Osama bin Laden

Date

1957–2011

Description

City of birth: Riyadh
Country of birth: Saudi Arabia
Field of activity: Politics — military, terrorism

More detail coming ...

Quotes

‘It was nearly ten years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory — hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction. And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts. On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.’

Author

Barack Obama

Speaker

Barack Obama

Title of the publication

‘President Obama on Death of Osama bin Laden’

Other contributors

n/a

Publisher (or journal name with vol. and number)

Obama Whitehouse YouTube channel

City of publication

Washington DC

Country of publication (modern nation-state equivalent)

United States of America

Publication date

1 May 2011, 11.35 pm

Location [pp. or web]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZNYmK19-d0U 0.20-1.50

Other location

https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead

Original language

English

Genre

Political speech

Context

President Obama addresses citizens of America and the world from the East Room in the White House to announce that the United States has killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda.

‘Any thief or criminal or robber who enters another country in order to steal should expect to be exposed to murder at any time. For the American forces to expect anything from me personally reflects a very narrow perception. Thousands of millions of Muslims are angry. The Americans should expect reactions from the Muslim world that are proportionate to the injustice they inflict.’

Author

Osama bin Laden

Speaker

Osama bin Laden

Title of the publication

'Conversations with Terror'

Other contributors

Rahimullah Yusufzai

Publisher (or journal name with vol. and number)

Time Magazine

City of publication

New York

Country of publication (modern nation-state equivalent)

United States of America

Publication date

11 January 1999

Location [pp. or web]

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,17676,00.html

Other location

Enhlish

Original language

Interview

Genre

Interview

Context

Osama bin Laden speaking in response to the question ‘What can the US expect from you now?’

‘It’s an attempt to distort by the Americans, and praise be to God that He has thwarted their conspiracy. Every Muslim, from the moment they realise the distinction in their hearts, hates Americans, hates Jews, and hates Christians. This a part of our belief and our religion. For as long as I can remember, I have felt tormented and at war, and have felt hatred and animosity for Americans.’

Author

Osama bin Laden

Speaker

Osama bin Laden

Title of the publication

‘Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden’

Other contributors

Bruce Lawrence, editor; James Howarth, translator

Publisher (or journal name with vol. and number)

Verso

City of publication

New York City

Country of publication (modern nation-state equivalent)

United States of America

Publication date

28 November 2005

Location [pp. or web]

p. 87

Other location

https://bit.ly/3ayFmju

Original language

Statements: Arabic; Introduction: English

Genre

Book

Context

The book documents 24 public statements by Osama bin Laden from 29 December 1994 through 16 December 2004. This quote is part of a larger response to a question alleging Al Qaeda had American support and CIA funding for the Afghan jihad against the Soviet Union.