An Egyptian author named Sayyid Qutb was a source of inspiration for radical Islamist groups such as Al-Qaeda. Their first leader, Osama Bin Laden, was exposed to the author’s body of work from both his mentor, who was a student of Qutb's, and from public lectures given by Qutb's brother. Qutb was anti-American; he detested the violence and sexual nature he claimed America possessed and his words reflected this quality.
