Osama bin Laden was perceived as a courageous, intelligent, and independent man who always maintained a high standard for himself and the Muslim world. He was guided by the term jihad, which means "holy war". People saw him as a true professional who embraced all aspects of his culture. The Christian West is considered the main enemy of Islam due to the perceived belief that it opposes Muslims and their culture. Muslims believe that the Israelis are trying to oppress them by claiming their rightful land, Palestine. This didn't sit well with Osama and he couldn't bear to do nothing about it. As the years passed, every decision he made was based on his life and his faith. Through radicalization, exile from his homeland, and anti-Western sentiments, Osama bin Laden built the terrorist organization known as Al-Qaeda. His family upbringing and financial situation helped shape Osama bin Laden's early years. Osama bin Laden was born on March 10, 1957 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He was Mohammed bin Laden's seventeenth son out of approximately 50 children (Coll 84). Mohammed bin Laden was a wealthy man who owned a construction company known as bin Laden Construction Company. He not only got his wealth from this, but also from his massive support for the Saudi government. In 1967, when Osama was 13 years old, his father died in a plane crash. When this happened, Osama wanted to take responsibility and start building a life of his own (Coll 85). Growing up, Osama liked to be alone because he accepted the fact that he was not very close to his family. In times of need, bin Laden turned to Allah for support when his family gave him no support (Anonymous 82). In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Osama attended King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, which focused on Libya, as well as three other Americans. Al-Qaeda is believed to be responsible (“Fast Facts on Osama Bin Laden”). Events that capture the entire world's attention are few and far between. Wars fought normally occur between recognized enemies. In the war against terrorism, especially the war against Al-Qaeda, the enemy is unknown. One is not an enemy of the United States of America by virtue of one's ethnic heritage. A Muslim is not a hidden enemy simply because he is a Muslim. A Muslim, however, becomes an enemy when he targets the world as a member of Al-Qaeda, one man's vision. He was an intelligent, educated man of wealth and high esteem, who, guided by his faith, through radicalization, exile from his homeland and anti-Western sentiments, built the terrorist organization known as Al-Qaeda. His name was Osama bin Laden.