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How the World Sees Osama bin Laden

Little Kabul, Fremont, California, October 2001

Few figures in history are as deeply reviled by millions -- and as profoundly revered by millions more -- as 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden. On the occasion of his death -- the Saudi-born al Qaeda founder was killed in a firefight with American special forces in Pakistan on May 1, 2011 -- LIFE.com takes a look at the wildly varied lenses through which the world has viewed the man who, for nine years, was the most wanted fugitive on the planet. Above: An anti-bin Laden poster in a store in the "Little Kabul" district of Fremont, Calif. Fremont has the largest Afghan community in the United States.