T E Lawrence-bin Laden link

[seeker]

I've heard there's a link between Lawrence of Arabia and the Bin Laden religious sect. What is it?

[pod]

Bin-Laden is a family name - roughly equivalent to a western surname. It's not a 'religious sect'. It would also be a mistake to regard Osama Bin-Laden as a religious figure. He is nothing of the kind. An extremist politician with a military outlook would be a closer description. Is there a link to T.E Lawrence? From 1916 until his retirement from public life in 1922, Lawrence was an enormously influential and well-known figure in the arab world. He was instrumental (along with Churchill) in brokering a modicum of self-rule for the arab states following their failed bid for independence in the wake of the First World War. Osama Bin Laden comes from a family of merchants and businessmen, not arab royalty as some reports have implied. Could Lawrence have met his grandfather? Maybe.