Najwa Ghanem was the first wife of Osama Bin Laden. She is from Syria. She is also the first cousin of Osama. Read ahead to find more about Najwa and her married life, children and more.
Early life of Najwa
Najwa Ghanem was born in 1960 in Latakia, Syria. She was born to Ibrahim and Nabeeha, her family was originally from Yemen. She was raised in Syria with her five other siblings. Her family then settled down in Syria. Najwa’s father Ibrahim is the maternal uncle of Osama. She is also called Um Abdallah meaning mother of Abdallah.
Married Life
Najwa Ghanem married Osama Bin Laden in 1974. She got married at the age of fifteen years. She has been to Sudan and Afghanistan with her husband Osama. She has 11 children with Osama out of his 20-26 children. But she presently lives with her 3 children out of the 11. According to Nasser al-Bahri, who was Osama bin Laden’s personal bodyguard, Osama used to take his family for picnics in the desert and also on shooting trips. So that means Osama was taking care of his family. Najwa was living a happy life with her husband. But unfortunately, they were separated in 2001 and she moved away from Afghanistan on 9 September, 2001.
About Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden was born on 10th March, 1957 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His full name is Osama bin Being born to the aristocratic bin Laden family he was living a luxurious life. His father Mohammed Bin Awad Laden was a billionaire construction magnate who had close ties with the Saudi royal family. Her mother’s name was Hamida al Attas. He completed his studies at local universities. He had five wives including Najwa.
In 1979, he joined the Afghan mujahidin, which was formed against the Soviet Union after the invasion of Afghanistan by the USSR in 1979. He was also a co-founder of Maktab al-Khidamat in 1984 which recruited foreign young adults into the war. He founded an organization called al-Qaeda in 1988 for worldwide Jihad. He was expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1991 because of his anti-Americanism and pan-Islamism attitude. He moved to Sudan and settled there but he left the country in 1996 to form a new base in Afghanistan.
Osama bin Laden was the main mastermind of the September 11 attacks, which resulted in killing of almost 3,000 people. After that America invaded Afghanistan which started the war on terror. He hid in various mountains and fled away to Pakistan. Ultimately, on 2 May 2011, U.S. special operational forces spotted him at his compound in Abbottabad and shot him to death. His body was buried at the Arabian Sea.
Najwa’s Children
Najwa and her son Omar co-authored “Growing Up bin Laden ” with Jean Sasson. This is a biography of Osama based on interviews with his wife and son. Omar is a Saudi artist, ambassador, and a great businessman. Najwa along with her son Omar left Afghanistan on September 9, 2001. It is said that she was living in Damascus with her son Abdel Rahman. Iran captured Najwa’s daughter Iman but released in 2010. Iman then went to live with her mom in Syria.
Conclusion
Najwa Ghanem is a brave woman, a loving mother. She stood tall in her difficult times. She never gave up, faced the situation and ultimately found a peaceful life.
