Exam 15: Globalization and Its Discontents, 2000-2014

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The term "Sunni" refers to the largest denomination within Islam. Sunni Muslims are those who follow the Sunnah, which are the practices, customs, and traditions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Sunnah is understood and interpreted through the Hadiths, which are collections of sayings, actions, and approvals of Muhammad.

Sunni Islam is characterized by a belief in the legitimacy of the early caliphs, starting with Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, who are considered rightly-guided leaders after Muhammad's death. This contrasts with Shia Islam, which holds that Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, was the rightful successor and that the leadership should remain within the Prophet's family.

Sunni Muslims make up the majority of the Muslim population worldwide, with estimates ranging from 85% to 90%. They have a diverse range of beliefs and practices but generally share the same fundamental religious tenets. The four major Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali, each named after the early Islamic scholars who founded them. These schools provide different methodologies for interpreting the Quran and the Hadiths for legal and religious rulings.

In summary, Sunni is the term used to describe the largest branch of Islam, which follows the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad and recognizes the early caliphs as his rightful successors.

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Osama bin Laden was a terrorist leader and the founder of the extremist organization al-Qaeda, known for orchestrating numerous terrorist attacks against the United States and other Western nations, including the most infamous September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 1957, bin Laden was a member of the wealthy bin Laden family and used his resources to fund and support militant Islamic groups.

He became a central figure in the global war on terror, with the U.S. government labeling him as the most wanted terrorist. After evading capture for nearly a decade, Osama bin Laden was located and killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in a covert operation, codenamed Operation Neptune Spear, on May 2, 2011, in Abbottabad, Pakistan. His death marked a significant moment in the fight against terrorism and the end of a long manhunt by international intelligence and military forces.