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The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning and bestselling author of Ghost Wars and The Achilles Trap
"Riveting . . . The most psychologically detailed portrait of the brutal 9/11 mastermind yet." - Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
In The Bin Ladens , two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Steve Coll continues where Ghost Wars left off, shedding new light on one of the most elusive families of the twenty-first century. Rising from a famine-stricken desert into luxury, private compounds, and even business deals with Hollywood celebrities, the Bin Ladens have benefited from the tensions and contradictions in a country founded on extreme religious purity, suddenly thrust into a world awash in oil, money, and the temptations of the West. But what do these incongruities mean for globalization, the War on Terror, and America's place in the Middle East? Meticulously researched, The Bin Ladens is the story of a remarkably varied and often dangerous family that has used money, mobility, and technology to dramatically different ends.
"Riveting . . . The most psychologically detailed portrait of the brutal 9/11 mastermind yet." - Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
In The Bin Ladens , two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Steve Coll continues where Ghost Wars left off, shedding new light on one of the most elusive families of the twenty-first century. Rising from a famine-stricken desert into luxury, private compounds, and even business deals with Hollywood celebrities, the Bin Ladens have benefited from the tensions and contradictions in a country founded on extreme religious purity, suddenly thrust into a world awash in oil, money, and the temptations of the West. But what do these incongruities mean for globalization, the War on Terror, and America's place in the Middle East? Meticulously researched, The Bin Ladens is the story of a remarkably varied and often dangerous family that has used money, mobility, and technology to dramatically different ends.
671 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
180 people are currently reading
3559 people want to read
About the author
Steve Coll
16 books917 followersSteve Coll is President & CEO of New America Foundation, and a staff writer at The New Yorker magazine. Previously he spent 20 years as a foreign correspondent and senior editor at The Washington Post, serving as the paper's managing editor from 1998 to 2004.
He is author six books, including The Deal of the Century: The Break Up of AT&T (1986); The Taking of Getty Oil (1987); Eagle on the Street, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the SEC's battle with Wall Street (with David A. Vise, 1991); On the Grand Trunk Road: A Journey into South Asia (1994), Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 (2004); and The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century (2008).
Mr. Coll's professional awards include two Pulitzer Prizes. He won the first of these, for explanatory journalism, in 1990, for his series, with David A. Vise, about the SEC. His second was awarded in 2005, for his book, Ghost Wars, which also won the Council on Foreign Relations' Arthur Ross award; the Overseas Press Club award and the Lionel Gelber Prize for the best book published on international affairs during 2004. Other awards include the 1992 Livingston Award for outstanding foreign reporting; the 2000 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Award for his coverage of the civil war in Sierra Leone; and a second Overseas Press Club Award for international magazine writing.
Mr. Coll graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Cum Laude, from Occidental College in 1980 with a degree in English and history. He lives in Washington, D.C.
He is author six books, including The Deal of the Century: The Break Up of AT&T (1986); The Taking of Getty Oil (1987); Eagle on the Street, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the SEC's battle with Wall Street (with David A. Vise, 1991); On the Grand Trunk Road: A Journey into South Asia (1994), Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 (2004); and The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century (2008).
Mr. Coll's professional awards include two Pulitzer Prizes. He won the first of these, for explanatory journalism, in 1990, for his series, with David A. Vise, about the SEC. His second was awarded in 2005, for his book, Ghost Wars, which also won the Council on Foreign Relations' Arthur Ross award; the Overseas Press Club award and the Lionel Gelber Prize for the best book published on international affairs during 2004. Other awards include the 1992 Livingston Award for outstanding foreign reporting; the 2000 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Award for his coverage of the civil war in Sierra Leone; and a second Overseas Press Club Award for international magazine writing.
Mr. Coll graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Cum Laude, from Occidental College in 1980 with a degree in English and history. He lives in Washington, D.C.
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February 10, 2021
Osama Bin Laden's father left behind 54 children.This is the story of some of them and the excesses they indulged in,thanks to their great wealth.Many had a fondness for acquiring the latest jets,fast cars and indulging their hedonism in the playgrounds of the West.
It is also a history of Saudi Arabia,since the house of Saud took over.The author takes a look at the eras of various kings,the founder Abdul Aziz,the incompetent Saud (deposed),the astute Faisal (tragically assassinated),the figurehead Khalid,the pleasure loving and extravagant Fahd and the pragmatic Abdullah.
The kingdom underwent profound changes during this period.The oil wealth rapidly transformed it and also created tensions between the religious right and the indulgent royal family and the rich.
Overtly,the kingdom became extremely religious and conservative following the Iranian revolution of 1979 and the seige of the Grand Mosque in Mecca the same year,to appease the religious right.
However,it made no difference to the private lives of the royal family and the rich like the Bin Laden clan,who continued to indulge in all kinds of excesses.
The Bin Ladens are one of the richest and most influential families in Saudi Arabia.Coming from a humble background in Yemen,Mohammed Bin Laden got close to the king.
That helped him bag a series of lucrative construction contracts as the kingdom embarked on a building spree after the oil money began pouring in.
Emulating King Abdul Aziz,he married and divorced again and again,as he fathered 54 children ! Osama's mother was a poor young Syrian girl.He married her when he was away for a while on a construction trip.He soon divorced her after Osama's birth.He liked to arrange new husbands for the wives he divorced,and passed her on to another husband,who was employed by him.
Osama was raised in her second husband's house.His contact with his father was relatively brief and unlike many of his siblings,he wasn't sent to the West for his education.However,he received millions of dollars after his father's death in an air crash.Eventually,he spent it all.
Osama's half brother,Salem Bin Laden succeeded Mohammad Bin Laden as the head of the clan.He was thorougly westernized and led a very colourful life.
He held the clan together ,bagged still more construction contracts and added to to the family's wealth.But he too died in an air crash in 1988.He once tried to marry four Western women at once,but had success with only one.
Osama,meanwhile,had already become radicalized as he moved to Afghanistan to fight the Soviet forces.Many of his siblings lived glamorous and ultra luxurious lives,thanks to the family's enormous wealth.Some were conservative and religious too,and it made for a striking contrast between the "hard rock" and "mosque" wings of the family.
After US forces arrived in Saudi Arabia following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait,Osama became very critical of the royal family for inviting them to the kingdom.He didn't want non Muslims to defend Saudi Arabia.
That appears to have been the last straw which broke the camel's back and cemented his hostility towards both the US and the Saudi royals,at that time led by King Fahd.
He left Saudi Arabia and started living in Sudan,where he remained for many years.He now had several wives and 23 children of his own ! But some of his children left him to go back to Saudi Arabia and join the family business.Some were later killed,too.
Osama had to leave Sudan as the government of Sudan gave in to US pressure to expel him.The family repeatedly contacted him to give up his activities,even sending his mother to him,but to no avail.
He ended up in Afghanistan once again with his family and established good relations with the Taliban and their one eyed leader,Mullah Omar.
The Clinton Administration tried to kill him following the bombings of the US embassies in Africa and the USS Cole.The multi million dollar Cruise missiles didn't kill him,however.Sudan was also bombed in a bid to eliminate him,again to no avail.
Then came 9/11 and he became the world's most wanted man.That made life very difficult for the wider Bin Laden family,many of whom frequently travelled to the West or permanantly lived there.But the Saudi government managed to get them out of the US,a few days after 9/11 through a chartered flight.
It was a tough time for the rest of the family,but they survived.Bakr Bin Laden was now the head of the clan and their wealth had grown even more,thanks to massive renovation projects in Islam's holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Several of the clan married Western women and later had to fight bitter divorce battles.One of the women,Carmen Bin Laden,became the second famous Bin Laden in the world after writing a tell all book about the family,following her divorce : "Inside the Kingdom".
A very interesting book which highlights the contrasts and contradictions inherent in the lives of wealthy Saudis as they straddle two worlds,conservative Arabia and the West.
It is also a history of Saudi Arabia,since the house of Saud took over.The author takes a look at the eras of various kings,the founder Abdul Aziz,the incompetent Saud (deposed),the astute Faisal (tragically assassinated),the figurehead Khalid,the pleasure loving and extravagant Fahd and the pragmatic Abdullah.
The kingdom underwent profound changes during this period.The oil wealth rapidly transformed it and also created tensions between the religious right and the indulgent royal family and the rich.
Overtly,the kingdom became extremely religious and conservative following the Iranian revolution of 1979 and the seige of the Grand Mosque in Mecca the same year,to appease the religious right.
However,it made no difference to the private lives of the royal family and the rich like the Bin Laden clan,who continued to indulge in all kinds of excesses.
The Bin Ladens are one of the richest and most influential families in Saudi Arabia.Coming from a humble background in Yemen,Mohammed Bin Laden got close to the king.
That helped him bag a series of lucrative construction contracts as the kingdom embarked on a building spree after the oil money began pouring in.
