mr. Ghassan & Mrs. Irma Ghosn for joining me in celebrating my father and bidding him farewell.  I am obliged for your consideration, and my mother and entire family were certainly honored by your heartfelt presence.

I am grateful too for the elegant wreaths sent by 7hadrat Ra’ees el-7hizb al-Qawmi, A. Assad Hardan, 3umdat 3obr el-7houdoud, Munaffaziyat 3akkar, Mr. Issam Fares and for all of the donations that were made to the church.

Published in The Independent Monitor September 2009 issue.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Faten Zanayed

She will always be remembered and we will miss her dearly.

God Bless her soul!

Manal Mashney

Published in The Independent Monitor September 2009 issue.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Nouris Ahmed Ibrahim

It is with sadness in our hearts that we inform of the passing of my mother Nouris Ahmed.
She was a remarkable woman and a wonderful mother. Her career extended for over 50 years in Journalism and Politics in Egypt but it was how much good she did to other people that really mattered in the last few days of her life.
I would like to thank everyone for all their kind words, prayers and their support.

Dr Hisham Seify

Published in The Independent Monitor September 2009 issue.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Friends and admirers of world-renowned wood craftsman Sam Maloof traveled to Claremont College’s Kresge Chapel for a June 9 celebration of his long and prolific life. The chapel was filled one hour before the ceremony as several hundred more people gathered in the Harvey Mudd Auditorium and dozens more sat on chairs in the chapel garden.

Dr. Jeremy Adamson of the Smithsonian Institution, who wrote The Furniture of Sam Maloof, noted that for the first 30 years of his life, Sam’s family name was Soloman. This was the name wholesalers had bequeathed on Sam’s immigrant peddler parents, Nasif and Anise Sleiman Maloof, because there were already too many tradespeople named Maloof to keep track of.

Sam’s beginnings were humble, but the son of Lebanese immigrants became the only living craftsman to have his work in the White House collection of American furniture. In 1985, he was the firstwood worker to receive the MacArthur Foundation’s “genius grant” and the same year, the California legislature named him a “living treasure.”

California prized its native son — born Jan. 14, 1916 in Chino – so highly, it designated the 23-room home he built in Alta Loma 50 miles east of Los Angeles as a registered historical landmark. The 8500-square-foot temple of carpentry is open to the public as a living museum.

The museum and his workshops are surrounded by a lemon grove at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains. Sam likened the Alto Loma setting to the mountain village of Douma from which his parents emigrated in 1905. They were among the first Arabic speakers in Southern California.

Over the past 55 years, Sam earned a global reputation as “America’s most renowned contemporary craftsman.” A permanent exhibit in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts houses 12 pieces of Maloof furniture which visitors can sit on. The Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery presented a full scale exhibition of 65 of his original pieces in an exhibition and series of programs from Sept. 14, 2001 to Jan. 20, 2002.

His signature piece – the Maloof rocking chair – is recognizable for its low-slung seat and elongated curved runners.  A single push will leave it rocking independently for four-and-a-half minutes.  Even though the waiting list was two years, the chair sold for $20,000 and as much as $42,000 for a model crafted of zircote wood from Belize. Three U.S. Presidents – Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton – owned the Maloof rocker.  Carter came personally to pick up the chair and meet its creator.

When Ray Charles first sat in a Maloof chair, he said he could feel the soul of the furniture and its maker.  Stroking the soft contours of the chair, the blind singer said: “I know this man…I know this man.”

Into his 90s, Sam turned out 60 original pieces a year – at least three were new designs. Each of his three assistants, whom he called “Los Chicos,” worked with him for more than 25 years; the camaraderie they shared in the workshop was like that of a father with his sons.

Sam said there was no secret to his longevity, he attributed it wholly to a healthy Medierranean diet and never smoking or drinking alcohol.  But he did love to eat In-N-Out burgers.

When his parents began their marriage in California, his mother made lace and his father peddled her handwork along with other goods. Sam was the seventh of nine children. When the husband of Sam’s oldest sister died, she returned home with her six children and 17 people lived in his parents’ three-bedroom home. In this crowded household, young Sam carved intricate wooden toys: pistols with spinning cylinders and trucks with moving wheels. His kitchen wall was decorated by a beautifully carved and much-used paddle he made for his mother nearly 85 years before.

There wasn’t money for college, but Sam’s drawing abilities gained him a job as a graphic artist during the Great Depression. When World War II broke out, he enlisted in the army and served as a master sergeant in the Aleutian Islands. He often spent long nights near the North Pole carving sculptures out of spent shell casings.

Sam met his muse, Alfreda, in 1947 at Claremont College where she was applying for graduate school and he was an art studio assistant. It was love at first sight.  They married within months.

A connoisseur of Native American art, Alfreda helped tribes in New Mexico, Montana and Wyoming to organize cooperatives to sell their arts and crafts on reservations.  She encouraged Sam to start designing furniture.  The first year – 1949 – his annual income from wood working was $555.

His first break came in 1952 when industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss commissioned Sam to design all the furniture for his new home for $1,200. He struggled financially for a few more years making furniture for designer showrooms, but word was spreading about Maloof furniture.

In 1955, the State Department began to send American craftsmen abroad to help artisans develop their indigenous works for export. San was asked to teach workshops in Lebanon, Iran and El Salvador.

Sketches of each piece he designed were worthy of being framed. His printing resembled calligraphy. A distinctive trademark is the Maloof seat that slopes downward to support the lower back.  Shellac and lacquer were unheard of in Maloof workshops. The buttery soft feel of his creations was produced by a formula of boiled linseed oil, raw tung oil and shredded beeswax rubbed into surfaces in three daily applications.

Walnut was Sam’s favorite wood, but he used cedar, lemon and even avocado for distinctive accents. One of his most innovative designs was a spiral staircase with steps shaped like dragonfly wings. Another was a freestanding cradle he made for his infant son in 1949.

“Whenever we received an order for a cradle, all other work stopped because babies can’t wait,” he said in a 2003 interview. However, the baby would have to have well-heeled parents since the cradle’s asking price was $35,000.

Shortly after their 50th wedding anniversary in 1998, Freda died. The art work and Indian crafts the couple collected over five decades is on view in the museum house and the 4500-sqare-foot house Sam moved into in 2001 with his second wife, Beverly.

Sam died in his home May 21 in the loving care of his wife, son and daughter, grandchildren and many friends. He is buried in the gardens of his Alma Loma compound beside Freda.

For more information about tours of the Maloof Historic Residence, please e-mail the Maloof Foundation at info@malooffoundation.org or call 909-980-0412.

Published in The Independent Monitor July 2009 issue.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Huda Sosebee

Dec. 18, 1962 – July 15, 2009

Huda helped thousands of Palestinian Children as well as other children from the Middle East in finding medical care and housing.

Huda was committed to the cause until the very end; a true daughter of Palestine.

It is with great sadness and sorrow, that I inform you of the passing of Huda Sosebee, the head social worker for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund after battling Leukemia for 7 months.

Marwan ElMasri, PCRF-Boston Chapter

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Reem Saba Suneij

July 17, 2009

[I] inform you with deep sorrow, that my sister REEM SABA SUNEIJ has passed away this afternoon (Friday, July 17) after a hard fought battle with cancer.

Samer Saba

May her soul rest in eternal peace.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.