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Omar bin Laden: Dad Beat Me

Terrorist's fourth son describes his childhood in Growing Up bin Laden

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 28, 2009 11:26 AM CDT

(Newser) – When Omar bin Laden was about to be born, his father got so excited that he lost his keys. When he finally found them after a frantic search, he tore to the hospital at reckless speed in his brand new golden Mercedes. It’s hard for Omar to imagine the scene, he writes in Growing Up bin Laden, which is excerpted by Vanity Fair; his father wasn’t always a terrorist, but he was never an emotional man, and despite Omar’s best attempts, he never bestowed affection on his children.

He carried a heavy wooden cane, and would beat his sons for the slightest misstep. Osama kept his family as "virtual prisoners" out of fears they would be kidnapped by opponents. "My brothers and I would spend many long hours staring out the apartment windows, longing to join the many children we saw playing on the sidewalks, riding their bikes or skipping rope." Despite it all, Omar worshiped his father, "whom I believed to be not only the most brilliant but also the tallest man in the world." Even now “I cannot simply order my heart to stop loving him,” though he is “truly sorry for all the terrible things that have happened.”

Omar Osama bin Laden, left, and his British wife Jane Felix-Brown, now known as Zaina Alsabah, ride horses at the site of the Giza Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 7, 2008.
Omar Osama bin Laden, left, and his British wife Jane Felix-Brown, now known as Zaina Alsabah, ride horses at the site of the Giza Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 7, 2008.   (AP Photo/Omar Osama bin Laden, HO-File)
Omar Osama bin Laden is seen during an interview with the Associated Press in Cairo, Jan. 11, 2008.
Omar Osama bin Laden is seen during an interview with the Associated Press in Cairo, Jan. 11, 2008.   (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 21 comments
Bubblebee
Oct 29, 2009 12:40 PM CDT
There you go, spread the word, Osama Bin Laden can be even more famous for his horrible influence on the human race. To hate with no reason... Or is there one we all just don't know about? Complicated to think about how his son will be fed by the hands of Americans who are curious about the man who has caused so much despair...
MarkFL
Oct 29, 2009 5:08 AM CDT
I am picturing Micheal Impirioli's next film role. Spitting image. Return of the Son of Bin Laden. I don't want to minimize child abuse but did his son really expect a public outcry from this announcement? It is safe to say that the public is already outraged by your dad.
MarkFL
Oct 29, 2009 4:59 AM CDT
Please send me your address dontlikeyou so i can send you a dictionary.

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