Osama Bin Laden, known for years as the world's deadliest terrorist, was killed in 2011. His legacy, however, still continues. In an interview with The Guardian, Laden's mother said the path he chose was not Osama's fault. "He somehow lost his way."
Born to her first and raised by her second husband, Ghanem - now in her mid-70s, claims that her son was caught between a cult culture and was brainwashed at a young age. She said, "He met some people who pretty much brainwashed him in his early 20s. You can call it a cult."
Laden studied economics at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah and his mother claims that “the people at university changed him.” Asserting Laden to be a 'shy boy' Ghanem said that “he (Laden) became a different man” after he met people like Abdullah Azzam, a member of Muslim Brotherhood. "I would always tell him to stay away from them (people from his university), and he would never admit to me what he was doing, because he loved me so much.” adds Ghanem while speaking about his 'academically capable' child.
When Osama went to Afghanistan shortly after, his family was apparently proud of his work against the Soviet Occupation. He would then go to Sudan, marking the beginning of shame and trouble for the Bin Ladens.
Osama returned to Afghanistan and the family would meet him for the last time in 1999 at his base outside Kandahar. “He was very happy to receive us. He was showing us around every day we were there. He killed an animal and we had a feast, and he invited everyone," Ghanem said.
Ghanem was never ashamed of his terrorist son and always believed that it was the company he pursued that changed him. “My life was very difficult because he was so far away from me,” she said.
Laden's family still remains under the radar of intelligence agencies from around the world. Being one of the wealthiest family in Saudi Arabia, they wish to shake off their past but people in the know fear Osama's son Hamza who was already declared a terrorist could bring back the ghosts of the past.
