Yesterday Spain told Omar bin Laden, one of Osama bin Laden's 19 sons, that he was not welcomed there. The 27-year-old Saudi citizen lives in Egypt with his 52-year-old British wife, but while in Madrid for flight layover, he appealed for asylum. Omar argued that his pacifist stances put his life at risk in the Middle East. Even so, Spain rejected his petition. An anonymous Spanish official said Omar simply did not meet refugee requirements.
Before the UK rejected a similar asylum request, Omar hoped to move to his wife's hometown in England. Perhaps to his detriment, during a January interview with the Associated Press, Omar chose not to renounce his father. He did say that unlike his father, he wanted to be an "ambassador of peace." Before he made the decision to choose peace over violence, Omar trained at an al Qaeda camp. He says that since he left the camp in 2000, he has had no contact with his father.
Omar and his wife think the stigma of their last name has prompted Western countries to reject Omar's bid for asylum. Even if that accusation is true, is it a fair basis?
Repetto
Mexx
Fendi
His father is the worlds most famous terrorist and is still at large. He himself trained in an al Qaeda training camp for god's sake! Forgive but never forget.
For all we know, his father is planning on killing his son for leaving the camp and will bomb the next place Omar decides to live. He and his family are way too high risk for many countries. I think it is completely fair that countries arent allowing him to enter. Each country is at it's own discretion for who they will and will not allow to enter their country. Protect your own people before protecting others.
1I feel bad for the guy, if he has actually embraced peace and rejected his fathers beliefs I dont understand why someone cant give the poor guy a place to live!
and i understand him not "renouncing" his dad, its his dad. My dad is a stumbling racist drunk but I still love him.
219 sons??!!! We're going to have Bin Ladens everywhere.
3Who's threatening his life? It doesn't sound like he has any valid reason for seeking asylum and I think countries do have a reason to be cautious with him. He can work for peace from the Middle East, other people do.
4I actually agree with you on this one CG
5A lot of the Bin Laden's live in London, as did Osama. I think there is more to this than meets the eye if he can't live in Britain or the UK. There must be intelligence on him that they're not revealing.
6My dad has a saying: "The nut doesn't fall far from the tree." I can completely understand not wanting him anywhere near the "Western" world.
7I don't blame countries for not wanting to give him asylum. He left his father in 2000? One year previous to 9/11? An attack that was years in the making? Sorry to sound so cynical but he had to have known what was going on, especially being trained in an al Qaeda camp.
8Good point Punk. And CG, I think my ties or bond would break the minute my dad killed thousands of people. And that was just with one of his attacks. So, if he is truly a pacifist, it seems he should really detest his father.
9what "normal" woman would marry a bin Laden?
10He was in the camp as a child and left when he was 19. I doubt he had an option to leave sooner.
He could always try the US before January, since the Bush family has long ties with Saudi and was reported to be particularly helpful to other Bin Laden family members living in the US at the time of 9/11. The FBI helped them safely exit the US right after the attacks.
11Why Spain and the U.K.? Both have been attacked by al Qaeda or al Qaeda wannabes. Why not Portugal, France, Germany - a country that might not take his presence as a reminder as well as a threat?
12Perhaps I'm too emotionally involved to see this any other way, but... He says he wants to be a peacemaker "but in 2000 he decided there must be another way and he left his father". That alone says to me he knew darn well what his father was up to, and he sought to distance himself. Instead of saying he wouldn't renounce his father, why didn't he help to bring peace before the attacks by contacting authorities?
13Maybe because he was a teenager at the time? What resources would a teenager have to take a stand against their parents and leave home, in Afghanistan?
It's not that I'm a particular fan or defender of him, but he's only 27 years old now, so it's not surprising that he wasn't out alerting authorities in other countries of the risk 8 years ago. He might not have known much about the plans or if he did, think it would be realistic or successful.
14lorenashley, don't forget who trained Bin Laden and that he was a frequent visitor to the west and lived in London in the 90's.
15The son's marriage sounds suspect though, she's 52 and has been married 4 or 5 times. Mmmm.
BY the way he was deported from Egypt according to the latest news in Egypt from the Airport and he is his way to Qatar
16Egypt is no longer when to host someone who is ungrateful to its hospitality
With my all respect this young man wants to be the focus of the media from time to time
No one did anything bad to him in Egypt on the contrary he lived for years peacefully , his uncle owns projects here and he worked with him
No one threatened him at all or his wife security in Egypt so why he goes and asks for asylum in Spain !!??
Thanks for sharing that info Zein.
17"The sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the sons".
You can't choose your family but you can always choose your own path. Maybe he isn't like his father, but seeing the relation, i can understand the apprehension.
18I also think it's more than just relation. He's been involved in the "family" business until 2000, and even trained in those camps. I'm not willing to risk lives giving him the benefit of the doubt.
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