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The Sons Of Bin Laden

Yithian

Parish Watch
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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?
 
Bin itself means son of, so it would probably be an odd name to choose in arabic.
 
No - I don't recall 'Sons of Bin Laden' being used as a formal label for the overall organization. My guess is that it served as a convenient placeholder or figurative label used to 'tag' the mysterious network / movement / organization - perhaps applied uniquely in the context of the article you remember.

The timeframe you cite is an important clue ...

As of the mid-1990's, bin Laden's network was a known entity. It wouldn't be until the very late 1990's - and especially after 9/11 - that anyone referred to this network using the phrase 'Al Qaeda' (diversely spelled).

The use of the name 'Al Qaeda' as a label for bin Laden's overall organization was something Western analysts, and eventually mass media, projected onto the nebulous collective he'd founded and led. It wasn't a label that bin Laden himself used, and he was quoted as denying or dismissing the notion it was a name he and his organization applied to themselves.

Documents seized later suggest the name 'Al Qaeda' referred to a branch (division; elite subgroup; whatever) within his network, and that this use of the name dated back to circa 1988:

https://web.archive.org/web/2016020...law.com/hdocs/docs/bif/usarnaout10603prof.pdf

The phrase "Sons of ..." was a common component of the names some militant and jihadist groups gave themselves from the 1970's onward. It also appeared as an informal phrase characterizing groups' active members as 'sons of' their nation / region / faith. In this latter case the usage was analogous to the "Sons of Liberty" label in pre-Revolutionary America.

Because bin Laden's early operations focused on organizing, sponsoring, and funding affiliate groups it wouldn't have taken much imagination to apply a 'father / sons' meme to come up with a tag for a nameless organization (as of the mid-1990's).
 
No - I don't recall 'Sons of Bin Laden' being used as a formal label for the overall organization. My guess is that it served as a convenient placeholder or figurative label used to 'tag' the mysterious network / movement / organization - perhaps applied uniquely in the context of the article you remember.

The timeframe you cite is an important clue ...

As of the mid-1990's, bin Laden's network was a known entity. It wouldn't be until the very late 1990's - and especially after 9/11 - that anyone referred to this network using the phrase 'Al Qaeda' (diversely spelled).

The use of the name 'Al Qaeda' as a label for bin Laden's overall organization was something Western analysts, and eventually mass media, projected onto the nebulous collective he'd founded and led. It wasn't a label that bin Laden himself used, and he was quoted as denying or dismissing the notion it was a name he and his organization applied to themselves.

Documents seized later suggest the name 'Al Qaeda' referred to a branch (division; elite subgroup; whatever) within his network, and that this use of the name dated back to circa 1988:

https://web.archive.org/web/2016020...law.com/hdocs/docs/bif/usarnaout10603prof.pdf

The phrase "Sons of ..." was a common component of the names some militant and jihadist groups gave themselves from the 1970's onward. It also appeared as an informal phrase characterizing groups' active members as 'sons of' their nation / region / faith. In this latter case the usage was analogous to the "Sons of Liberty" label in pre-Revolutionary America.

Because bin Laden's early operations focused on organizing, sponsoring, and funding affiliate groups it wouldn't have taken much imagination to apply a 'father / sons' meme to come up with a tag for a nameless organization (as of the mid-1990's).

Disappointing, but I fear you are correct.

Wish I could track down the article to verify.
 
Hmm, I can see why this is a kind of burr under your saddle: Very odd usage. If there is any record of an organization claiming that name then it would probably be on file with the Defense Intelligence Agency. Department of Defense. USA. Which is about as helpful as saying it's buried under the pyramids.

I have no recollection of coming across that name but again that means nothing really
 
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