Bin Laden and….Sex?
To the average person the two terms (Bin Laden and sex) seem to have absolutely no association whatsoever. Recently the name associated with terrorism and 9/11 has been in the media but with connotations of sexiness, pretentiousness, flamboyance and that of a wanna-be celebrity.
Thanks to Wafah Dufour Bin Ladin (please not the difference in spelling of her last name) whose mother was married to the Osama Bin Laden’s half brother. She was born in California but lived in Saudi Arabia from the age of three to ten, the Bin Laden’s family’s awful reputation has taken quite an interesting turn.
Wafah Dufour Bin Ladin (who goes only by the name Wafah Dufour) appeared in an exposing, seductive GQ photo spread. The wanna-be celebrity’s mother Carmin Bin Ladin is half Swiss and half Persian and has written a bestseller about her experiences married to a Saudi and living in Saudi Arabia. Wafah’s story and recent exposé stirs up interesting discussions on whether a bridge exists between the cultures she’s experienced. On the one hand, she was raised in Saudi Arabia, a country which enforces Islamic Sharia Law by the dot – strict, oppressive and ‘regulated’ and on the other hand she’s lived in Europe and America – in countries where libertarianism, freedom and democracy are the fuel driving peoples’ lives.
Wafah was probably too young to remember the restrictions imposed on her when she was a child however in retrospect and living the experiences vicariously through her mother, it is obvious she has a clear picture of the differences.
It certainly “…isn’t easy being the sexy Bin Ladin…” as George Gurley of GQ reports. It isn’t easy for a variety of reasons.
First, as an independent woman who considers herself completely detached from the Bin Laden family, Wafah Dufour needs to work immensely hard to remove any incriminating stigma which her uncle’s last name brings to her.
Second, since she is Muslim by birth, it is hard for traditionalists as well as members of the Bin Laden family (and others in Saudi Arabia) to accept her ‘blasphemous’ acts of sin. The fact that she is promoting herself as a musician is itself a sign of religious infidelity. The fact that she is promoting herself “…reclining on satin sheets wrapped in feathers and posing in a bubble bath wearing nothing but a necklace…” means that she is certainly going to hell. This is all in the name of the extremist doctrine of Wahabism.
Third, Wafah Dufour will become (or if she already hasn’t) a symbol of women’s rights in the Middle East. Although she does not speak Arabic, her roots to a prominent Saudi family as well as her upbringing in Saudi Arabia has provided her with a sort of responsibility. Human and women’s rights in the Middle East and especially in Saudi Arabia have been constantly violated. Saudi Arabia represents quite an oppressive example and this very well enforces her responsibility. However, at this point, Wafah Dufour seems more concerned with re-painting her image as opposed to representing the rights of women in the Middle East – for now she is at least symbolic.
The example of Wafah Dufour brings an interesting reality to the Western world. In recent years, there has been an influx of wanna-be woman celebrities in the Middle East – all aspiring actors and actresses seeking stardom and fame. Some have come under great scrutiny such as Muslim pop star Deeyah who has been facing death threats because of raunchy new music videos and some remain accepted within reason such as Nancy Ajram. Nonetheless, these divas have emitted incredible sex appeal which has received positive responses from the Western world.
It has also revealed a sort of progression in to the new age for woman in the Middle East. They are redefining stereotypes, breaking traditional taboos and surviving an upsurge of criticism from extremists. In the case of Wafah Dufour Bin Ladin, she has done a great job at improving the general Bin Laden family's name stigma. People will start to realize that the Bin Laden family is very large and that Osama is merely one ‘huge hiccup’ which has caused incredible damage all over the world.
One should embrace her stardom and anticipate social and political repercussions.
Thanks to Wafah Dufour Bin Ladin (please not the difference in spelling of her last name) whose mother was married to the Osama Bin Laden’s half brother. She was born in California but lived in Saudi Arabia from the age of three to ten, the Bin Laden’s family’s awful reputation has taken quite an interesting turn.
Wafah Dufour Bin Ladin (who goes only by the name Wafah Dufour) appeared in an exposing, seductive GQ photo spread. The wanna-be celebrity’s mother Carmin Bin Ladin is half Swiss and half Persian and has written a bestseller about her experiences married to a Saudi and living in Saudi Arabia. Wafah’s story and recent exposé stirs up interesting discussions on whether a bridge exists between the cultures she’s experienced. On the one hand, she was raised in Saudi Arabia, a country which enforces Islamic Sharia Law by the dot – strict, oppressive and ‘regulated’ and on the other hand she’s lived in Europe and America – in countries where libertarianism, freedom and democracy are the fuel driving peoples’ lives.
Wafah was probably too young to remember the restrictions imposed on her when she was a child however in retrospect and living the experiences vicariously through her mother, it is obvious she has a clear picture of the differences.
It certainly “…isn’t easy being the sexy Bin Ladin…” as George Gurley of GQ reports. It isn’t easy for a variety of reasons.
First, as an independent woman who considers herself completely detached from the Bin Laden family, Wafah Dufour needs to work immensely hard to remove any incriminating stigma which her uncle’s last name brings to her.
Second, since she is Muslim by birth, it is hard for traditionalists as well as members of the Bin Laden family (and others in Saudi Arabia) to accept her ‘blasphemous’ acts of sin. The fact that she is promoting herself as a musician is itself a sign of religious infidelity. The fact that she is promoting herself “…reclining on satin sheets wrapped in feathers and posing in a bubble bath wearing nothing but a necklace…” means that she is certainly going to hell. This is all in the name of the extremist doctrine of Wahabism.
Third, Wafah Dufour will become (or if she already hasn’t) a symbol of women’s rights in the Middle East. Although she does not speak Arabic, her roots to a prominent Saudi family as well as her upbringing in Saudi Arabia has provided her with a sort of responsibility. Human and women’s rights in the Middle East and especially in Saudi Arabia have been constantly violated. Saudi Arabia represents quite an oppressive example and this very well enforces her responsibility. However, at this point, Wafah Dufour seems more concerned with re-painting her image as opposed to representing the rights of women in the Middle East – for now she is at least symbolic.
The example of Wafah Dufour brings an interesting reality to the Western world. In recent years, there has been an influx of wanna-be woman celebrities in the Middle East – all aspiring actors and actresses seeking stardom and fame. Some have come under great scrutiny such as Muslim pop star Deeyah who has been facing death threats because of raunchy new music videos and some remain accepted within reason such as Nancy Ajram. Nonetheless, these divas have emitted incredible sex appeal which has received positive responses from the Western world.
It has also revealed a sort of progression in to the new age for woman in the Middle East. They are redefining stereotypes, breaking traditional taboos and surviving an upsurge of criticism from extremists. In the case of Wafah Dufour Bin Ladin, she has done a great job at improving the general Bin Laden family's name stigma. People will start to realize that the Bin Laden family is very large and that Osama is merely one ‘huge hiccup’ which has caused incredible damage all over the world.
One should embrace her stardom and anticipate social and political repercussions.
posted by The Egyptian Observer at 12:53 PM
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