Osama bin Laden was a Saudi Arabian millionaire who left his life of privilege to wage war on the United States of America. The notorious mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks of 2001 was killed in 2011 by US Navy Seals in his compound near Abbottabad, Pakistan. Bin Laden was a ruthless architect of mass murder whose actions sparked vicious wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that killed millions. 9/11 triggered a global “War on Terror” that profoundly transformed the moral and political landscape of international legal norms. Bin Laden’s ultimate legacy rests in the hardening of an ideological view of the world that pits “Islam” against “the West.”   Early Life  Bin Laden’s father: billionaire construction magnate, Muhammad bin Laden, Source: Wikimedia Commons   Born in 1957 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Osama bin Laden was the 17th of 52 children born to billionaire Yemeni-Saudi construction magnate, Muhammad bin Laden. He inherited an estimated $25-30 million upon his father’s death when he was 11.    Raised as a devout Sunni Muslim, he married his 15-year-old cousin at 17 and like many children of the global elite, briefly studied English at Oxford, England in 1971.  He is said to have found the British way of life “morally degenerate.”   While many of his siblings studied abroad, Osama remained in Saudi Arabia. He studied economics, business administration, and civil engineering at King Abdulaziz University in the city of Jeddah. Bin Laden was known for his football skills and love of poetry.    In Jeddah, he became a student of the radical Islamist scholar, Abdullah Yusef Azzam, and was deeply moved by the works of Islamist revolutionaries, such as Sayyid Qutub. Despite his secular education, Bin Laden remained committed to his religious studies.   Afghanistan Mujahideen insurgents in Afghanistan, 1979. Source: Babel   Inspired by his teacher Abdullah Azzam’s call for international Jihad against all apostate and secular regimes, Bin Laden arrived in Afghanistan in 1981 following the Soviet invasion of 1979.    Bin Laden brought money and construction expertise – he started building roads, bunkers, and encampments for Afghan fighters and refugees. For the first half of the 1980s, He was involved in refugee care on the Pakistan border and took charge of volunteers arriving from the Arab world to take part in “Jihad.”    Despite exaggerated and heavily mythologized accounts of his military contributions, in the latter half of the 1980s, Bin Laden commanded a respected military unit of “Arab Afghans” and earned respect for his bravery in combat.    In 1988, he co-founded Al-Qaeda alongside Ayman al-Zawahiri, a militant former doctor from Egypt whom he fought alongside against the Soviets. Unlike domestic-focused Islamist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda (“The Base”) was to be avowedly internationalist.   Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda co-founders: Osama bin Laden (left) and Ayman al-Zawahiri (right) pictured in 2001, Source: Wikimedia Commons   In 1989, after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, Bin Laden returned to Saudi Arabia. However, infuriated by the Saudi Royal family’s decision to allow US troops to be stationed in the kingdom, following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait (1990), Bin Laden left for Sudan.    After five years he was expelled from Sudan in 1996 under US pressure. He returned to Afghanistan. Bin Laden issued a declaration of war against the United States, and in 1998 Al-Qaeda launched its first direct attack against the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania (killing 224 people). The US responded with cruise missiles under the aegis of Operation Infinite Reach. In 2000, Al-Qaeda suicide bombers hit the USS Cole at a port in Yemen killing 17.   Al-Qaeda’s most infamous attack took place on American soil. The 9/11 attacks of 2001 resulted in close to 3,000 deaths. The response came in the form of bloody wars in Afghanistan (2001-2021) and Iraq (2003-2011) and a unilateral reshaping of international law, under the aegis of the US-led “War on Terror.”    Political Views Osama bin Laden pictured in Afghanistan around 2001, Source: The New Yorker   Osama bin Laden railed against the “immorality” of drugs, usury, gambling, and homosexuality. He saw Afghanistan under the Taliban as the only truly Islamic country in the Muslim world. He opposed the “godless” secular nationalism of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and Hosni Mubarak’s Egypt, and the apostate regimes of Iran and Saudi Arabia. All liberal democratic, communist, and socialist alternatives to a strict, literal translation of Sharia Law were flatly condemned. Yet Bin Laden was no Islamic scholar.   Newspaper cover ‘US forces kill Osama bin Laden, May 2 2011, source: Washington Post   His motivations were more political than religious, his speeches and decrees focused on the injustices inflicted by US foreign policy on Muslims in the Middle East, from Iraq to Palestine. His politics were anti-imperialist and had environmental, gendered, and class dimensions.    Bin Laden above all embodied profound contradictions. While he spoke the language of social equality, he unashamedly called for violent jihad against all perceived enemies of ‘Islam.’