Emulating King Abdul Aziz,he married and divorced again and again,as he fathered 54 children ! Osama's mother was a poor young Syrian girl.He married her when he was away for a while on a construction trip.He soon divorced her after Osama's birth.He liked to arrange new husbands for the wives he divorced,and passed her on to another husband,who was employed by him.
Osama was raised in her second husband's house.His contact with his father was relatively brief and unlike many of his siblings,he wasn't sent to the West for his education.However,he received millions of dollars after his father's death in an air crash.Eventually,he spent it all.
Osama's half brother,Salem Bin Laden succeeded Mohammad Bin Laden as the head of the clan.He was thorougly westernized and led a very colourful life.
He held the clan together ,bagged still more construction contracts and added to to the family's wealth.But he too died in an air crash in 1988.He once tried to marry four Western women at once,but had success with only one.
Osama,meanwhile,had already become radicalized as he moved to Afghanistan to fight the Soviet forces.Many of his siblings lived glamorous and ultra luxurious lives,thanks to the family's enormous wealth.Some were conservative and religious too,and it made for a striking contrast between the "hard rock" and "mosque" wings of the family.
After US forces arrived in Saudi Arabia following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait,Osama became very critical of the royal family for inviting them to the kingdom.He didn't want non Muslims to defend Saudi Arabia.
That appears to have been the last straw which broke the camel's back and cemented his hostility towards both the US and the Saudi royals,at that time led by King Fahd.
He left Saudi Arabia and started living in Sudan,where he remained for many years.He now had several wives and 23 children of his own ! But some of his children left him to go back to Saudi Arabia and join the family business.Some were later killed,too.
Osama had to leave Sudan as the government of Sudan gave in to US pressure to expel him.The family repeatedly contacted him to give up his activities,even sending his mother to him,but to no avail.
He ended up in Afghanistan once again with his family and established good relations with the Taliban and their one eyed leader,Mullah Omar.
The Clinton Administration tried to kill him following the bombings of the US embassies in Africa and the USS Cole.The multi million dollar Cruise missiles didn't kill him,however.Sudan was also bombed in a bid to eliminate him,again to no avail.
Then came 9/11 and he became the world's most wanted man.That made life very difficult for the wider Bin Laden family,many of whom frequently travelled to the West or permanantly lived there.But the Saudi government managed to get them out of the US,a few days after 9/11 through a chartered flight.
It was a tough time for the rest of the family,but they survived.Bakr Bin Laden was now the head of the clan and their wealth had grown even more,thanks to massive renovation projects in Islam's holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Several of the clan married Western women and later had to fight bitter divorce battles.One of the women,Carmen Bin Laden,became the second famous Bin Laden in the world after writing a tell all book about the family,following her divorce : "Inside the Kingdom".
A very interesting book which highlights the contrasts and contradictions inherent in the lives of wealthy Saudis as they straddle two worlds,conservative Arabia and the West.
January 12, 2022
A remarkable account of the rise of the Bin Laden family in the Arabian Peninsula. The author gives us a portrait of how they consolidated their building enterprises and became the number one “go to” guys (in this case no gals involved) for the ruling Al-Sauds’ – the Saudi ruling family.
So this book is not just about the infamous Osama, it’s on the entire family. In some ways it is sympathetic; and definitely intriguing – a rags to riches story – Saudi style. The Bib Laden rise sprang from Mohamed (1905 -1967). He had 54 children from many wives – he would have children, divorce his wives, all in quick succession, while maintaining the standard 3 or 4 wives. One of these 54 children was Osama – who was somewhere in the middle-range in terms of birth. What being a part of this huge extended family does to your psyche as you are growing up I have no idea.
Mohamed sent many of his children, including some of the girls, to be educated in Europe and the U.S.; but not Osama. As can be imagined those who stayed in Saudi Arabia would have a strict Islamic education.
Salem, the eldest, became head of the family when his father died in an airplane crash in 1967(interestingly, and ominously, both Mohamed and Salem died in airplane crashes). Salem was a flamboyant personality, a bon vivant, and mixed well in the West as well as with the Saudi Royal family (more on this mixing later). Salem constantly expanded the business enterprises of the Bin Laden’s into several nooks and crannies. It became that they never knew where the money was going to or coming from; this became very significant later.
In 1979 there was a siege at the Grand Mosque in Mecca by radical Wahhabi factions. They were disenchanted with the corruption and the modernity of the Saudi Royal family. The Wahhabi’s wanted a return to a puritanical Islamic society (no music, women not permitted outside the house without a male escort,...) This brought to violent light the dichotomy that exists in Saudi Arabia. The Bin Laden family showed their allegiance to the Royal Family by aiding them in suppressing this uprising in which many were killed. The Bin Laden’s had done much of the construction work in Mecca and provided the military with valuable blueprints that hepled to eliminate many of the insurgents. The Bin Laden’s knew where their money came from – and it would have been ridiculous on their part to show overt sympathy to the rebels. And also, after this, they began to acquire property and businesses in the U.S. and Europe as a type of insurance and back-up plan in case the Saudi empire came crashing down (like Iran did at the same time). Many in the Saudi Royal family did the same thing.
Osama was undoubtedly influenced by these events; he would have been 21 at the time. He was known in the family as being religiously pious, but this religious devotion was nothing unusual in Saudi Arabia. It was normal, just like the subjugation and misogyny of women, polygamy, and anti-Semitism were all normal in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
When the war in Afghanistan started in 1980 the Al-Saud’s saw this as a golden opportunity to show their religious devotion and to export their potential religious rebels to Afghanistan to combat the atheist Soviet Union. One of these was Osama who set up camp in Pakistan. Pakistan was actively involved in supplies and sending their own troops and advisors to aid the mujahedeen. Osama vigorously networked to recruiting fighters from Saudi Arabia and donations from rich Saudi’s well known to the Bin Laden family. All this networking would serve him well in the future. He started to be viewed positively in Saudi Arabia and the Muslim world - a devout Muslim helping and proselytizing the downtrodden in Afghanistan. Naturally Osama became familiar with many fighters on the Pakistan- Afghan border – this too would become useful in the future.
Eventually Osama alienated himself from the Saudi Royal family – and thus his own family, during the first Gulf War in 1990. Osama denounced the presence of U.S. and other foreign infidel troops in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Royal family saw them as protectors. But as the author points out Osama had support in the Arab World. The Bin Laden family would denounce Osama in the U.S. and Europe, but many in the Middle East admired him, particularly after 9/11. So denunciations of Osama became very muted indeed once the Bin Laden’s re-entered the Middle East. The Bin Laden name became an asset and not something to be hidden away.
This is an outstanding book; illustrating two very different worlds, attempting to mesh, but also colliding disastrously.
So this book is not just about the infamous Osama, it’s on the entire family. In some ways it is sympathetic; and definitely intriguing – a rags to riches story – Saudi style. The Bib Laden rise sprang from Mohamed (1905 -1967). He had 54 children from many wives – he would have children, divorce his wives, all in quick succession, while maintaining the standard 3 or 4 wives. One of these 54 children was Osama – who was somewhere in the middle-range in terms of birth. What being a part of this huge extended family does to your psyche as you are growing up I have no idea.
Mohamed sent many of his children, including some of the girls, to be educated in Europe and the U.S.; but not Osama. As can be imagined those who stayed in Saudi Arabia would have a strict Islamic education.
Salem, the eldest, became head of the family when his father died in an airplane crash in 1967(interestingly, and ominously, both Mohamed and Salem died in airplane crashes). Salem was a flamboyant personality, a bon vivant, and mixed well in the West as well as with the Saudi Royal family (more on this mixing later). Salem constantly expanded the business enterprises of the Bin Laden’s into several nooks and crannies. It became that they never knew where the money was going to or coming from; this became very significant later.
In 1979 there was a siege at the Grand Mosque in Mecca by radical Wahhabi factions. They were disenchanted with the corruption and the modernity of the Saudi Royal family. The Wahhabi’s wanted a return to a puritanical Islamic society (no music, women not permitted outside the house without a male escort,...) This brought to violent light the dichotomy that exists in Saudi Arabia. The Bin Laden family showed their allegiance to the Royal Family by aiding them in suppressing this uprising in which many were killed. The Bin Laden’s had done much of the construction work in Mecca and provided the military with valuable blueprints that hepled to eliminate many of the insurgents. The Bin Laden’s knew where their money came from – and it would have been ridiculous on their part to show overt sympathy to the rebels. And also, after this, they began to acquire property and businesses in the U.S. and Europe as a type of insurance and back-up plan in case the Saudi empire came crashing down (like Iran did at the same time). Many in the Saudi Royal family did the same thing.
