Egyptian Novelist Youssef Ziedan: Bin Laden Was an Innocent Man

In a recent TV interview, Egyptian scholar and novelist Youssef Zidan said that in his view, "Osama Bin Laden was an innocent man" and that his killing was a "ridiculous Hollywood-style story." The interview aired on BBC Arabic TV on September 5, 2015.Following are Excerpts:

Youssef Ziedan: "In my opinion, Osama Bin Laden was an innocent man, who became a pawn in the hands of the Western media, and we accept (what was said about him). 70% of the image that was portrayed about him was false – beginning with turning him into the symbol of terrorism, and culminating with the ridiculous Hollywood-style story about his killing. Obama tried to convince us that this really happened, but according to my own research, while I was writing the novel, Riwayat Mouhal – I studied his personality because it was inherent to this novel – in 2008, he was already dead. (It was) not in 2011. No one buried him at sea."