11TH SEPTEMBER 2001- THE ECLIPSE TO THE LIGHT. THIS WAS THE DAY WHEN TWO AIRPLANES ATTACKED THE TWIN TOWERS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, IN NEW YORK. THIS CAUSED PANIC NOT ONLY IN NEW YORK OR THE U.S.A. BUT ALSO THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. ALL THOSE WHO HAD GREAT CONCERN ABOUT HUMANITY WERE SHATTERED BEYOND BELIEF. WHEN CARMEN BIN LADEN HEARD THIS NEWS IN GENEVA, SHE LOST HER SENSES. ALL SHE COULD SEE IN FRONT OF HER EYES WERE THE CLOUDS OF SMOKE GUSHING OUT OF THE TWIN TOWERS; FROM THE CLOUDS AROSE THE FIGURE OF OSAMA BIN LADEN, HER YOUNGER BROTHER-IN-LAW. SHE WAS TERRIBLY UPSET WHEN HER DAUGHTERS WERE ACCUSED OF HELPING OSAMA IN THIS HIDEOUS JOB. THE NEWS CHANNELS, THE NEWS PAPERS WERE ALL SAYING IT AGAIN AND AGAIN. CARMEN HAD DIVORCED HER HUSBAND, YESLAM, YEARS BACK WITH ONE INTENTION IN HER MIND, FREEDOM FOR HER DAUGHTERS, AND HAD SETTLED DOWN IN GENEVA. BUT THE ACCUSATIONS CREATED HAVOC IN HER LIFE, NOT ONLY HERS BUT HER DAUGHTERS` LIVES WERE ALSO AT STAKE. SHE GAVE INTERVIEWS TO THE NEWS CHANNELS, TO THE NEWS PAPER; SHE EXPLAINED HER ALOOFNESS FROM THE LADEN FAMILY, SHE MADE THEM REALIZE THAT SHE AND HER FAMILY WAS NO MORE A PART OF THE LADEN FAMILY. VERY REALISTICALLY, SHE PRESENTS SOME OF HER SWEET AND BITTER MEMORIES DURING HER STAY IN SAUDI ARABIA. THIS IS THE STORY OF HER FIGHT, FOR THE SAKE OF HER DAUGHTERS AND THEIR HAPPINESS.
११ सप्टेंबर २००१ -प्रकाशाला लागले ग्रहण! न्यूयॉर्कमधील वल्र्ड ट्रेड सेंटरच्या जुळ्या भावंडांप्रमाणे असलेल्या टॉवर्सवर दोन विमानांनी धडक दिली आणि केवळ त्या देशावरच नव्हे तर सा-या जगावर भीतीचं सावट पसरलं... मानवतेवर प्रेम करणा-यांची मनं होरपळून निघाली. कारमेन बिन लादेननं जिनिव्हात ही भयंकर बातमी ऐकली आणि ती सुन्न झाली. तिच्या डोळ्यांपुढे त्या इमारतींतून घुसमटत बाहेर पडणारे धुराचे ढग उभे राहिले. त्या ढगातून एकच आकृती नाचत होती... ती आकृती होती कारमेनच्या धाकट्या दिराची... ओसामा बिन लादेनची. या कृत्यामागे कारमेनच्या मुलींचा हात असावा असा आरोप वर्तमानपत्रातून आणि दूरदर्शनवरून होऊ लागल्यावर ती अधिक व्यथित झाली. आपल्या लेकींना स्वतंत्र आयुष्य जगता यावं यासाठी येस्लामबरोबर रीतसर घटस्फोट घेऊन कारमेन जिनिव्हात रमली होती; परंतु एखाद्या मधमाशांच्या पोळ्यावर दगड मारल्यावर माशा चवताळून चावे घ्यायला उठतात, तसेच काहीसे झाले. मग तिनं वर्तमानपत्रांना, दूरदर्शनवर जाऊन सा-या सा-या गोष्टींचा सविस्तर खुलासा केला. त्या काळातल्या सौदी अरेबियातील कडूगोड आठवणी तिनं या पुस्तकात वस्तुनिष्ठपणे मांडलेल्या आहेत. मुलीच्या सुखासाठी तिनं दिलेल्या झगड्याची ही कहाणी आहे.