Osama was undoubtedly influenced by these events; he would have been 21 at the time. He was known in the family as being religiously pious, but this religious devotion was nothing unusual in Saudi Arabia. It was normal, just like the subjugation and misogyny of women, polygamy, and anti-Semitism were all normal in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
When the war in Afghanistan started in 1980 the Al-Saud’s saw this as a golden opportunity to show their religious devotion and to export their potential religious rebels to Afghanistan to combat the atheist Soviet Union. One of these was Osama who set up camp in Pakistan. Pakistan was actively involved in supplies and sending their own troops and advisors to aid the mujahedeen. Osama vigorously networked to recruiting fighters from Saudi Arabia and donations from rich Saudi’s well known to the Bin Laden family. All this networking would serve him well in the future. He started to be viewed positively in Saudi Arabia and the Muslim world - a devout Muslim helping and proselytizing the downtrodden in Afghanistan. Naturally Osama became familiar with many fighters on the Pakistan- Afghan border – this too would become useful in the future.
Eventually Osama alienated himself from the Saudi Royal family – and thus his own family, during the first Gulf War in 1990. Osama denounced the presence of U.S. and other foreign infidel troops in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Royal family saw them as protectors. But as the author points out Osama had support in the Arab World. The Bin Laden family would denounce Osama in the U.S. and Europe, but many in the Middle East admired him, particularly after 9/11. So denunciations of Osama became very muted indeed once the Bin Laden’s re-entered the Middle East. The Bin Laden name became an asset and not something to be hidden away.
This is an outstanding book; illustrating two very different worlds, attempting to mesh, but also colliding disastrously.
April 16, 2013
This is not a political story, it is a family history. It describes the legacy of a patriarch of incredible talent that built a business by insinuating himself into a "new" royal family that was appeasing the conservative religious leaders that held the hearts and minds of its subjects. The Saudi royals and the Bin Ladens led parallel lives, each dependent on the goodwill of a their respective enablers.
The author pulls you into this family. The reader marvels at the charismatic Salem, who, barely 21, rises to an incredible occasion and successfully steers a multi-billion $ corporation, serves as patriarch for 50+ siblings and leads an international playboy life. There are a way too few photos, but photos of the attractive, smiling young Bin Ladens stand in stark contrast to the demeanor of their famous black sheep half brother. The author is convincing and you wonder, had Salem survived, would things have been different.
The patience of the family with their militant relative is striking, unless you feel, as Carmen Bin Laden does, that there was overt family support for his actions. OBL seems to have a strong relationship with his mother. He seems to be in constant contact with her. (I had never heard of her and presumed that like his father, she had died.) Most of OBL's wives and some of children have left him in Afghanistan and the book says something of what a few of them are doing now.
This is a fast read for its size. The book takes over your life and starts to weave itself into your conversation. The author has done a great job in assembling all this information and presenting it in an engaging way.
The author pulls you into this family. The reader marvels at the charismatic Salem, who, barely 21, rises to an incredible occasion and successfully steers a multi-billion $ corporation, serves as patriarch for 50+ siblings and leads an international playboy life. There are a way too few photos, but photos of the attractive, smiling young Bin Ladens stand in stark contrast to the demeanor of their famous black sheep half brother. The author is convincing and you wonder, had Salem survived, would things have been different.
The patience of the family with their militant relative is striking, unless you feel, as Carmen Bin Laden does, that there was overt family support for his actions. OBL seems to have a strong relationship with his mother. He seems to be in constant contact with her. (I had never heard of her and presumed that like his father, she had died.) Most of OBL's wives and some of children have left him in Afghanistan and the book says something of what a few of them are doing now.
This is a fast read for its size. The book takes over your life and starts to weave itself into your conversation. The author has done a great job in assembling all this information and presenting it in an engaging way.
June 1, 2016
لقد أسمتمعت بقراءة كتاب آل لادن بالرغم من حجمه ( 800 صفحه) و لكن لم أشعر بالملل أبدا. بدأ المؤلف بسرد بأسلوب قصصصي عن حياه الجد الذي عاش فقيرا و مات فقيرا و انتقل من قريته بسبب 40 ريال لم يستطع توفيرها فهرب بحياته و استقر في منطقه أخرى و مات شابا. أما أبنه محمد الذي انتقل بين هنا وهناك ليستفر في النهايه في الحجاز و يبدأ حياته العمليه بمكسب بسيط لينجح و يصبح من أغنياء السعوديه.
الجزء الأول تحدث كثير عن الملوك و تعاملهم مع شركات بن لادن و كيف انتقلت الاداره إلى الابن الأكبر سالم بن لادن و الذي له شحصيه فريده من نوعها .. و من ثم يتحدث عن بقيه الاخوه لينتهي عن تفاصيل أكثر عن بدايات القاعده و حياه اسامه بن لادن.
في الفصول الأخيره من الكتاب تحدث الكاتب عن 11 سبتمبر و كيف تأثر بقيه العائله لما حصل و تعاملهم مع الحدث و في الاخير تفاصيل أكثر عن أسامه نفسه
من الواضح ان الكاتب نشر كتابه قبل عمليه اغتيال أسامه بن لادن . لانه لم يتحدث عنها و انتهى احداث الكتاب في أواخر 2009
أنصح بالكتاب :)
الجزء الأول تحدث كثير عن الملوك و تعاملهم مع شركات بن لادن و كيف انتقلت الاداره إلى الابن الأكبر سالم بن لادن و الذي له شحصيه فريده من نوعها .. و من ثم يتحدث عن بقيه الاخوه لينتهي عن تفاصيل أكثر عن بدايات القاعده و حياه اسامه بن لادن.
في الفصول الأخيره من الكتاب تحدث الكاتب عن 11 سبتمبر و كيف تأثر بقيه العائله لما حصل و تعاملهم مع الحدث و في الاخير تفاصيل أكثر عن أسامه نفسه
من الواضح ان الكاتب نشر كتابه قبل عمليه اغتيال أسامه بن لادن . لانه لم يتحدث عنها و انتهى احداث الكتاب في أواخر 2009
أنصح بالكتاب :)
July 11, 2016
It's important to me to start this review off with stressing that there are extremists in every religion known to man. All Muslims should never be blamed for the actions of some extremists. I have Muslim friends at home and on this site who have been nothing but kind and thoughtful to me. That being said this book is a definite must read so all can understand how something that started out so good could go so horribly wrong. I hope I have done well by my friends with this review.
March 3, 2017
الكتاب عبارة عن تأريخ كامل لامبراطورية بن لادن في السعودية، بدءًا من زعيمها محمد بن عوض بن لادن الذي هاجر من حضرموت للسعودية وحتى الوصول لأبناءه وأحفاده.. وذكر للعائلة المالكة في السعودية توازيًا مع بن لادن.
خليفة محمد بن لادن ابنه سالم ذا الشخصية المثيرة للاهتمام جدًا، ومن بعده أخاه بكر.
وطبعًا حديث مطوّل عن أسامة بن لادن والأسباب التي جعلت منه ينخرط في الجهاد في أفغانستان.
تاريخ المنطقة من عهد عبدالعزيز إلى عبدالله، وتعاملهم مع الأزمات الي مرّت بها المملكة.
كتاب يستحق القراءة طبعًا.
خليفة محمد بن لادن ابنه سالم ذا الشخصية المثيرة للاهتمام جدًا، ومن بعده أخاه بكر.
وطبعًا حديث مطوّل عن أسامة بن لادن والأسباب التي جعلت منه ينخرط في الجهاد في أفغانستان.
تاريخ المنطقة من عهد عبدالعزيز إلى عبدالله، وتعاملهم مع الأزمات الي مرّت بها المملكة.
كتاب يستحق القراءة طبعًا.
March 1, 2017
واحد من أجمل الكتب التي قرأتها في خلال هذا العام , كتاب يتحدث حول صعود عائلة بن لادن من مؤسسها وهو يفر من اليمن لأجل تسديد ثمن ثور إلى واحد من أكبر الأثرياء في العالم , كتاب رائع يتحدث حول المال والسلطة والأسلحة والإرهاب والعائلة الحاكمة في السعودية
الجميل في هذا الكتاب أنه يفتح الباب أمام قراءات واسعة متعددة عن الإرهاب وسياسات الدول الحاكمة في منطقة الخليج , يفتح الباب واسعاً لكي تقرأ عن الفساد والتنظيمات الإرهابية .
حينما قرات تذكرت حبيبي عبدالرحمن منيف في ملحمته العظيمة مدن الملح التي قراتها قبل خمس سنوات , في تلك الأثناء كنت طالبة في سنتي الثانية بالجامعة وكنت أتسائل عن مدى ترابط الشخصيات الموجودة بالرواية بالواقع , الآن وبعد أن بدأت أقرأ أخذت ذاكرتي تُسقط المعلومات على الرواية وأدركت حقيقة مفادها أنه اذا ماكان عبدالرحمن منيف يتعامل في الرواية من باب التشفير للأسماء والأماكن فإن هذا الكتاب يذكرها صراحة , وأي أحد قرأ مدن الملح سيستحضر طيفها حقيقياً أثناء الكتاب .
