WAS OSAMA BIN LADEN RELIGIOUS?

BIN LADEN IS EXPLAINED AS A RELIGIOUS ZEALOT. Where is the evidence for that belief? He spent his whole adult life supporting Muslim rebellions, from Bosnia to the Phillipines to Somalia with many points between.

BinLaden is a Muslim, that is a fact. Was he a zealous Muslim? Did he practice his religion? Did he have knowledge and an understanding of modern Islam?

In 1998 binLaden called for the killing of all Americans and Jews. Do we accept that Islam is a bloodthirsty, murderous religion? That binLaden was merely following the tenets of his faith?

There certainly are some Imams whose beliefs are the same as binLaden's. Kill the infadels or enslave them and have Islam rule the world by Sharia law.

Would we accept it as normal if Rome decided to set about conquering the world, as they once did?

Modern Muslims say the writings about war and conquering the world are outmoded, as are many ancient religious edicts. These Muslims prefer to live in a peaceful world where religious differences are of no concern, where religion is a personal choice and not a national cause.

Yet binLaden is portrayed as a religious man.

In the 7th century, maybe he would have been. War was an important part of spreading religion to other peoples, by conquering a nation and occupying it. But in the 7th century the world was a much smaller place, communication was in person, and weapons were incapable of mass destruction. For most Muslims, Islam has matured in the centuries since Mohammed lived. Muslims aspire to achieve much more than a bare existance, they live much longer lives, and engaging in warfare is not the way they wish to express their religious beliefs.

BinLaden's father was a very good businessman. He had a construction company that did good work for the Royal family in Saudi Arabia. He became close to the Saudi rulers. And he bacame extremely wealthy.

BinLaden's mother was a modern girl from Syria when she met binLaden's father. He was much older than she was but he was also wealthy and powerful. When binLaden's mother married his father, she became his 10th wife.

By Sharia law, a Muslim man is allowed 4 wives. Also by Sharia law, sex outside marriage is wrong. The way a Muslim man bends the law without breaking it is by divorcing his 4th wife. Which, in fact, means that binLaden's mother was a 4th wife; she was the seventh 4th wife.

Such marriages are known as marriages "for pleasure". The 4th wife knows when she marries that divorce will follow, sometimes as soon as the next day, sometimes in a year or two.

In the case of binLaden, his parents were divorced soon after he was born.

It has been reported that binLaden's mother was not liked by the other women in the house where binLaden's wives as well as some of his ex-wives lived. The women mocked her and scorned her because she did not like having to adhere to the custom of wearing a veil when she went out, nor did she like the restraints Saudi women lived under. She had been raised in a freer society.

BinLaden's mother was called The Slave by the other women in the house, because she complained of feeling like a slave to men,and Osama was called "Son of The Slave". The nickname remained with him in the family.

BinLaden was about the 17th son of his father, who is reported to have about 52 children. He was raised by nannies in the wealthy home, and when his mother left she left binLaden behind. He remained in his father's home until the age of 10, when his father died. At that time he was sent to live with his mother, who had remarried and had 3 daughters. BinLaden never became close to his mother, it has been reported.

Born in 1957, binLaden married his first wife at the age of 17, about 1974. He was in school at the time, studying religion as well as engineering and one can assume Muslim history, as that is an important subject in Islamic schools.

In 1979, at 22 years of age and bankrolled with his father's money, his inheritance, binLaden left school and went to Afghanistan. The Soviet army had invaded Afghanistan and binLaden thought he could help the Afghans defeat the Soviets. It was extremely important to him that the Soviets not be allowed to defeat a Muslim people. He used his father's money to set up training camps for the Afghan fighters.

During his years in Afghanistan he also worked for the CIA. BinLaden became the contractor for building tunnels and barracks and training grounds at Tora Bora, a remote mountainous region. The CIA paid the bills. BinLaden provided the equipment, flying it in from Saudi Arabia.

In 1989 the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan and before too long binLaden returned to Saudi Arabia, being welcomed as a hero.

Soon thereafter, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Saudi Arabia decided to allow American troops to use Saudi airstrips in their war against the Iraqis. BinLaden did not agree with that decision and asked to meet with the Crown Prince, where he suggested he could recruit an all-Muslim army. BinLaden did not want Americans to fight Muslims and he did not want the Saudi government to help the Americans.

The decision to allow Americans on Saudi soil held, and binLaden prodeeded to denounce the decision, loudly and often.

In 1991 he was expelled from Saudi Arabia and his citizenship was revoked. The Royal Family had warned him to be quiet but he would not listen. BinLaden had become a very vocal critic of the Royal Family and eventually their patience with him was worn out, hero of Afghanistan or not.

BinLaden went to Sudan, but by 1994 the Sudanese had also expelled him. BinLaden had become a radical. There's no indication he was a particularly religious man at this point. His ambition was to train troops and provide troops to fight the 'infidel', who is any non-Muslim.

He made his way back to Afghanistan. He was about 37 years old at that time.

Jihad became the force in binLaden's life. And jihad is against non-Muslims. It has no positive aspects, nothing it is for, but killing.

Once back in Afghanistan, where he was still a hero, binLaden founded an organization to recruit, fund, train, and send Muslim troops to fight in Bosnia, in Chechnya, Somalia and the Phillipines. He was behind terror attacks in Somalia, Kenya, Yemen, Tanzania, and was operating terrorist networks in Albania and Kosovo.

BinLaden's life story is a testament to the child who wanted attention from his parents but was raised by nannies. It is the story of a man who had great wealth but no humanity.

Feeling important became binLaden's purpose. He liked being a hero. He had been unimportant throughout his childhood, one of 52 children. Now he was important on the Muslim Street.

The evidence of binLaden's life is that he was not religious, unless one accepts that Islam demands jihad. No, the evidence is that binLaden became a terrorist and built a terrorist network around the world because it made him feel important. And feeling important felt good.