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Paktia, Republic of Afghanistan, 16th May 1987
Amidst the grueling battle against the Soviet forces, Osama Bin Laden, a young Mujaheed from Saudi Arabia, whom left his luxurious past in order to fought for what he thinks as the right way, began to wonder if all was worth the fight. He knew that his effort with Abdullah Azzam might not last long, or the fact that he may be dead soon, and ended up as a minor patch on history, which is something that shook his faith and belief. As the fears and worries began to peak, his focus are suddenly broken, as a fellow Mujahid greets him. There, they began to chat, and talk, regarding how Islam is actually seen on the west, where this very man painted a great, good image on Bin Laden's mind. On this very early stage, Bin Laden began to question his adherence to Sayyid Qutb's school of thought. Bin Laden, being someone that is educated on a elite, secular environment, realizes that the current state of the Islamic world is horrible, and it needs a change.

After the end of the battle, Bin Laden began to rethink his views, and began to flirt with the concept of Itjihad, while writing those thoughts on paper, believing it must be immortalized on some form. His image of the decadent west began to crumble overtime, as he saw that the west are not that-bad-as he first think to be, although his hate towards Israel are something that he still kept. Time goes by, and things began to change. Believing that Qutbi was wrong in various aspects, Osama realizes that the concept of jihad should pursue a defensive doctrine, believing that waging wars against anyone that does not harm Islam poses only disgrace and actual harm for Islam itself. Things began to get more interresting, as Bin Laden believed on a concept of Pan-Islamism, where the Sunnis, Shiites, and all other denominations should live coexisting in peace, while he also denounced his own homeland, believing that Wahabbism is a force of destruction, hellbent on creating chaos on the region, just like the Zionists.

With the war is nearing into a end, Bin Laden's new school of thought also nears into completion, with the most, radical point being Bin Laden's denouncement of the "Extinct" Caliphate system, and overall "Neutral" view on secularism, which is something that is highly rare. As the war ended, Bin Laden wrote the final chapter of his book, believing that Islamism is a dead concept, and all Muslims should be called to defend Islam, not to fight for it, as he believed that Islam is a religion of peace-and those who violate those are subjectible for death. Branding coexistence, and tolerance is what behind the old glory years of Islam, Bin Laden had one single thought on his mind, one single goal, and one single hope.

Khafji, Saudi Arabia, 30 January 1991
Returning back home to Arabia, Bin Laden was hailed as a hero, and a fighter, earning him a reputation and respect to be taken account for, despite the fact that the war on Afghanistan still rages on. Bin Laden's Maktab Al-Khidamat also grew in numbers, where he renames it into the "Al-Qaeda", signifying its militant nature. However, the situation on the Middle East grew worser, as Saddam Hussein's Iraq began to launch a invasion against Kuwait-and eventually Saudi Arabia, prompting a international-scale intervention. Not wanting to see fellow muslims being killed-or accidentally killed by those who is not in the same faith, and also believing that Saddam also posed harm to the Islamic world-alongside with his Baath compatriots, Bin Laden's Al-Qaeda managed to gain the permit to jump into combat with the Saudi army, to the extent where it also received material support.

And on this day, Bin Laden knew, that this is his duty to defend Islam, not Arabia, and he knew, that by this very action, he would change the world for the good-according to himself.

TheTimeRanger Presents...
Chicken Soup For Bin Laden
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