من ضمن الأفكار التي راودتني أثناء القراءة أن الإرهاب دائرة , شيءٌ يشبه الكرة المرتدة مهما ابتعدت إلا أنها لا بد أن تعود إليك , وكيف أن الزمن يعيد نفسه من أيام الجهاد في أفغانستان بثمانينات القرن الماضي وحتى هذه اللحظة , فلماذا لا نتعظ ؟
وفكرت أيضاَ كم كان منيف محقاً في وصفه لهذه المدن : بإنها مدن الملح .
كتاب رائع : سلس ومشوق وجميل والمعلومات الموجودة فيه مهمة و.
عشرة على عشرة .
الجميل في هذا الكتاب أنه يفتح الباب أمام قراءات واسعة متعددة عن الإرهاب وسياسات الدول الحاكمة في منطقة الخليج , يفتح الباب واسعاً لكي تقرأ عن الفساد والتنظيمات الإرهابية .
حينما قرات تذكرت حبيبي عبدالرحمن منيف في ملحمته العظيمة مدن الملح التي قراتها قبل خمس سنوات , في تلك الأثناء كنت طالبة في سنتي الثانية بالجامعة وكنت أتسائل عن مدى ترابط الشخصيات الموجودة بالرواية بالواقع , الآن وبعد أن بدأت أقرأ أخذت ذاكرتي تُسقط المعلومات على الرواية وأدركت حقيقة مفادها أنه اذا ماكان عبدالرحمن منيف يتعامل في الرواية من باب التشفير للأسماء والأماكن فإن هذا الكتاب يذكرها صراحة , وأي أحد قرأ مدن الملح سيستحضر طيفها حقيقياً أثناء الكتاب .
من ضمن الأفكار التي راودتني أثناء القراءة أن الإرهاب دائرة , شيءٌ يشبه الكرة المرتدة مهما ابتعدت إلا أنها لا بد أن تعود إليك , وكيف أن الزمن يعيد نفسه من أيام الجهاد في أفغانستان بثمانينات القرن الماضي وحتى هذه اللحظة , فلماذا لا نتعظ ؟
وفكرت أيضاَ كم كان منيف محقاً في وصفه لهذه المدن : بإنها مدن الملح .
كتاب رائع : سلس ومشوق وجميل والمعلومات الموجودة فيه مهمة و.
عشرة على عشرة .
May 8, 2015
كتاب عبارة عن تحقيق صحفي ضخم عن عائلة بن لادن وليس عن أسامه بن لادن شخصياً ،، الأصول والثروة والعلاقات والمصاعب والسياسة وأخيراً ارتباطها بشخصية أصبحت مطاردة ومتهمة بالإرهاب ،، الكتاب جيد من ناحية السرد التاريخي للعائلة لكن تمنيت لو كتب بقلم عربي يدرك ثقافة المجتمع والبلاد بشكل أعمق
August 10, 2009
When one thinks of Bin Laden, of course, one thinks of Osama, Al Qaeda, and 9-11. However, this book looks at a fascinating family history, with Osama Bin Laden as only one small part of the larger familial tapestry. A genealogy at the front of the book helps to identify the family's background, from Ali (circa 1820) to Aboud, to Awadh (born around 1875) to Mohamed (born around 1905) and Abdullah, brothers who came to bring the family wealth and recognition. Finally, the 54 children of Mohamed Bin Laden, born in the time frame from the mid-1940s through 1967.
Mohamed and his brother grew up in Yemen, in poor circumstances. They suffered bad luck. Finally, they moved to Saudi Arabia and began to become more successful. Mohamed, especially, was the brother with more drive, and the story of the family takes off with the depiction of his worming his way into the royal family's graces by his hard work and willingness to do as he was bid. A "rags to riches" story. . . . The family Saud is, obviously, the central power in a country bearing the family's name (how often does that happen!?).
And that family's history is intertwined with Mohamed's family. This part of the story begins with Abdulaziz Ibn Saud. After working his way upward, Mohamed had the good fortune of beginning to do projects for the royal family. What he did not know about construction, he learned or he hired people who did know what to do. Over time, he became the "go to" person for construction (whether for palaces, or roads, or. . . .) in Saudi Arabia. The quality of his work was sometimes open to question, but his willingness to do whatever the royal family wanted served him well. But enough of a simple chronology.
The book looks at the evolving views of the royal family and the development of Bin Laden's "empire." The story is also filled with tragedy--both Mohamed and perhaps his most promising son, Salem, were killed in air crashes. Osama moved on to a very different life, which is discussed pretty well here. From American support for his work against the Soviet Union to enemy of the United States. . . . An interesting tale here.
Anyway, for readers interested in the Bin Laden family, this represents a very solid piece of work. Research seems done well. Many readers will doubtless come away from this book with a different view of our Saudi "friends."
Mohamed and his brother grew up in Yemen, in poor circumstances. They suffered bad luck. Finally, they moved to Saudi Arabia and began to become more successful. Mohamed, especially, was the brother with more drive, and the story of the family takes off with the depiction of his worming his way into the royal family's graces by his hard work and willingness to do as he was bid. A "rags to riches" story. . . . The family Saud is, obviously, the central power in a country bearing the family's name (how often does that happen!?).
And that family's history is intertwined with Mohamed's family. This part of the story begins with Abdulaziz Ibn Saud. After working his way upward, Mohamed had the good fortune of beginning to do projects for the royal family. What he did not know about construction, he learned or he hired people who did know what to do. Over time, he became the "go to" person for construction (whether for palaces, or roads, or. . . .) in Saudi Arabia. The quality of his work was sometimes open to question, but his willingness to do whatever the royal family wanted served him well. But enough of a simple chronology.
The book looks at the evolving views of the royal family and the development of Bin Laden's "empire." The story is also filled with tragedy--both Mohamed and perhaps his most promising son, Salem, were killed in air crashes. Osama moved on to a very different life, which is discussed pretty well here. From American support for his work against the Soviet Union to enemy of the United States. . . . An interesting tale here.
Anyway, for readers interested in the Bin Laden family, this represents a very solid piece of work. Research seems done well. Many readers will doubtless come away from this book with a different view of our Saudi "friends."
April 4, 2020
تاريخ ال سعود لا أكثر ولا اقل
Read
August 19, 2018https://files.fm/f/f7s5g3bt
لینک دانلود
لینک دانلود
October 15, 2017
A very thorough and enlightening book about the Bin Laden family, The Bin Ladens goes all the way back to the patriarch, Awadh (born, ca 1875) who fled Yemen to avoid a debt from a dead ox. His oldest son who had no education, but was a hard worker, started building small projects for the Saudi royal family which became a multi-million dollar business. Mohammed was born around 1905 and married many wives and sired 54 children.
He married Osama's mother when she was 14 and soon released her. This discarding of his mother had a debilitating effect on Osama. He grew up in another family and his mother later remarried and all his siblings came from the second father. Mohammed only educated some of his sons, his eldest Salem got the finest education money could buy at Cambridge. Osama went to the local madras and went to university in Saudi Arabia, but never finished.
Tragically, Salem was killed in 1988 when flying a small plane which ran into electrical wires, he was 43. The author believes that if Osama had kept his elder brother, who was a natural leader and very charming and pro-West, as an influence and a control he would never have become a mass-murderer. Coll thinks that Osama's main motivation was envy of his older brother's power and authority and harbored behind his "passive veneer" the thought, "If only I were in charge."
He married Osama's mother when she was 14 and soon released her. This discarding of his mother had a debilitating effect on Osama. He grew up in another family and his mother later remarried and all his siblings came from the second father. Mohammed only educated some of his sons, his eldest Salem got the finest education money could buy at Cambridge. Osama went to the local madras and went to university in Saudi Arabia, but never finished.
Tragically, Salem was killed in 1988 when flying a small plane which ran into electrical wires, he was 43. The author believes that if Osama had kept his elder brother, who was a natural leader and very charming and pro-West, as an influence and a control he would never have become a mass-murderer. Coll thinks that Osama's main motivation was envy of his older brother's power and authority and harbored behind his "passive veneer" the thought, "If only I were in charge."
February 24, 2017
ممتع للغاية.
الكتاب يبدأ بسيرة عوض بن عبود بن لادن في قريته الصغيرة في حضرموت، وبعد ذلك عن ولديه محمد وعبدالله بن لادن وعصاميتهما في إنشاء شركة بن لادن، ثم يتدرج في سيرة "المعلم" محمد بن لادن وانفصال أخيه عبدالله عنه وعودته إلى حضرموت، وبعد ذلك يسرد الكتاب عن سيرة أبناء محمد بن لادن ابتداء من الأكبر سالم ومرورًا ببكر ونهاية بأسامة بن لادن.
الكتاب يستعرض أيضًا تاريخ السعودية وملوكها منذ عهد الملك عبدالعزيز وتعاونه مع محمد بن لادن، وأهم الأحداث التي صارت خلال هذه العقود. كل الأحداث والأقوال موثقة بمجهود كبير من المؤلف في ٨٠٠ صفحة تقريبًا.
