Osama bin Laden recently claimed responsibility for authorizing yet another terrorist attack – the 2009 Christmas Day bombing attempt on the Northwest Airlines flight en route from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Detroit, Michigan. This attack, among others including the 9/11 attacks on the U. S. World Trade Center and the Pentagon, made me wonder whether bin Laden had always harbored such a hatred for non-Muslims, specifically for Christian Americans. Surely, he was not born a terrorist, as I hold the firm belief that no one is born evil. I figured then that he must have once held some sort of regard or dignity for human life and therefore, I sought to find out about Osama’s past and the man that he once was. Hoping to find an answer, I searched for any existent biography of bin Laden and I came across the book, Growing Up bin Laden written by Najwa bin Laden, Osama bin Laden’s first wife; Omar bin Laden, his fourth son by this wife; and Jean Sasson. Although not exactly a biography of Osama bin Laden, this eloquently-written book relates the everyday lives of both Najwa and Omar while living with Osama and their memories of who he once was compared to who he is now.

The book commences with Najwa reminiscing about her childhood in Syria and her life before Osama’s conversion to radical Islam, as she begins, “I was not always the wife of Osama bin Laden. Once I was an innocent child dreaming little girl dreams. These days my thoughts often drift back in time and I remember the little girl that I was and the safe and happy childhood I enjoyed. Often I’ve heard adults speak of their childhood with regret and even anger, glad that they have escaped their younger years. Such talk is baffling to me, for if I could, I would go back in time to the first part of my life and I would remain a little girl forever” (3). Najwa then proceeds to recount stories of her childhood and the Osama that she grew up with and eventually married at the age of fifteen, as she relates, “In describing the young boy Osama that we all knew, I would say that he was proud, but not arrogant. He was delicate, but not weak. He was grave, but not severe” (8). As a child, then, bin Laden, according to his first wife, was mildly strict yet gentle, in contrast to the man that he is now. It seems that once he was just like anyone else- compassionate, devoted, and loving.

However, it was much later into the marriage that Najwa began to witness the change in Osama. Although born into wealth, following his marriage to Najwa, Osama severely rejected any form of modern technology, including air conditioning, and thereby, forced the family to cope otherwise in times of extreme heat. Moreover, despite being assertively independent during his young adulthood, over the course of their marriage, Osama continued to become increasingly more captivated by the Jihad movement and thereby, both politically and religiously dependent on the leader of this movement, Dr. Ayman Muhammad al-Zawahiri, whose foremost objective was to overthrow the Egyptian government. During this time, Najwa, like most Muslim wives of that era, played the role of the traditional, dutiful, Islamic wife, and thus never sought to interfere in Osama’s political affairs. Rather, following her marriage to Osama, Najwa’s sole role was to bear Osama children and as Osama once phrased it, “to have many more children for the greater good of Islam.” Omar too, like his mother, also began to note the subtle changes in Osama, such as his transition from the once gentle and meek father to the authoritative and esteemed al-Qaeda leader that he is now.

Even though it is taught that children must respect those older regardless of their elders’ words or actions, Omar, unlike his mother, eventually found the courage to speak out against his father. While growing up, Omar and his siblings were taught by their father that Muslims everywhere were under attack by non-Muslims and that in order to preserve Islam Muslims must rid the world of non-Muslims. However, it was with time that Omar began to see the full picture, or as he states, “For the first time I sensed that our father was addicted to an aggressive pattern of thought that would endanger us all” (127). Furthermore, Omar goes on to state that his father, compelled by his obsession with the Jihad movement and martyrdom for Islam, even went to the extent of encouraging his sons to enlist as suicide bombers and thus, die a heroic death for their faith. It can thus be seen that as a result of the radical Jihad movement, the Osama that had once placed a great emphasis on human life and dignity eventually decided to sacrifice his own sons’ lives “to spread Islam’s message.”

Despite the fact that both he and his mother have left Osama and that he has publically spoken out against his father’s actions, Omar does, however, still love his father. When asked about his father’s whereabouts and whether he would turn his father over to the law if discovered, Omar admits that he would never betray his father to do as such. Although he does not agree with his father’s actions, beliefs, and teachings, he would never disrespect his father due to the traditions and values with which he was raised. Omar concludes at one point by stating, “Although I cannot simply order my heart to stop loving my father, I do not agree with his behavior. There are times that I feel my heart swell with anger at his actions, which have harmed many people, people he did not know, as well as members of his own family. As the son of Osama bin Laden, I am truly sorry for all the terrible things that have happened, the innocent lives that have been destroyed, the grief that still lingers in many hearts…” (41).

Thus, Growing Up bin Laden is truly a heartfelt and eye-opening recollection of all that Najwa and Omar have experienced and endured during their life with Osama. As I mentioned prior, I was led to the book by my desire to unearth whether Osama had always been the terrorist that he is now. As best summarized by Omar, “My father was not always a man who hated. My father was not always a man hated by others. There was a time when many people spoke of my father with the highest accolades. History shows that he was once loved by many people. Despite our differences, I am not ashamed to admit that I loved my father with the usual passion of a young boy for his father” (41). I thus learned that Osama was not always the Islamic extremist and zealous Jihad follower that he is now; rather, he was once loved and respected by many and, in turn, loved and respected human life and dignity. Therefore, I recommend this book to all those that believe and want to continue believing that no one, not even Osama bin Laden, was born evil.

Giby George is currently a sophomore at Drexel University, majoring in biological sciences with a pre-med concentration.

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