Yeslam bin Ladin
Encyclopedia
Yeslam bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Ladin better known as Yeslam bin Laden, also written Yeslam Binladin, as he prefers to spell it, is a Swiss
businessman and the half-brother of the deceased al-Qaeda
leader, Osama bin Laden
.
n and Yemen
i heritage (through his mother and father, respectively). He has 54 half brothers and half sisters, including 2 younger brothers (Ibrahim and Khalil), and a younger sister (Fawzia), by the same mother as him, Rabab Haguigui. They live in Jeddah
, Saudi Arabia
. His father, Mohammed bin Laden
, died when he was 17 years old.
He has lived in Switzerland
since the mid-1980s, and became a Swiss citizen
in April 2001. He speaks Arabic
, English
, French
and Persian
. He is a Sunni Muslim and is said to live a mainly Western
lifestyle. An ex-girlfriend of his from 1993 to 2001, Catherine Berclaz (41 years old), is a Swiss interior decorator who wrote a book on their relationship, Yeslam, My Love: In the Heart of the Bin Laden Family.
He divorced his wife, Carmen bin Ladin
, in January 2006, after 15 years of separation. Carmen bin Laden wrote an autobiography, Inside the Kingdom (ISBN 0-446-69488-6), which was a New York Times Bestseller, recounting her life in the Bin Laden family
and how she managed to keep her daughters in her custody. He has three daughters, Wafah Dufour
, Najia, and Noor, and has reportedly not spoken to them for more than 15 years because of their western customs. Wafah (Dufour) Binladin earned a law degree from Geneva University, and a masters degree from Colombia Law School in New-York. In 2006 she appeared in a men's magazine GQ. She has lived New-York and now in London.
After attending high school in Beirut
, Lebanon
, Bin Ladin studied economics
at Göteborg University, Sweden
, and business administration at USC
. On February 25, 2005, he was granted permission by the Swiss government to use the name bin Ladin to brand products for his business including a perfume for men and women dubbed "Yeslam," and a second one for women "Passion," and other goods such as handbags, accessories, and watches under the name "Yeslam." Shops opened in Geneva
(1), in Jeddah
(2), in Riyadh
(1), in Mecca
, in Damman (1) (Saudi Arabia) and in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). He engaged Creators and chose the creations, but he is not Designer. He has a pilot's license, like his father, and owns a Learjet.
, Switzerland
-based Saudi Investment Company
(SICO), which represents his family's Saudi Binladin Group's international financial interests. His fortune was estimated to have peaked at 300 million Swiss Franc
s, but is now thought to be below 100 million.
He has been a partner of Pakistani businessman Akberali Moawalla
.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
businessman and the half-brother of the deceased al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
leader, Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
.
Family Background and early life
Yeslam bin Ladin is a Saudi national of PersiaPersian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
n and Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
i heritage (through his mother and father, respectively). He has 54 half brothers and half sisters, including 2 younger brothers (Ibrahim and Khalil), and a younger sister (Fawzia), by the same mother as him, Rabab Haguigui. They live in Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. His father, Mohammed bin Laden
Mohammed bin Laden
Sheikh Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was a wealthy investor, businessman, and patriarch of the bin Laden family. He was a Yemeni emmigrant to Saudi Arabia, and married 22 times, fathering at least 54 children...
, died when he was 17 years old.
He has lived in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
since the mid-1980s, and became a Swiss citizen
Swiss passport
A Swiss passport is a document known as the passport of the Swiss Confederation.Swiss passports are issued to citizens of Switzerland to facilitate international travel. For traveling inside the European community, Swiss citizens can use an identity card.-History of Swiss passports :The first Swiss...
in April 2001. He speaks Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
. He is a Sunni Muslim and is said to live a mainly Western
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
lifestyle. An ex-girlfriend of his from 1993 to 2001, Catherine Berclaz (41 years old), is a Swiss interior decorator who wrote a book on their relationship, Yeslam, My Love: In the Heart of the Bin Laden Family.
He divorced his wife, Carmen bin Ladin
Carmen bin Ladin
Carmen Binladin was a member of the bin Laden family. She was raised in Lausanne, Switzerland by her mother along with three other sisters...
, in January 2006, after 15 years of separation. Carmen bin Laden wrote an autobiography, Inside the Kingdom (ISBN 0-446-69488-6), which was a New York Times Bestseller, recounting her life in the Bin Laden family
Bin Laden family
The bin Laden family , also spelled bin Ladin, is a wealthy family intimately connected with the innermost circles of the Saudi royal family. The family was thrown into media spotlight through the activities of one of its members, Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the 9/11 attacks...
and how she managed to keep her daughters in her custody. He has three daughters, Wafah Dufour
Wafah Dufour
Wafah Dufour , born in Los Angeles, California, is an American singer-songwriter, socialite, and model .Her father, Yeslam bin Ladin , is Saudi Arabian and her mother, Carmen bin Ladin, is of Swiss father and Iranian mother from a noble family Wafah Dufour (née Wafah Bin Laden), born in Los...
, Najia, and Noor, and has reportedly not spoken to them for more than 15 years because of their western customs. Wafah (Dufour) Binladin earned a law degree from Geneva University, and a masters degree from Colombia Law School in New-York. In 2006 she appeared in a men's magazine GQ. She has lived New-York and now in London.
After attending high school in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Bin Ladin studied economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at Göteborg University, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and business administration at USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. On February 25, 2005, he was granted permission by the Swiss government to use the name bin Ladin to brand products for his business including a perfume for men and women dubbed "Yeslam," and a second one for women "Passion," and other goods such as handbags, accessories, and watches under the name "Yeslam." Shops opened in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
(1), in Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
(2), in Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
(1), in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, in Damman (1) (Saudi Arabia) and in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). He engaged Creators and chose the creations, but he is not Designer. He has a pilot's license, like his father, and owns a Learjet.
Current activities
Since 1980, Yeslam has been chairman of the GenevaGeneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
-based Saudi Investment Company
Saudi Investment Company
The Saudi Investment Company , headquartered Geneva, Switzerland and founded on May 19, 1980, represents the worldwide interests of the Saudi Binladin Group.- Overview :...
(SICO), which represents his family's Saudi Binladin Group's international financial interests. His fortune was estimated to have peaked at 300 million Swiss Franc
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s, but is now thought to be below 100 million.
He has been a partner of Pakistani businessman Akberali Moawalla
Akberali Moawalla
Akberali Moawalla is a prominent Pakistani businessman, notable for his business connections to the Bin Laden family of Saudi Arabia. He is a former business partner of Yeslam bin Ladin, half-brother of the more famous Osama bin Ladin, and of the Geneva-based Saudi Investment Company , which...
.
Further reading
- Bin Ladin, Carmen. Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia, Warner Books: New York.