الكتاب يبدأ بسيرة عوض بن عبود بن لادن في قريته الصغيرة في حضرموت، وبعد ذلك عن ولديه محمد وعبدالله بن لادن وعصاميتهما في إنشاء شركة بن لادن، ثم يتدرج في سيرة "المعلم" محمد بن لادن وانفصال أخيه عبدالله عنه وعودته إلى حضرموت، وبعد ذلك يسرد الكتاب عن سيرة أبناء محمد بن لادن ابتداء من الأكبر سالم ومرورًا ببكر ونهاية بأسامة بن لادن.
الكتاب يستعرض أيضًا تاريخ السعودية وملوكها منذ عهد الملك عبدالعزيز وتعاونه مع محمد بن لادن، وأهم الأحداث التي صارت خلال هذه العقود. كل الأحداث والأقوال موثقة بمجهود كبير من المؤلف في ٨٠٠ صفحة تقريبًا.
May 1, 2008
Well-written and a (relatively) quick read, this book answered many, but not all, of my questions about Osama and the Bin Laden family. I also appreciated the info on the history of Saudi Arabia, its ruling family and the Wahhabi sect.
July 25, 2008
Excellent book on the family of Osama Bin Laden. Gives a good background on Sudia Arabia and the middle east in general. If you interested in world events, this book is an excellent source of information.
January 1, 2017
An fascinating backstory to 9/11. Very engrossing journey of Bin Laden's treacherous and misguided destiny
February 28, 2021
If you follow my reviews, you know my interest in reading history through the people who lived it. This book is a fascinating history of modern Arabia told through the lens of the Bin Laden family, the builders of modern Saudi Arabia. The Bin Laden’s fortunes can be entirely credited to the patronage and support of the Al-Saud family and its petrodollars. The Bin Laden family is responsible for constructing many of the most important Saudi building initiatives - from large infrastructure and defense projects, to a gut reno of the Grand Mosque, to countless other religiously significant places, and, let us not forget, palaces for countless Saudi royals. All of which made the family fabulously wealthy. The family’s size is also remarkable - Mohammed Bin Laden had over 52 children (not all may be accounted for in this number). Within the backdrop of such a large family, it is easy to understand the range of social & religious conservatism within Mohammed’s offspring. While some enjoyed the trappings of a Western lifestyle, others chose a more conservative approach. And I know I’ve buried the lead, but it only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. At several points, it’s impossible not to pause and think: well, what if? What if Osama had been more indoctrinated to the West like many of his other brothers? What if Osama’s eldest brother Salem, who exerted outsized influence over his younger siblings, hadn’t died? Obviously these are all exercises in futility. But certainly after Sept 11th, the whole trajectory of the 21st Century had been altered. And while the Bin Laden companies remain among Saudi’s most successful companies, the family’s ability to live discreetly and in relative anonymity imploded on an otherwise beautiful Tuesday in September of 2001. Highly recommend. Pairs well with The Looming Tower.
September 16, 2024
I recently discovered Steve Coll, and have been grabbing everything I could find authored by him. I have been reading this along side of Ghost Wars. I put the latter book down for a bit and finished this one first.
A serious page turner. There was not a single page in this book that I was even tempted to skip. Highly informative, and leaves the reader wanting more.
I'd say that it doesn't get any better than this, but Ghost Wars might even be better.
A serious page turner. There was not a single page in this book that I was even tempted to skip. Highly informative, and leaves the reader wanting more.
I'd say that it doesn't get any better than this, but Ghost Wars might even be better.
April 26, 2012
Interesting enough, just got slow, tedious ,and boring after a while. The topic was a little too broad. Still, I really enjoyed Coll's sweeping and comprehensive history of Saudi Arabia. It's a great book; it just wasn't my style.
For a book so meticulously researched and well written, there was also one jarring mistake: "In May 2003, Al Qaeda cells inside Saudi Arabia launched a series of mostly ineffectual attacks against the Interior Ministry, American compounds in the oil zones, and against the US consulate in Jeddah." (p 561) This one sentence contains numerous errors, at several different levels. On May 12, 2003, three residential compounds in Riyadh were attacked by suicide bombers. The compounds were neither in the "oil zones," nor were they American, though seven Americans died in the attacks, as did around 43 others. In the subsequent three years there were numerous other attacks, against Western and Saudi targets, including a police headquarters in Riyadh, the US consulate in Jeddah, oil installations in Yanbu, the Oasis compound in Dhahran, French picnickers returning from Madan Saleh, and numerous others. By conducting these attacks, "Al Qaeda" sent a strong, though unintended message, particularly to those Saudis who felt, concerning the attacks of 9-11, that "But you know, at the end of the day, the Americans deserved it." (p 525) The message: It can also happen here. Although the 50 who died on May 12, 2003, and the hundreds who died in subsequent attacks, cannot protest the injudicious use of the word "ineffectual," a rebuke may best come from the ironic ending to Remarque's classic book on World War I: "... he died on a day so quiet and still along the entire front that the high command confined its report to a single sentence: `All Quiet on the Western Front.'"
For a book so meticulously researched and well written, there was also one jarring mistake: "In May 2003, Al Qaeda cells inside Saudi Arabia launched a series of mostly ineffectual attacks against the Interior Ministry, American compounds in the oil zones, and against the US consulate in Jeddah." (p 561) This one sentence contains numerous errors, at several different levels. On May 12, 2003, three residential compounds in Riyadh were attacked by suicide bombers. The compounds were neither in the "oil zones," nor were they American, though seven Americans died in the attacks, as did around 43 others. In the subsequent three years there were numerous other attacks, against Western and Saudi targets, including a police headquarters in Riyadh, the US consulate in Jeddah, oil installations in Yanbu, the Oasis compound in Dhahran, French picnickers returning from Madan Saleh, and numerous others. By conducting these attacks, "Al Qaeda" sent a strong, though unintended message, particularly to those Saudis who felt, concerning the attacks of 9-11, that "But you know, at the end of the day, the Americans deserved it." (p 525) The message: It can also happen here. Although the 50 who died on May 12, 2003, and the hundreds who died in subsequent attacks, cannot protest the injudicious use of the word "ineffectual," a rebuke may best come from the ironic ending to Remarque's classic book on World War I: "... he died on a day so quiet and still along the entire front that the high command confined its report to a single sentence: `All Quiet on the Western Front.'"
February 17, 2009
I read the book as sort of "Where's Waldo?" exercise. My bet is that Osama Bin Laden is hanging out in Peshwar province, although Somalia, Yemen, or Saudi Arabia are all good bets.
I gave a low rating to the book because the analysis was so shallow. Yes, the bin Ladens are rich and like fast planes and cars. I get it. The men have multiple wives, so they tend to have huge families. Many have contributed to jihad in the 1980's when the Soviet Union fought the Taleban in Afghanistan. Does anyone believe that oil money is not going to similar goals today? Follow the money!
The author seemed too gullible, too unlikely to challenge those in power, whether in Saudi Arabia or the Bush administration. If his analysis was more penetrating, it would cut off the interviews. The end result is that the book felt like an echo chamber of the bin Laden and al Saud PR departments. As hard as it was to get through, it is probably still worth the effort, as long as you are prepared to put up with its limitations. I would have liked the book more if he had addresses the key questions like:
"Why is Osama still at large?"
"What are his current sources of finance and other forms of support?"
"What are the ties between western oil companies and OPEC?"
I gave a low rating to the book because the analysis was so shallow. Yes, the bin Ladens are rich and like fast planes and cars. I get it. The men have multiple wives, so they tend to have huge families. Many have contributed to jihad in the 1980's when the Soviet Union fought the Taleban in Afghanistan. Does anyone believe that oil money is not going to similar goals today? Follow the money!
The author seemed too gullible, too unlikely to challenge those in power, whether in Saudi Arabia or the Bush administration. If his analysis was more penetrating, it would cut off the interviews. The end result is that the book felt like an echo chamber of the bin Laden and al Saud PR departments. As hard as it was to get through, it is probably still worth the effort, as long as you are prepared to put up with its limitations. I would have liked the book more if he had addresses the key questions like:
"Why is Osama still at large?"
"What are his current sources of finance and other forms of support?"
"What are the ties between western oil companies and OPEC?"
Read
February 5, 2009Most reviewers were extremely impressed by The Bin Ladens and found it much more than a supplement to the array of existing Osama biographies. They praised Coll's choice of the family as framing device, which allows him to explore a century's worth of geopolitical intrigue, economic forces, and cultural change in the Middle East while also constructing an engaging personal story that helps explain recent events. A few reviewers named The Bin Ladens as one of the most important books for helping readers understand 9/11, and nearly all reviewers endorsed it as required reading. While some critics acknowledged that Coll's work does not bring many new facts to light and relies, in part, on previous works (such as Peter Bergen's two books on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda), most thought that the intergenerational structure of the narrative added a perspective lacking in previous books
This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.