The new issue of Metal Hammer is our biggest of the year and it's on sale now!

“All of the elements of my album are in this video. Mourning of the growing distance between family, homeland, mortality awareness, and the inevitability of death”

Raising a toddler is far from easy. That means that raising two toddlers at the same time is all the more challenging. But taking care of three toddlers all at once? That is a feat few people will ever truly understand. But, as is the case for any parent, finding moments of joy amidst chaos is very much needed. This is true not only for the parents, but for the kiddos, too! Luckily for Jay and Kelsey Janak, one of these joyful moments was caught on camera. In fact, this moment happened about four years ago, and they still talk about it to this day. It all started when Mom was getting the toddlers dressed when, all of a sudden, the hamster dance began to play — or The Hampsterdance Song, as it’s officially called. Enjoy this sweet moment for yourself in the video below! If you noticed that Kelsey seemed confused by the music, you’d be right. Turns out, she’s not the one who started to play this silly song. On the contrary, Jay who was behind this sudden mood shift. He did this as a joke, but it led to one of the most unforgettably sweet moments. All three toddlers start to dance away. Best of all, even Mom joins in on the impromptu dance party! No Matter How Old or Young, Nobody On Earth Can Resist the Hamster Dance “The way mom succumbed to it also and started dancing too,” someone points out in the comment section of this viral video, prompting Kelsey to reply with a laugh, “That song slaps!” “Tell me why my 1 year old just started doing this as I’m watching your video,” someone else shares, further proving the worldwide love for this silly song. “How amazing!” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Dad Turns On “Hamster Dance” Song & Triplets Respond Appropriately appeared first on InspireMore.

“Papa Jake” Larson is an old man. He makes no fuss about his age, but everyone else does. Papa Jake wrote a book called “The Luckiest Man in the World.” He believes that, and you will, too, once you learn about him. His granddaughter McKaela set up his TikTok account when he turned 98. You can learn about that inspiring story here. It does contain a minor curse word because he asked his granddaughter, “What the **** is a TikTok?” He knows now, and the story just keeps getting better! Now, he is 101 years old, and this year, he went to Disney for the first time ever! @disneyparks Holy Smokes! 101-year-old @Papa Jake celebrated his first trip to Disneyland! #Disney #DisneyParks #Disneyland #DisneySalutes ♬ original sound – Disney Parks Disneyland lavishly celebrated Papa Jake’s visit. They began by recognizing his service as a World War II veteran. He landed at Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day (June 6, 1944) and fought in five other European battles during his service. Disney called it an “honor and a privilege” to be visited by the 101-year-old veteran. Image from TikTok. Papa Jake attended a flag retreat ceremony and received new hat pins and two challenge coins. He then got the entire tour of Disneyland. They rated the visit on a “Wow” scale, and we lost count of the “wows” as each new sight was unveiled. He was then escorted to Walt Disney’s apartment, where the president of Disneyland made Jake an honorary citizen of the Disneyland resort. It was an amazing day. Image from TikTok. 101-Year-Old Turning 102 After Disney Trip The neat thing about birthdays is that they happen every year. Papa Jake is preparing to celebrate turning 102 on December 20, 2024. Every year, they collect cards and letters from around the world. They would like YOU to send Papa Jake a Happy Birthday wish. McKaela collects all the cards and letters, and they make a video when she gives them to Jake. The address is 3559 Mt Diablo Blvd #200 Lafayette, CA. 94549. Image from TikTok. If you want to learn more about this amazing man who is a walking, talking history book, you can start by reading his book, “The Luckiest Man in the World.” You can follow Papa Jake on TikTok and Instagram. What you get in exchange is a wealth of feel-good stories told by a man who is enthusiastic about life. When discussing a recent trip to Normandy, France, Jake said, “They treat me like a celebrity and I’m just a farm boy from Hope, Minnesota. It’s crazy. It’s plain crazy.” He admits he is on a mission to ensure the fallen are not forgotten. Jake Larson is a true American hero. If you need a grandpa, Papa Jake might be the answer. His joyful presence will brighten even the Grinchiest of moods. Please share with someone who needs a smile. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Never Too Old For Fun: 101-Year-Old Man Celebrates His Very First Visit To Disneyland appeared first on InspireMore.

Proba-3 will change how we study the solar corona.