As mentioned previously, Bin Laden put in much effort towards religious studies in college and he was also influenced by several other Islamic intellectuals. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, “through writers like Qutb, and the presence of Egyptian Islamist teachers in the educational system, Islamists already had a strong intellectual influence on Bin Laden and his al Qaeda colleagues” (56). Bin Laden’s extensive understanding of the extremist Islamic teachings that had intrigued him in the past served as one of the driving forces of his pursuit of worldwide jihad.
In addition to Bin Laden’s religious intellect, Bin Laden’s growing power within the structure of al Qaeda’s organization led to his newfound sense of self-confidence, superiority and ambition. Although he and his colleague Azzam had disagreements over the mission of al Qaeda, following Azzam’s death Bin Laden assumed full control over the organization and thus controlled the direction of its conquests. Through the death of Azzam, Bin Laden was able to pursue his goal of preparing mujahideen, or “holy warriors” to fight attackers of Islam all over the