On September 11, 2001, a group of 19 Al Qaeda terrorists orchestrated a total of four terror attacks, killing about 3000 people during the incident. The terror attack, committed by Al Qaeda terrorists and led by Osama bin Laden, marked the dawn of a new era in American history. It embarked upon a series of regime change wars in the name of ‘War on Terror’. Accordingly, Osama bin Laden was executed on May 2, 2011, in Pakistan’s Abbottabad, by the US Navy Seals. After staying for an additional 10 years in Afghanistan, United States withdrew all its troops from the country by August 31.
It has been 20 years since the deadly 9/11 attacks shook the conscience of humanity. However, it remains a matter of intrigue as to why Osama bin Laden chose to name his terror outfit as ‘Al-Qaeda’, despite not holding any significance in the Arabic/ Islamic context. An article published in The Guardian on August 24, 2002, sought to unravel the mystery behind the nomenclature. It was titled, ‘What is the origin of the name al-Qaida?’
Penned by Giles Foden, author of ‘The Last King of Scotland’ that inspired a critically acclaimed movie of the same name, the article claimed that the inspiration behind naming the terror organisation as ‘Al-Qaeda’ came from the groundbreaking 1951 sci-fi novel ‘Foundation’ by Isaac Asimov.
While attributing the findings to a scientist named Dmitri Gusev, the article claimed that the classic by Asimov was translated into Arabic and titled, ‘al-Qaida.’ Foden stated that the word ‘Qaida’ meant foundation/base or groundwork. Asimov (1920-1992) was a Russian author who lived a considerable part of his life in the States. He is regarded as one of the greatest science fiction writers. Dmitri Gusev argued that Laden not only borrowed the name of the book but the plot of the classic as well.
Plot of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation
The ‘Foundation’, which was eventually converted into a series, revolved around the supremacy of a 12000-year-old Galactic Empire. The protagonist, Hari Seldon, is the creator of a branch of science known as ‘psychohistory’. He is resolute in his mission of protecting future generations from ignorance, warfare and barbarism and predicted the fall of the Empire.
To accomplish this, Seldon created a group of scientists and scholars and named it ‘The Foundation’. “But soon the fledgling Foundation finds itself at the mercy of corrupt warlords rising in the wake of the receding Empire. Mankind’s last best hope is faced with an agonizing choice: submit to the barbarians and be overrun — or fight them and be destroyed,” read the summary in Goodreads.
Edward Gibbon’s ‘Fall of the Roman Empire’ exerted significant influence on the Sci-Fi saga.
The link connecting Osama bin Laden and the science fiction series
Foden said, “Science fiction has often featured “evil empires” against which are set utopian ideas whose survival must be fought for against the odds by a small but resourceful band of men.” The author Giles Foden argued that such ‘evil empires’ (supposedly under President Ronald Reagan who initiated the war in Afghanistan) can only be fought by intelligent idealists-cum-psychopaths (referring to Osama bin Laden), who might draw inspiration from fictional sci-fi characters such as Hari Seldon.
Just like the protagonist, Laden sent pre-recorded video messages to his followers and crafted his geopolitical strategy in a similar fashion. Seldon took into account the intergalactic megatrends and local reactions to them. The strategy bore uncanny resemblance to the one adopted by Osama bin Laden against the growing phenomenon of ‘globalisation’ and an interconnected world. “So did Bin Laden use Foundation as a kind of imaginative sounding-board for the creation of al-Qaida? Perhaps reading the book in his pampered youth, and later on seeing his destiny in terms of the ruthless manipulation of historical forces?” Foden inquired.
Plausibility of the ‘Foundation theory’ and its influence on the slain terrorist
Since his ‘pampered’ childhood, Osama bin Laden had access to Western media and products. His biographer Yossef Bodansky argued that he was born and raised in an affluent family. Bodansky pointed out that Laden steered away from the ‘Muslim lifestyle’ and spent time in bars, casinos and amongst women in Lebanon’s capital of Beirut. However, all of it changed after he met a radical Islamist preacher from Palestine named Abdullah Azzam. It is assumed that the slain terrorist perhaps read an English copy of the book during his time in Beirut or the US or Wembley in London.
Interestingly, the Arabic version of the Foundation was not reprinted after 1972 due to Asimov’s religious affiliation to Judaism. This brings back the spotlight on the timing of Laden’s potential exposure to the science fiction series. Citing an expert in Middle Eastern affairs, popular novelist China Miéville claimed that the ‘Foundation’ theory was the only plausible explanation behind naming the terror outfit ‘Al-Qaeda.’ He added that the word had no political precedent in Arabic and had continued to baffled experts.
The sci-fi writer, Isaac Asimov, died at the age of 72 in New York City in 1992. About 9 years later, Osma bin Laden engineered the most deadly terror attack of the 21st century in the same city. Foden noted, “One can’t blame Asimov for fueling the swollen fantasies of the murderous. It is the last thing this committed pacifist (“violence is the last refuge of the incompetent”) would have wanted. He may not be the only famous sci-fi author to have been taken up by lunatics, anyway.”
‘Foundation’ has influenced a great many others, in great positions of power. Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos are two of the most prominent individuals that come to mind. Along with Frank Herbert’s Dune, ‘Foundation’ has been one of the ‘foundational texts’ of modern Sci-Fi. Apple TV has created a TV adaptation of the series, two episodes of which have been released so far, with the 3rd to be released on the 1st of October.
David Villeneuve has directed the most recent Big Screen adaption of Dune, to be released across theaters on the 22nd of October.
Other theories suggesting the origin of ‘Al-Qaeda’
Foden claimed that the term Al-Qaeda was first used by an American newspaper in 1996 to refer to terror outfit of Biden Laden (known as Islamic Salvation Foundation until then.) It alleged that the term gained prominence following the US embassy bombings in East Africa in 1998. At that time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) also began using ‘Al-Qaeda’ as an ‘umbrella term’ for several terror outfits run by Laden.
According to researcher Rohan Gunaratna, the name of the terror organisation was derived from the concept of ‘al-Qaida al-Sulbah’ (loosely translated as the solid base). He stated that the concept featured in an essay authored by the ‘mentor’ of Osama Bin Laden i.e. Abdullah Azzam, who was killed in a car bomb attack in Peshawar (Pakistan) in 1989. Other theories include claims that the father of Osama bin Laden owned an estate named ‘al-Qaida’ in Saudi Arabia or Yemen. Another theory suggests that it was the name of a construction firm owned by the family. One of the other stories that gained prominence recently was that ‘al-Qaida’ was a ‘protected region’ in communist-ruled Afghanistan.
