No we aren't talking about the Al-Qaeda figurehead who believes in holy war, this is the project of one of his 19 children, Omar Osama bin Laden. Omar is the one that created a stir when he married a British woman who is twice his age. Jane Felix-Brown became Zaina Alsabah for the wealthy young man and now together they are trying to work for peace. First step? A three-thousand mile horse race across North Africa.
From Yahoo News:
The couple has applied for a visa to Britain. And they are planning their endurance horse race across North Africa, which they hope to start in March. It is in the planning stages — they are seeking approval of governments along the route and need sponsors to help pay for the event and raise money for child victims of war.
Omar said they plan to ride 30 miles a day, with periodic weeklong rests in each country.
Teams from around the world will be encouraged to join in what the couple envisions as an equine version of the Paris-Dakar car rally. That rally was canceled this year due to fears over terrorist threats made by al-Qaida-affiliated groups in North Africa.
Omar, however, said he isn't worried.
"I heard the rally was stopped because of al-Qaida," he said. "I don't think they are going to stop me."
It is definitely a worthy cause, and his name alone attracts world-wide media attention. His goals of peace between Al-Qaeda and the west are probably more illusory than he thinks, but at least he is trying to raise money for a good cause.
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