Responding to the news that Osama Bin Laden's finalsecret compound hideout, is getting the bulldozer treatment, this American chappy in Arab lands draws out some of the irony of OBL's last words and deeds. Whether Osama Bin Laden really indulged in a spot of Bible reading on occasion or perused some adult web-sites during his decade in hiding to ease the boredom, it is not for us to cast aspersions, but to play devil's advocate and suppose that if these published reports are to be trusted, these findings ought to give us pause.
Pakistan’s officials are in the finishing stages of tearing down former Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden’s final home. In this move to prevent his followers from turning the building into some sort of shrine, it has now become like going through bin Laden’s Internet search history--- we find out his secret interests, hobbies and even desires. It seems he did not get the chance to wipe out his search history, since he certainly wouldn't have wanted some of his online activity made public.
Secret Stash
According to reports, there have been magazines and gigabytes of pornography found on storage drives, and more surprisingly, multiple Bibles have turned up, with pages marked and highlighted. Were there any more hidden truths about this supposed spiritual and moral pillar for the extremist Muslim community?
Recently, it has been disclosed by his brother-in-law that much of Osama’s final days were spent giving advice to his children from his compound. In what can be described as ironic, hypocritical or just plain baffling, OBL counseled them to embrace the Western education, lifestyle and not to follow in his Jihadist footsteps. Apparently it’s ‘do as I say to you and not as I say to my followers’ in the Bin Laden home.
The moral is in the tale, not in the man
We can see parallels to this duplicity in almost any war-mongering politician in America. These men promote sending other people’s children to risk life and limb for a nationalistic cause while keeping their kin protected from harm in some Ivy League bomb shelter.
Dismantling OBL’s home can be a lesson to all of us in priorities and choosing whom to follow. Whether we like it or not, these political figures are flawed. Anytime we hear a call to abandon our innate desire to live in peace, for the sake of the ‘cause’, make certain that this ideology has not 'been laden’ with hypocrisy and porn on USB drives.
By Brett Weer
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Bawaba's editorial policy.
