New Delhi: Former al Qaida chief Osama bin Laden discussed the issue of his remarriage with his first wife Najwa bin Laden and went ahead only after her approval, according to American writer Jean Sasson who interviewed Najwa and her son for a controversial biography.
Laden, who was killed by elite US forces in Pakistan, discussed with Najwa the subject of taking more wives for many months, Sasson told IBNLive in an interview.
Sasson's biography 'Growing Up bin Laden: Osama's Wife and Son Take Us Inside Their Secret World' is a valuable glimpse into the personal life of the world’s most elusive terrorist, both repulsed and revered as the man who helped defeat the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
In her book, Sasson describes the early years of Najwa's marriage to her first cousin Laden, who she married at the age of 15 reportedly against her mother's wish. She talks of an initially happy life in relatively comfortable surroundings despite Laden's clear distrust of anything modern, including gas stoves, till they were forced to flee to the inhospitable terrains of Afghanistan's Tora Bora mountain ranges.
Did Najwa feel betrayed when Osama remarried?
"This was a subject that Osama and Najwa discussed for many months. He actually told Najwa that he would not take a second wife unless she agreed," Sasson said.
"This is very unusual in their culture. Najwa said that she and her husband discussed this point for many months before she came to the realization that it was for Islam, and that the teachings of her religion say that this is all right. So, no, I do not believed that she felt betrayed under these circumstances," she said.
Sasson said Najwa "truly loved her husband and was extremely happy to be his wife." She was "very proud of his pious ways, of his intellect, and of his handsome appearance."
Najwa grew up in a conservative Muslim home but was not as strict as Laden but she willingly stood by his side and never felt herself mistreated even though she had to cover herself as per Islamic custom and live in 'purdah'.
But she completely stayed away from Laden's political and militant life as did all his wives.
"She told me during the interview process that she still loved her husband and would always love him. She respected him. But, don't forget, we were talking about Osama as a husband, never as a leader of Al Qaeda."
"In my opinion, I believe that she was extremely happy with Osama at all times, even though she was not happy living in Afghanistan and doing without the basic necessities of life," Sasson said.
Comments
0 comment