Osama Bin Laden to be Capped by Afghanistan?
I’m currently reading Lawrence Wright’s masterful book The Looming Tower. It’s a superb narrative account of the history of al-Qaeda and how we arrived at 9-11 and the current state of conflict the world finds itself in. While most of the book deals with Islamic extremism and has no relevance to here, there are a couple of interesting morsels. Did you know, for example, that Osama bin Laden was a soccer enthusiast growing up? According to Wright, “Bin Laden, being tall and fast, was the striker always in front” (p. 79). And, even at a young age, soccer was never removed from his religious views.
When [Osama and friends] played soccer, Osama would bring along tuna and cheese sandwiches for the other players, even on days when he was fasting. His commitment and composure commanded respect. Out of modesty, he stopped wearing regular soccer shorts and took to playing in long pants. In deference to his beliefs, the other players followed suit. They would often go to play in the poorer districts of Jeddah. During lunch, even if he was fasting, Osama would divide his teammates into different groups, named after companions of the Prophet, and quiz them on the Quran. “The Abu Bakr group wins!” he would exclaim. “Now, let’s have cakes.” (p. 77)
Brought to you by Actualflight.com
Ever since this news came out, more security protocols are being taken on flights. The flights to phoenix or the flights to amsterdam are spared to large extent. But the flights to paris have double checks due to the touch down at heathrow.
