Libyan Revolution of 2011
The Libyan Mujahideen left their homes and headed for the mountains where they planned their attacks against their enemy. Their enemy had used inhumane measures to end the resistance. But the Mujahideen came at them on three fronts from Misrata, Gharyan and az-Zawiyah. There is something familiar about this scene. The year is not 2011 but actually 100 years prior to this date: 1911. The enemy is Mussolini's Italian army, and the Mujahideen are 'Omar Al-Mukhtar's men trying to resist and win back the main Libyan cities from this ruthless enemy.
The most astonishing thing is that Gaddaffi has used more force against his own people in the last six months than any enemy in the history of the state. He is using Israeli tactics as well as the Italian tactics of planting mines in the way of the rebels in his own country. His use of scud missiles to try to stop the rebels from approaching his throne is a sign of a desperate final attempt before his time is up, which most Libyans hope will fall on the day of 'Eid. It would be ironic if such a victory came on one of the day of 'Eid days, September 1 2011, the same day as Gaddaffi got his victory, which he called the revolution of 1969.
The so-called revolution of 1969 was a coup by young army officers, which put the young Mu'ammer al-Gaddaffi forward as their leader. It started with a broadcast over the radio...
***
A few Press Analysts, who focused on the issue of Gaddafi's coup, came to the conclusion that the Western governments and Israel helped Gaddafi to power in Libya. It's well-known that he spent a year in Britain just before the coup, and he was very young to be elected leader by his peers at the time. The Idris government, which was correctly built on the right constitution and had high ambitions to make the necessary advances in the country, stood firmly with Egypt's army during the 1967 war. The Libyan government at the time also prohibited Israeli and American aircraft to fly from the western bases in Tripoli and Tobruk to take part in the war and to give advantage to the Israeli side. In addition to this, there were Libyans who acted cruelly to the Jewish minority in Libya during and after that war by burning their properties and shops, causing them to emigrate to either Europe or America.
The coup of September 1969 was carried out by twelve young officers from various regions of Libya. The people saw it as a change and so welcomed the young reformers of the time, thinking they would change Libya for the better, as oppose to the older leaders from the Idris government. The masses were promised true democracy, socialism and unity of the Arabs, especially after the 1967 war. It was a strategic move for Gaddaffi: he tried to follow and act like his hero Jamal 'Abd Nasr, with charismatic speeches from the outset. His goals were clear; and carefully guarded.
In the early 1970s Gaddaffi held intellectual seminars and free thought workshops among students and university staff to discuss the revolution objectives, new ideas and plans for Libya's future. His intention for these seminars, as was discovered a few years later, was to pinpoint his opponents early on. He would imprison those who opposed his views; and a lot of people disappeared around this time. In 1973, he turned on his colleagues who opposed him or advised him, and then executed his plan for chaos theory in Libya, just so he could stay in power for as long as possible. He held a very important meeting in the city of Zuwarah, and gave a fervent speech, which called for the angry masses to disable all laws impending of revolutionary transformations, suspending all work in progress (Construction, Education, etc.) due to a new constitution being investigated, introducing the so-called 'Cultural Revolution' and 'Administration Revolution', which passes all power to the people!
He gave this long and historical speech, a declaration of the People's Revolution, on the anniversary of Prophet Muhammad's birthday. He executed the final stages of his plan to introduce his chaotic theories so that he would secure his place firmly on his throne and become 'King of kings'. Gaddaffi's experimenting with Libya destroyed the country and made most of its inhabitants ignorant and illiterate. He interfered with the Educational System at all levels, the health system, the economy, the media and Libyan press, agriculture, industry, trade, foreign affairs, and the military so that he created a system that suited himself only, and to protect his position as the new king of Libya. Nobody could oppose him or even criticize him. Many people were killed, imprisoned or suddenly disappeared during the 70s and 80s. He planned bogey coups between 1970 and 1975 to verify his suspicions amongs his peers and those close to him.
In April 1976, he announced the Student's Revolution and set up security surveillance around all of the universities in Libya. This was so he could identify those students who were opposing him and challenging his theories. He would hang students in the public squares and transmit the pictures live on national television, once during breakfast in Ramadan, just to show an example and put terror in the youths hearts. Nobody could challenge him or try to stop Gaddaffi's plans after this sick and murderous era.