July 24, 2021
حقده على أسامة بن لادن أخرجه عن إتزانه وموضوعيته فحاول بشتى الطرق إسقاطه حتى أنه نسب له أبيات شعر وحللها وتهكم فيه عليه وهي ليست له أصلا مستندا في ذلك على منتدى في الإنترنت!.
لكن بالجملة الكتاب عمل جبار وتقصي دقيق لشخصيات عائلة بن لادن .
أنصح بقرائته
لكن بالجملة الكتاب عمل جبار وتقصي دقيق لشخصيات عائلة بن لادن .
أنصح بقرائته
April 19, 2020
كتاب شامل عن العائلة وليس شخص أسامة. يعيبه صفحات عدة للحديث عن قضايا الطلاق لأسماء غير معروفة من العائلة.
April 11, 2021
كتاب رائع و قيم جدا مكتوب باتقان معلومات غنية مع ذكر المصادر و المراجع.. انصح به للمهتمين بتاريخ المملكة و سيرة اسرة بن لادن
May 31, 2021
Wealthy Black Sheep
Rich scions do more, even as they bicker. The Roosevelts helped their son through a breezy ascent in New York politics to become president, the Koch brothers adopted a neo-conservative economic ideology that helped create the Tea Party movement, and the Kennedys created a political dynasty. So it should be no surprise that the emblem of extremist Saudi ideology came from a wealthy scion, bickering with the rest of his family.
The Bin Ladens, like the al-Sauds themselves, come from an extremely large family of half-brothers and sisters, creating what I can only imagine would be some awkward family reunions. The patriarch, Mohammed Bin Laden, had around 22 wives. He discerned that multiple marriages could serve as not only an outlet for a wealthy man's lust, but also a means to build up political and economic alliances... To win support from local sheikhs he would marry the daughter of a local tribal leader, provided her with money and an impressive house... then a year or so later when the work was completed left her with a generous financial settlement and perhaps a child as well. Just like the modern day silicon valley elite, a fascination with flying and parties served as the main attractants of an American lifestyle. When a prominent family member survived an incident while training for her pilot's licence, one Bin Laden threw an epic party in Florida: "Call up everybody you know, he said, call up everybody in a 50 mile radius!"
Just like Teddy Roosevelt found himself investing in cattle in the American West, Osama Bin Laden ended up refining his ideology in the western expanse of Sudan, and both lost their fortunes doing it. Through his personal experience in Afghanistan, Bin Laden felt he knew what it took to defeat empires: bring them into a ground war in Afghanistan, and bleed them dry. After all, it worked for the soviets, why wouldn't it work for America? What made Osama Bin Laden unique compared to other wealthy conservative families, was that he and his family already had one foot firmly planted in the currents of globalization. Bin-Laden would make three key contributions: emphasis on diversity and inclusion, confidence about money and administration, and his attraction to technologies of global integration. In this short book, Cole does well explaining the currents that extend far beyond the mountains of Afghanistan on the sands of Saudi Arabia that brought the struggles of one Arab family to alter the fate of the world.
51st book of 2021
Rich scions do more, even as they bicker. The Roosevelts helped their son through a breezy ascent in New York politics to become president, the Koch brothers adopted a neo-conservative economic ideology that helped create the Tea Party movement, and the Kennedys created a political dynasty. So it should be no surprise that the emblem of extremist Saudi ideology came from a wealthy scion, bickering with the rest of his family.
The Bin Ladens, like the al-Sauds themselves, come from an extremely large family of half-brothers and sisters, creating what I can only imagine would be some awkward family reunions. The patriarch, Mohammed Bin Laden, had around 22 wives. He discerned that multiple marriages could serve as not only an outlet for a wealthy man's lust, but also a means to build up political and economic alliances... To win support from local sheikhs he would marry the daughter of a local tribal leader, provided her with money and an impressive house... then a year or so later when the work was completed left her with a generous financial settlement and perhaps a child as well. Just like the modern day silicon valley elite, a fascination with flying and parties served as the main attractants of an American lifestyle. When a prominent family member survived an incident while training for her pilot's licence, one Bin Laden threw an epic party in Florida: "Call up everybody you know, he said, call up everybody in a 50 mile radius!"
Just like Teddy Roosevelt found himself investing in cattle in the American West, Osama Bin Laden ended up refining his ideology in the western expanse of Sudan, and both lost their fortunes doing it. Through his personal experience in Afghanistan, Bin Laden felt he knew what it took to defeat empires: bring them into a ground war in Afghanistan, and bleed them dry. After all, it worked for the soviets, why wouldn't it work for America? What made Osama Bin Laden unique compared to other wealthy conservative families, was that he and his family already had one foot firmly planted in the currents of globalization. Bin-Laden would make three key contributions: emphasis on diversity and inclusion, confidence about money and administration, and his attraction to technologies of global integration. In this short book, Cole does well explaining the currents that extend far beyond the mountains of Afghanistan on the sands of Saudi Arabia that brought the struggles of one Arab family to alter the fate of the world.
51st book of 2021
May 29, 2011
Ironically this book was sitting atop my "to read" pile when news broke of Osama's death.
In the words of an FBI agent who was wrapping up investigations in 2003, there are "millions of Bin Ladens running around, and 99.999% of them are of the non-evil variety."
Their story begins in remote part of Yemen around the turn of the 20th century when Awadh Bin Laden had a borrowed ox accidentally die on his watch. Unable to repay the debt, he fled to a new village and produced two sons of note- Mohamed and Abdullah. The two brothers left, probably in their early teens, to look for work outside the province and wound up in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There, after working odd construction jobs, Mohamed founded his own building company. By the 1960s, when he was accidentally killed in one of his private jets, he was worth hundreds of millions as the preferred contractor of the Saudi royal family. His fortune was divided up among his 54 children in accordance with Islamic law.
Also by law, Mohamed's elder son Salem took over the family construction business and all other patriarchal duties for the siblings like managing inheritance payments and arranging marriages. He proved an able businessman, if something of a goofball. By maintaining his father's ties to the Saudi royal family, despite their own internal power struggles, Salem landed a number of contracts that expanded his father's business beyond its already massive presence. In the 60s and 70s, the Bin Ladens built major highways, international airports, a national phone network, and did major renovations to modernize holy sites in Mecca and Medina. Like most large families, the Bin Ladens were diverse... some sought a Western education and became engineers or executives in the Bin Laden companies; some lived off their inheritance without every working a day in their lives. Some full on moved to the West, others stayed behind as devout Muslims. No doubt many Western ideals were transported back to Saudi Arabia by the family, including the "Disneyfication" of holy sites like the newly air-conditioned Prophet's Mosque in Medina (surrounded by new condos and parking lots), or the new construction of a public restroom atop what was believed to be the Prophet's house in Mecca. In the late 80s, Salem died in a plane accident. His brother Bakr took over the patriarchal role, and though less of a jokester, expanded the business even further so that the family was and continues to be unimaginably rich.
Osama was born sometime in the early 1950s, placing him somewhere in the middle, age-wise, of his 53 siblings. Due to his age and lower social status of his mother, he was unremarkable for most of his early years. Always devout, he chose to remain in Jeddah for his education, and in high school was introduced to a fundamentalist take on Islam by his biology teacher who had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Still, Osama took business and engineering classes at the local university and went to work in the family companies. According to Coll's research, Osama didn't appear to be particularly good at managing work sites. He also occasionally annoyed his older half siblings with his growing religiousness.
Meanwhile, it was the mid 80s and the Soviets had invaded Afghanistan. The war took on a "spring break" mentality for young radicalized Saudis... it was fashionable to spend a week or two of vacation touring the jihad battlefield, helping Afghan refugees, and maybe firing a few shots.. the way Christian youth groups might send kids on a week-long Habitat for Humanity trip. Because he was rich and believed the Soviets were infidels, Osama took on a larger role in Peshawar, Pakistan by setting up camps for Saudi visitors and purchasing relief supplies and weapons. Osama and those who came to his camps clearly believed they were engaged in righteous holy war, but a CIA operative who surveyed Afghan commanders at the time found that the Afghans viewed the Arab recruits as a tiny, disposable faction.
Osama was beginning to find his (pro-Jihad, anti-Semitic) voice among the Arab recruits, though by shrewdly advertising the humanitarian cause of Afghan refugees, he continued to operate with backing from the Saudi royal family and charitable donations from rich families (including his own). Then the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in the late 80s, leaving Osama with recruits and training camps - the beginning of the organization Al Qaeda - but no war. He turned his attention to Yemeni rebels along the southern border of Saudi Arabia, but the royals weren't interested in supporting him. Worse, in 1990, Saudi Arabia brought in American forces to protect the Iraqi border from invasion by Saddam Hussein... Osama lobbied hard that the protection of the country containing Islam's holiest cities was the highest and most honorable form of jihad. For the royals to ignore him, and give the job to Westerners, was profoundly insulting.
