- Joined
- Oct 29, 2002
- Messages
- 36,369
- Location
- East of Suez
I have a distinct memory that I am now having trouble substantiating.
The general public in the west only really became aware of Osama bin Laden following the U.S. Embassy Bombings of 1998 or perhaps the U.S.S. Cole bombing of 2000, but even then, I think it's fair to say, he was just another 'middle-eastern Islamic terrorist', not yet a bogeyman or a evil celebrity of pop culture.
Nonetheless, I can clearly recall reading an article about him in one of those glossy Sunday magazines/supplements in the mid- to late-90s. I remember that it gave a sketch of his family upbringing, beliefs and activities, focusing on the fact that he had been obliged to move around, ended up in Afghanistan (which would date it to 1996 or later) and had funded a number of Islamist groups in other countries. It explained that he provided weapons and advisers to likeminded groups and (much was made of this) supported the families of those who had 'martyred' themselves in causes he supported. His name was then spelt Usama, and (this stuck) his network was named (translated as?) The Sons of Bin Laden. The thesis was very much that he was 'one to watch', and it must have made an impression on me because I asked somebody I knew who knew a bit about Palestinian terrorism whether he'd heard of them (I don't recall his response).
Nonetheless, try as I might, I can find nothing online from this period or later that makes mention of that name--it's like it never existed. And, of course, there's an awful lot about bin Laden's actual, biological sons and their various activities.
Simple question: has anybody else any recollection of hearing this name for his group?
Was it perhaps an alternative title for al-Qaeda?
Or did the journalist simply come up with the catchy name himself?
The general public in the west only really became aware of Osama bin Laden following the U.S. Embassy Bombings of 1998 or perhaps the U.S.S. Cole bombing of 2000, but even then, I think it's fair to say, he was just another 'middle-eastern Islamic terrorist', not yet a bogeyman or a evil celebrity of pop culture.
Nonetheless, I can clearly recall reading an article about him in one of those glossy Sunday magazines/supplements in the mid- to late-90s. I remember that it gave a sketch of his family upbringing, beliefs and activities, focusing on the fact that he had been obliged to move around, ended up in Afghanistan (which would date it to 1996 or later) and had funded a number of Islamist groups in other countries. It explained that he provided weapons and advisers to likeminded groups and (much was made of this) supported the families of those who had 'martyred' themselves in causes he supported. His name was then spelt Usama, and (this stuck) his network was named (translated as?) The Sons of Bin Laden. The thesis was very much that he was 'one to watch', and it must have made an impression on me because I asked somebody I knew who knew a bit about Palestinian terrorism whether he'd heard of them (I don't recall his response).
Nonetheless, try as I might, I can find nothing online from this period or later that makes mention of that name--it's like it never existed. And, of course, there's an awful lot about bin Laden's actual, biological sons and their various activities.
Simple question: has anybody else any recollection of hearing this name for his group?
Was it perhaps an alternative title for al-Qaeda?
Or did the journalist simply come up with the catchy name himself?