In 1978, he accused the sole trader and shop-keeper of stealing the people's wealth, stopping honest trade in Libya and introducing government-controlled shopping centers and malls, mainly to control the people's needs and weaknesses. In that same period he also destroyed the Industrial sector by causing rifts amongst industrial and factory workers. He penetrated these sectors in such a way that you would think he had been planning it all of his life.
During the 1980s he appointed his own people as ministers for education, health and finance; corruption was ripe and seething in these sectors, year by year, for the next thirty years.
What's ironic is that at the time of King Idris' reign, the country was much better, even though there was really no oil revenue as of yet: The educational system was excellent, the transport system (trams and buses with numbers as is in Ireland/UK), Post Offices, proper addresses (post codes) and roads, security (proper fear in Islam), Justice, a good health system, etc. .... to be continued and expanded if you like!!! --- ANd Gaddaffi was supposed to come and expand on this???!! - he demolished it all and went backwards (leaving none of the above amenities & facilities for his citizens - only oppression, corruption, bribery, murder and hypocrisy)
My Personal Experiences in Libya at the Start of the Revolution
The streets of Tripoli are eerily quiet. Everybody tries their best to go about their business without saying a word about the regime or the troubles happening in the east of the country. The bread queues are getting longer by the day and sometimes you are waiting for an hour just to get bread for your family. The petrol queues are even longer and more frustrating. Universities and schools are intermittent, closing and opening every few days, confused with the unpredictability of the crisis that started on February 15th on the streets of Benghazi.
What has been named as the February 17th revolution is actually not a new one. The people of Benghazi have tried to re-enact this revolution every year on this date for the past ten years or so. There has been hatred towards Gaddafi in Benghazi for years for a number of reasons. One main reason is the story of the Abu Saleem prisoners and the oppression of Gaddafi on his own people. In 1980, Gaddafi ordered the killing of 1,200 unarmed prisoners and buried them in their spot without so much as a flinch. What was their crime? demonstrating against him and saying they did not approve of his oppression and corruption. The families of these dead prisoners have been lied to and brushed aside for the past 31 years.
I can’t remember much of my early years in Libya. I can just about remember that we used to drive along the coast of Libya from Tripoli to Benghazi. It was some drive. Imagine driving over one thousand kilometers in the summer heat of Libya, on one of the most dangerous roads in the country. It took a whole day to drive that stretch of road to Benghazi, but it was enjoyable. The beautiful sunshine beamed through the car window. I remember the picnic at a nice beach halfway to our destination. I was only around the age of four, so I can’t remember much of it. The rough Mediterranean sea that smashed off the rocks was quite frightening; that’s how I remember the halfway picnics at the beach. I was probably asleep for most of the trips to Benghazi. We used to go regularly to visit my grandparents and relatives on my mother's side.
Let me tell you something about Benghazi: The Benghazi people were sort of rougher than the Tripoli people. They were not as snobby or stuck-up so to speak! Well that was the impression I got when we moved near my grandmother’s house on holey street as we used to call it, because it was full of big pot holes and cracked roads. Compared to Tripoli, Benghazi was like an impoverished place in another continent! It used to be much better back in the 1970s or 80s with cool hotels and parks, and beautiful beaches. But now it looks like a war-torn ‘Iraq or Afghanistan!
Anyway, I met a lot of nice people on my Grandmother’s road; but most of the kids started taking drugs (cigarettes, hashish, which led to other stronger things). When I met my friends again last year, I heard some had died from drugs; some are like beggars living rough on the streets (in their thirties). A couple had totally lost it. This is the picture of Benghazi I've witnessed. When I actually went back to revisit the city last year, I saw the people of Benghazi I knew as a kid and almost cried at the sight: Those who smoked or took drugs were dirty, skinny beggars on the holey street of my child-hood, waiting to die (from lung cancer or some other drug-related disease or AIDS). It was a sad sight, which I noticed on most quarters of the city streets. It has been abandoned and ignored by a ruthless, angry government. You wouldn't think it was a part of Libya if you compared it with Tripoli. One wonders why the revolution of the east-side people hadn't started much earlier. {from my Autobiography}!!!