Osama fled to Sudan, where he increased his following by publishing essays, poems, and speeches condemning the West and Jews. The Bin Ladens, who relied on the Saudi royals and many Western partners for their ever-growing business, tried one by one to get him to return or face true exile. He held firm and lost his Saudi citizenship. In 1993, though he didn't appear to be directly related to its funding or execution, the WTC bomber cited Osama's teachings as his influence. The Bin Ladens couldn't bear having Osama's inheritance and company dividends paying for terrorism, so he was supposedly cut off at this time.
With dwindling funds, and facing a Sudanese government that wanted legitimacy from the West, Osama bitterly returned to Pakistan. There he continued publishing his views, which brought in more money and recruits to Al Qaeda. Soon he formed a friendly relationship with Taliban leaders in Afghanistan. Presumably fueled by his newfound support, and his rage over his brother's continued incorporation of Western technology and ideals into Saudi construction, Osama delved further and further into outright terrorism. Of course we know the rest. Coll speculates that in the days following 9/11, he became a news junkie, issuing statements in direct response to mass media and Internet broadcasts. Who knows what he was up to in the months before he died.
The rest of the Bin Ladens appeared stunned by their half brother. While he was in exile, a majority of the 54 siblings had expanded their wealth, through continued construction projects, investments in technology, utilities, real estate, retail, aviation, and just about anything else one might invest in, all secured in offshore accounts. This, combined with cooled relations between the US and the Saudi royals, and departmental divisions within the CIA and FBI, slowed the post-9/11 investigations. Finding Osama's money trail proved an enormous challenge, letting alone finding the man himself.
The relationship between Americans and the Bin Laden family remains murky. We have certainly heard the last from Osama, but we are probably only beginning to hear from the Bin Ladens.
In the words of an FBI agent who was wrapping up investigations in 2003, there are "millions of Bin Ladens running around, and 99.999% of them are of the non-evil variety."
Their story begins in remote part of Yemen around the turn of the 20th century when Awadh Bin Laden had a borrowed ox accidentally die on his watch. Unable to repay the debt, he fled to a new village and produced two sons of note- Mohamed and Abdullah. The two brothers left, probably in their early teens, to look for work outside the province and wound up in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There, after working odd construction jobs, Mohamed founded his own building company. By the 1960s, when he was accidentally killed in one of his private jets, he was worth hundreds of millions as the preferred contractor of the Saudi royal family. His fortune was divided up among his 54 children in accordance with Islamic law.
Also by law, Mohamed's elder son Salem took over the family construction business and all other patriarchal duties for the siblings like managing inheritance payments and arranging marriages. He proved an able businessman, if something of a goofball. By maintaining his father's ties to the Saudi royal family, despite their own internal power struggles, Salem landed a number of contracts that expanded his father's business beyond its already massive presence. In the 60s and 70s, the Bin Ladens built major highways, international airports, a national phone network, and did major renovations to modernize holy sites in Mecca and Medina. Like most large families, the Bin Ladens were diverse... some sought a Western education and became engineers or executives in the Bin Laden companies; some lived off their inheritance without every working a day in their lives. Some full on moved to the West, others stayed behind as devout Muslims. No doubt many Western ideals were transported back to Saudi Arabia by the family, including the "Disneyfication" of holy sites like the newly air-conditioned Prophet's Mosque in Medina (surrounded by new condos and parking lots), or the new construction of a public restroom atop what was believed to be the Prophet's house in Mecca. In the late 80s, Salem died in a plane accident. His brother Bakr took over the patriarchal role, and though less of a jokester, expanded the business even further so that the family was and continues to be unimaginably rich.
Osama was born sometime in the early 1950s, placing him somewhere in the middle, age-wise, of his 53 siblings. Due to his age and lower social status of his mother, he was unremarkable for most of his early years. Always devout, he chose to remain in Jeddah for his education, and in high school was introduced to a fundamentalist take on Islam by his biology teacher who had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Still, Osama took business and engineering classes at the local university and went to work in the family companies. According to Coll's research, Osama didn't appear to be particularly good at managing work sites. He also occasionally annoyed his older half siblings with his growing religiousness.
Meanwhile, it was the mid 80s and the Soviets had invaded Afghanistan. The war took on a "spring break" mentality for young radicalized Saudis... it was fashionable to spend a week or two of vacation touring the jihad battlefield, helping Afghan refugees, and maybe firing a few shots.. the way Christian youth groups might send kids on a week-long Habitat for Humanity trip. Because he was rich and believed the Soviets were infidels, Osama took on a larger role in Peshawar, Pakistan by setting up camps for Saudi visitors and purchasing relief supplies and weapons. Osama and those who came to his camps clearly believed they were engaged in righteous holy war, but a CIA operative who surveyed Afghan commanders at the time found that the Afghans viewed the Arab recruits as a tiny, disposable faction.
Osama was beginning to find his (pro-Jihad, anti-Semitic) voice among the Arab recruits, though by shrewdly advertising the humanitarian cause of Afghan refugees, he continued to operate with backing from the Saudi royal family and charitable donations from rich families (including his own). Then the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in the late 80s, leaving Osama with recruits and training camps - the beginning of the organization Al Qaeda - but no war. He turned his attention to Yemeni rebels along the southern border of Saudi Arabia, but the royals weren't interested in supporting him. Worse, in 1990, Saudi Arabia brought in American forces to protect the Iraqi border from invasion by Saddam Hussein... Osama lobbied hard that the protection of the country containing Islam's holiest cities was the highest and most honorable form of jihad. For the royals to ignore him, and give the job to Westerners, was profoundly insulting.
Osama fled to Sudan, where he increased his following by publishing essays, poems, and speeches condemning the West and Jews. The Bin Ladens, who relied on the Saudi royals and many Western partners for their ever-growing business, tried one by one to get him to return or face true exile. He held firm and lost his Saudi citizenship. In 1993, though he didn't appear to be directly related to its funding or execution, the WTC bomber cited Osama's teachings as his influence. The Bin Ladens couldn't bear having Osama's inheritance and company dividends paying for terrorism, so he was supposedly cut off at this time.
With dwindling funds, and facing a Sudanese government that wanted legitimacy from the West, Osama bitterly returned to Pakistan. There he continued publishing his views, which brought in more money and recruits to Al Qaeda. Soon he formed a friendly relationship with Taliban leaders in Afghanistan. Presumably fueled by his newfound support, and his rage over his brother's continued incorporation of Western technology and ideals into Saudi construction, Osama delved further and further into outright terrorism. Of course we know the rest. Coll speculates that in the days following 9/11, he became a news junkie, issuing statements in direct response to mass media and Internet broadcasts. Who knows what he was up to in the months before he died.
The rest of the Bin Ladens appeared stunned by their half brother. While he was in exile, a majority of the 54 siblings had expanded their wealth, through continued construction projects, investments in technology, utilities, real estate, retail, aviation, and just about anything else one might invest in, all secured in offshore accounts. This, combined with cooled relations between the US and the Saudi royals, and departmental divisions within the CIA and FBI, slowed the post-9/11 investigations. Finding Osama's money trail proved an enormous challenge, letting alone finding the man himself.
The relationship between Americans and the Bin Laden family remains murky. We have certainly heard the last from Osama, but we are probably only beginning to hear from the Bin Ladens.
May 29, 2024
Well, when I said after reviewing The Achilles Trap that’s I’d read all of Steve Coll’s books, it turns out I hadn’t.
No I have.
This is a surprisingly fascinating book—as the title and subtitle suggest—about the bin Laden familial dynasty. Not OSAMA bin Laden’s dynasty or life, but the life of the FAMILY, starting in the mid 1800s, which lived and thrived in various parts of the world originating in the Arabian peninsula.
The book is fascinating because—rather than read only about Osama or a book about the clash of civilizations as a socio-political IDEA—all of the struggles between modernity and tradition, between the comforts and safety of secular societies v. the romantic pull of ascetic desert life and about how one adapts (or doesn’t) their religious views with changes that begin to make those views seem antiquated are explored THROUGH THE STORIES OF PEOPLE.
Coll shows us the hand wringing decisions to send a son or daughter to college in America (where many of the bin Ladens were educated) as their parents want the best of both worlds for them, Salem bin Laden’s fascination with flying (both planes and gliders), and how the strict Wahhabi interpretation of Islamic law arose from the same Arabian sands as did the oil that changed that country’s future forever.
Great read.
Obviously, the dramatic irony regarding adult Osama’s actions looms large over the book, but in a way that makes the whole MORE interesting because, like every human event, things didn’t HAVE to play out as they did. So it’s quite interesting to read about small and large parental decisions, many often made with the best of intentions, which lead down paths that could only be foreseen in the shadow of 9/11.
No I have.
This is a surprisingly fascinating book—as the title and subtitle suggest—about the bin Laden familial dynasty. Not OSAMA bin Laden’s dynasty or life, but the life of the FAMILY, starting in the mid 1800s, which lived and thrived in various parts of the world originating in the Arabian peninsula.
