The Bin Laden Family

With Osama Bin Laden dominating the news and projections of what the future holds, I thought I would share something that I found absolutely fascinating when I first heard it a few years ago. Steve Coll spoke at the London School of Economics in support of his book The Bin Ladens. The book examines modernization and globalization in Saudi Arabia through the perspective of the Bin Laden family. Coll looks at the incredible story of Osama's father Mohamed who started out as an one-eyed illiterate who made bricks out of clay and grew into the head of the second wealthiest family on the peninsula after becoming the al-Saud royal family's favorite palace builder. Osama's oldest brother Salem lived an incredible life, but even more so when juxtaposed with what Osama. He had been an aviation enthusiast, rock and roll aficionado, and international bon vivant. He often liked to bribe bands to let him sing "House of the Rising Sun," whether it be at Oktoberfest, wedding receptions, or Oscar parties.


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UPDATE:
This picture was in the Daily Telegraph and I think it highlights the dissonance of Osama Bin Laden's public persona juxtaposed with that of the normal arc of a person's life. This is during a family trip in Falun, Sweden. He is second from the right with the green shirt and blue bell bottoms.