Gaddafi's mistakes are numerous, but the most obvious is his negligence to mention something fruitful on his yearly address on the date of the Prophet's birthday, 14th February. Every year on this day he leads the usual crowd in prayer and then talks for an hour about issues like Palestine or charity. This year should have been different after what had happened in Tunisia and Egypt, two neighbors and close allies of the longest-serving dictator. Most of the youth were expecting him to mention reforms, benefits and a portion of the wealth from the oil. The youth in the country were expecting to hear about how to get a decent education, proper job, money to marry and own accommodation, which is not affordable even in the outskirts of Tripoli. He promised them he would touch on such subjects very soon.
Gaddafi, the leader of the people, disappointed most of the Libyans on this day as he does every year with broken promises and hypocritical jibe. The result was a repeat of what happened in Tunisia and Egypt, and what turned out to be the end of the dictatorship era as the Arab countries were bracing for angry demonstrations one by one.
The February 17th Revolution of 2011 was supposed to be extinguished quickly as was the case every year by one of the worst dictators in the Arab world. However, this time all cameras were on the Arabs and revolutions in the region. Just as the media had destroyed Ben 'Ali and Mubarak in a few weeks, they were planning to follow suit with Gaddafi. It was not going to be as easy. This dictator was not going down without a full-blown war.
Gaddafi's son, Saif-al-Islam tried to calm down the angry mob after a couple of days of bad decisions from the regime. He only made things worse. After the killing of at least 20 people in Benghazi and injuring many more in other parts of the country, Saif-al-Islam threatened of tribal and civil wars, the end of petroleum in the country, and division of the country. The threats made by the dictator's son only made things worse. The anger and protests only intensified, and the death toll increased with panic from the ruthless regime.
Gaddafi's first speech reminds one of Hitler. The venomous anger in his voice, the seriously sick threats to burn the country and use millions of mercenaries to help him do it, the insulting and patronizing of his own people. He backed his threats up with actually killing his own people in parts of Jdabia, Zawiyah, Misrata and Tripoli. He has used excessive force since the early days of the revolution to try and extinguish the hatred of the people. But the hatred and protests against him has only grown since his killing spree began. The atrocities, which even Israel and Hitler are innocent of, perpetrated against his own people, had turned most of those closest to his regime and the whole world to go against him. People around the world could not believe what they were witnessing on their television screens: An insane, ruthless dictator that was actualizing the threats of his speeches and burning his own people, indifferent to warnings by world politicians and human rights organizations.
Misrata and Zawiyah were surrounded and demolished. Jdabia was destroyed. Benghazi was on the brink of being wiped out. The No-fly zone was a necessary first step to stop this evil dictator from causing a holocaust not seen for a long time. It is ongoing to this day. Although the rebels are disorganized and feeble at this stage, they have the confidence and faith to see them through this crisis, which has spiraled out of control and taken hold of every Libyan's attention.
I actually spent two days in Tunisia on my way back to Ireland and the people are really doing well for themselves. No more fear on the streets: people are talking about politics, religion and have 'real freedom'. The Masajid are actually full and the first woman (in over 60 years) to take a passport photo with a hijab was recorded! The police and security forces are more respectable and helpful; no more bribes; there's actually a fear of corruption at this particular time in the city! However, at night time it's scary and some ignorant gangs take advantage of the ungoverned country. Overall, they are an educated people of principle, and good-natured, so Allah will see them through this temporary rough patch, especially after their courage to push out a dictator and are finally coming back to their deen and heritage...
******************************
NATO's mission in Libya is taking longer than envisioned. Everyone is losing patience as Ramadan approaches. Gaddaffi and whoever is left over from his cronies are still defiant. The world is still waiting for a resolution to this conflict. Although the world media has waned and lost patience with the coverage, there are still Libyan youth from all over the world bringing help (in the form of medicine, food stuff, vehicles, military aid) to the warring regions (Nalut, Zentan, Misrata). The Libyans have not lost hope just yet, but wish the fighting would end before Ramadan starts. All in all, Gaddaffi's 42-year tenure as 'king of kings' in Africa is destined to end in failure, as did Hitler's, Stalin's and Mao Tse-Tung's.
*********************************