The book is fascinating because—rather than read only about Osama or a book about the clash of civilizations as a socio-political IDEA—all of the struggles between modernity and tradition, between the comforts and safety of secular societies v. the romantic pull of ascetic desert life and about how one adapts (or doesn’t) their religious views with changes that begin to make those views seem antiquated are explored THROUGH THE STORIES OF PEOPLE.
Coll shows us the hand wringing decisions to send a son or daughter to college in America (where many of the bin Ladens were educated) as their parents want the best of both worlds for them, Salem bin Laden’s fascination with flying (both planes and gliders), and how the strict Wahhabi interpretation of Islamic law arose from the same Arabian sands as did the oil that changed that country’s future forever.
Great read.
Obviously, the dramatic irony regarding adult Osama’s actions looms large over the book, but in a way that makes the whole MORE interesting because, like every human event, things didn’t HAVE to play out as they did. So it’s quite interesting to read about small and large parental decisions, many often made with the best of intentions, which lead down paths that could only be foreseen in the shadow of 9/11.
December 12, 2017
I read Steve Coll’s earlier book Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 back in 2014 on the recommendation of my then-yet-to-be-wife (she still hasn’t read it yet). I absolutely loved the detailed writing, covering all the major geopolitical stakeholders. I glanced upon this book last year in a book store by chance and it intrigued me. I have lived a major part of my childhood in Saudi Arabia all my life, where seeing the name “Bin Laden” is not that scandalous. All of us there knew that the “Bin Ladens” are more than just Osama; a big conglomerate looking after various projects (mostly in civil works) including construction and looking after the 2 Holy Mosques.
After a brief prologue which starts somewhere in the middle (as also in Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001), the story goes around a 100 years back to Yemen, to Osama’s grandfather (father of Muhammad Bin Laden). From there, the book talks about the struggles and expansion of the 4 generations of the Bin Laden family. This is looked at in parallel to the rise of the Al-Saud royal family.
It is a story of ambition, a rags-to-riches story across generations, decades and continents. It explores the family’s close associations to the growth of the kingdom and adjusting of its alliances with the ruler of the Kingdom at the time. Of course, no such rags-to-riches story is clean in real life, the book talks about the various corruptions and not so ethical/legal points. The various adventures and misadventures of the family are explored quite a bit. It manages to give a brief glimpse of the 52 siblings of Osama. In fact, the book is so focussed on the family name “Bin Laden” that we get a chapter called “Young Osama” only on page 137, and the number of times Osama has been mentioned by name before this chapter could probably be counted on 2 hands (not that I’m complaining). It covers the family till a few years after the September 11 Attacks. Since it was published in early 2008 (Osama not been found yet), the author speculates him hiding somewhere in West Pakistan.
The amount of research done by the author and his team is clearly visible. What I definitely find astonishing is that the author painstakingly went through numerous documents, previously conducted interviews including some of his own to arrive at what this book is about.
I’d say this book would be a definite complimentary read to Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 (I just can’t recommend this book enough). This would help in understanding the overall intricacies involved in something as complicated as September 11 attacks.
The language on the other hand is easy to follow, but the author has his hook on you right from the first page to the last. The length of the book does not matter (671 pages no less) as you would not realise it, it is that compelling. Some might complain that the book focuses on tangential events and gives unnecessary details. The information could be overwhelming for some, but there is a greater possibility that one would definitely enjoy it. Another complaint people might have is that it does not focus on Osama much; while I factually agree with the statement, but I would say the blame lies with the reader in this case as the name of the book is Bin Ladens (ending with a capital ‘S’). The focus of the book is the Bin Laden brand name.
When I started reading this book in October 2017, there have been quite a few real life current events happening in Saudi Arabia which would definitely impact the future of the Kingdom, these include:
• A few years ago (from 2017), Saudi Government announced setting up securities market.
• In 2016 they expressed an interest in grounding the religious police.
• In June 2017 Mohammad bin Salman, the current king’s son, was made the crown prince; the line of succession effectively being passed on to the third generation of Al Saud family (until now, all the rulers after the first monarch King Abdul Aziz have been his sons)
• In September 2017, driving for women was announced.
• In October 2017, a plan to set up a 'listed' mega city in the kingdom near the Egyptian and Jordanian border was in the news.
• Also in October an announcement by crown prince to "go back to moderate Islam”
• In November 2017 a lot of princes of the Royal family and close associates were arrested on corruption charges, including a very senior member of the Bin Laden family. This member has been mentioned a lot of times by name and is very significant to the overall history of the family and Kingdom
• On December 11th 2017, it was announced that Saudi Arabia would have cinemas by early 2018
• This, apart from all the reckless activities of interfering in neighbouring and Arab region internal politics, would definitely shape the course of history for the country
This book is definitely not for people who want to get a quick glimpse at Osama’s life. Instead, I’d recommend it to people interested in Saudi Arabia and the Bin Laden’s hold over the country. Also would be a plus point if they’re fairly aware of the history of the Al-Saud family reign, especially for people who’ve spent a considerable time in the kingdom or are living there (though not a requirement). Highly engrossing!
After a brief prologue which starts somewhere in the middle (as also in Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001), the story goes around a 100 years back to Yemen, to Osama’s grandfather (father of Muhammad Bin Laden). From there, the book talks about the struggles and expansion of the 4 generations of the Bin Laden family. This is looked at in parallel to the rise of the Al-Saud royal family.
It is a story of ambition, a rags-to-riches story across generations, decades and continents. It explores the family’s close associations to the growth of the kingdom and adjusting of its alliances with the ruler of the Kingdom at the time. Of course, no such rags-to-riches story is clean in real life, the book talks about the various corruptions and not so ethical/legal points. The various adventures and misadventures of the family are explored quite a bit. It manages to give a brief glimpse of the 52 siblings of Osama. In fact, the book is so focussed on the family name “Bin Laden” that we get a chapter called “Young Osama” only on page 137, and the number of times Osama has been mentioned by name before this chapter could probably be counted on 2 hands (not that I’m complaining). It covers the family till a few years after the September 11 Attacks. Since it was published in early 2008 (Osama not been found yet), the author speculates him hiding somewhere in West Pakistan.
The amount of research done by the author and his team is clearly visible. What I definitely find astonishing is that the author painstakingly went through numerous documents, previously conducted interviews including some of his own to arrive at what this book is about.
I’d say this book would be a definite complimentary read to Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 (I just can’t recommend this book enough). This would help in understanding the overall intricacies involved in something as complicated as September 11 attacks.
The language on the other hand is easy to follow, but the author has his hook on you right from the first page to the last. The length of the book does not matter (671 pages no less) as you would not realise it, it is that compelling. Some might complain that the book focuses on tangential events and gives unnecessary details. The information could be overwhelming for some, but there is a greater possibility that one would definitely enjoy it. Another complaint people might have is that it does not focus on Osama much; while I factually agree with the statement, but I would say the blame lies with the reader in this case as the name of the book is Bin Ladens (ending with a capital ‘S’). The focus of the book is the Bin Laden brand name.
When I started reading this book in October 2017, there have been quite a few real life current events happening in Saudi Arabia which would definitely impact the future of the Kingdom, these include:
• A few years ago (from 2017), Saudi Government announced setting up securities market.
• In 2016 they expressed an interest in grounding the religious police.
• In June 2017 Mohammad bin Salman, the current king’s son, was made the crown prince; the line of succession effectively being passed on to the third generation of Al Saud family (until now, all the rulers after the first monarch King Abdul Aziz have been his sons)
• In September 2017, driving for women was announced.
• In October 2017, a plan to set up a 'listed' mega city in the kingdom near the Egyptian and Jordanian border was in the news.
• Also in October an announcement by crown prince to "go back to moderate Islam”
• In November 2017 a lot of princes of the Royal family and close associates were arrested on corruption charges, including a very senior member of the Bin Laden family. This member has been mentioned a lot of times by name and is very significant to the overall history of the family and Kingdom
• On December 11th 2017, it was announced that Saudi Arabia would have cinemas by early 2018
• This, apart from all the reckless activities of interfering in neighbouring and Arab region internal politics, would definitely shape the course of history for the country
This book is definitely not for people who want to get a quick glimpse at Osama’s life. Instead, I’d recommend it to people interested in Saudi Arabia and the Bin Laden’s hold over the country. Also would be a plus point if they’re fairly aware of the history of the Al-Saud family reign, especially for people who’ve spent a considerable time in the kingdom or are living there (though not a requirement). Highly engrossing!
January 30, 2021
یک شاهکار برای فهمیدن عقبه خاندان پرپیچ و خم بنلادن و فهمیدن جایگاه یاغیگرانه اسامه در این خاندان.
December 24, 2021
Three quarters a fascinating business biography about a family that managed to rise to the top through connections and moderate competence in a land of boundless grift; one quarter an only slightly less fascinating biography of Osama Bin Laden, with a particular focus on his ties to his family, which were tighter than they now admit but fully severed by the time his fame as an anti-American terrorist took off. Really interesting!
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