"Extremism is so easy. You've got your position, and that's it. It doesn't take much thought. and when you go far enough to the right you meet the same idiots coming around from the left."
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(Interview with Clint Eastwood, TIME magazine, February 20, 2005)
When Libyans took action to put an end to Gaddafi's ruling and revolted against his oppression and injustice, Islamists were the biggest -maybe the only- winner in this revolution!
Okay, before I carry on I need to state my point of view about the word "Islamist", because when this word is used it has a negative meaning that doesn't quite resonate with my intellect. I don't believe it should be used as a violent vehicle for rejectionists and radicals, or to mean Muslims the American news media "don't like". I personally prefer to use the term Islamism believers:
Islamism: fascist political ideology based on an pejorative version of Islam to guide people's lives politically, socially, economically and personally.
Islamism believers: Simply anyone who believe in Islamism, NOT Islam
The end of Gaddafi's barbaric oppression opened Pandora’s box in Libya. Today, Islamism believers practice more of a following form of Gaddafi’s oppression. They keep taking their own way to transplant the seeds of their sadistic and fascist ideology inside Libya, relentlessly.
Libya won its freedom by ousting Gaddafi “the extreme dictator”, but not Gaddafi “the extreme oppressive ideology”. Islamism believers in Libya were not tagged along incidentally during and after February 17 Revolution. In fact, Islamism groups and leaders (such as AbdulHakim Belhaj) were a main component of the revolutionary in Libya.
It’s due to Gaddafi’s long years of tyrannical dominance and his wide scale abuse and mistreatments of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya that following the fall of his regime the members of Muslim Brotherhood re-appeared onto the Libyan scene in an extremely violent form, extending their presence into groups working within the system and others outside, spoiling all democratic values — Liberty, Equality, Justice that the Libyan uprising signifies.
It’s due to Gaddafi’s long years of tyrannical dominance and his wide scale abuse and mistreatments of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya that following the fall of his regime the members of Muslim Brotherhood re-appeared onto the Libyan scene in an extremely violent form, extending their presence into groups working within the system and others outside, spoiling all democratic values — Liberty, Equality, Justice that the Libyan uprising signifies.
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| Formal portrait of King Idris with his handwritten inscription to King Hassan II of Morocco |
When the Muslim brotherhood first founded and created by Egyptian cleric Ezadine Ibrahim Mustafa in 1949, they were badly mistreated in Egypt. Fleeing political persecution, Muslim Brotherhood sought and were given refuge by former Libyan King Idris. Now you might think that the king’s decision at that time was not wise, though I respectfully disagree with that . King Idris believed in the values of democracy and justice and applied them without discriminatory when dealing with the Muslim brotherhood. Although he allowed them a relative degree of freedom to spread their "moderate" ideology- back then-, this freedom was neither enough to threaten the Libyan sovereignty and stability politically, socially, or economically nor insufficient to cause any degree of bigotry against the ruling of the king or the personal and social lives of Libyans.
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| Libya in the 1960s Source: THE LIBYAN book by Esther Kofod http://www.estherkofod.com/ |
Unlike King Idris, of course, Gaddafi created from the Muslim Brotherhood a relatively worse sociopathic enemy of himself. Gaddafi instigated a totally unwelcome approach when dealing with the Muslim Brotherhood, making them a potential source of opposition and enemy. He opened further doors for harassment, torture and executions. Even worse, he gave the Brotherhood all the reasons to grow their hate and operations on the sly throughout the remainder of the 70s. Resisting the oppression, these formerly moderate Islamic groups were imprisoned and subjected to the worst kinds of physical and psychological torture. By mid 80s, most members that remained in Libya were either imprisoned or executed. Today, The rise of all these malicious Islamism groups in hunger of control and power were fed by the former unfailing tyranny and totalitarianism of the ruling families (like Gaddafi in Libya) and military regimes (like Hosni Mubarak in Egypt).
In Libya, the benign tumor that King Idris strived to deal with wisely, Gaddafi turned it into a malignant one throughout the decades of his dictatorship. The Muslim Brotherhood arose other radical movements in Libya and the Middle East. From “The Libyan Islamic Group”, “The Islamic Gathering Movement”, “LIFG: The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group" (which was back then the leading Islamist group that boldly opposed the Gaddafi’s regime), and now “Ansar Sharia” and “Libya Dawn”.
When King Idris made an ally of the Muslim Brotherhood, it’s not because he supported their ideology, it’s because he knew that violence could simply drag more and worse degree of violence. Gaddafi’s oppression created these fascist movements and all these extremist groups led by bloodthirsty, unhinged minds, that Libya’s youth today has to face and put their lives, career and future at stake under the desperate hope to end this fascist movement so that the next generations can have the opportunity to start build Libya with a clean slate.
Although I believe that the so-called “Libya Dawn” and “Ansar Sharia” have a long, long way to go to win over the young educated Libyans by their oppression, young Libyans must keep in mind that the these groups were incubated and nurtured for long years by a tremendous amount of both physical and psychological oppression and torture. They are prepared to take the long view and barbarically work at the grassroots level in the hope of bringing people of Libya to their cruel ideology. Having said all that, I do not believe that the solution to Libya’s dilemma is to create more of an “Us vs. Them” sides and pick either one of them to fight and kill.
Although I believe that the so-called “Libya Dawn” and “Ansar Sharia” have a long, long way to go to win over the young educated Libyans by their oppression, young Libyans must keep in mind that the these groups were incubated and nurtured for long years by a tremendous amount of both physical and psychological oppression and torture. They are prepared to take the long view and barbarically work at the grassroots level in the hope of bringing people of Libya to their cruel ideology. Having said all that, I do not believe that the solution to Libya’s dilemma is to create more of an “Us vs. Them” sides and pick either one of them to fight and kill.
we need some sort of spiritual and realistic awakening to realize that ending the inhuman crimes that have been triggered since the past two years with the same degree of violence will never get Libya out of this bloodshed circle. If we truly wish to understand our enemies we must first look inside ourselves. The most rational way to free Libya from the mercilessness of Islamism that's destroying every hope of a promising Libya, is for Libyans to free themselves first from the package of obliviousness that lives beneath their minds and hearts: “the plague of their hearts, the evil of their thoughts, and the emptiness of their minds.” That might sound a bit harsh, but it’s relatively true. Unfortunately, the majority of Libyans are heedless of minding their own vices but alertly aware of each other’s blunders. As Churchill once said: "When there is no enemies within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you."
God only know how many houses need to be destroyed, families to be displaced and innocent lives to be lost to realize that violence will never end violence.
How long would it take Libyans to partly understand the real concept of democracy: Justice, Equality, Mutual respect, Liberty (freedom of speech, thinking and belief), and to eventually apply it and make it come into popular use as a politically, socially and economically dignified term in Libya.
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| Tripoli University, 1966, Libya. Source: THE LIBYAN book by Esther Kofod http://www.estherkofod.com/ |
Nothing more will have negative repercussions for the growth and safety of Libya than ignorant minds and indifferent hearts. And nothing will defeat Islamism in Libya but having Libyans with intellectual minds and open hearts working as one hand. Islamism believers are antagonistic to intelligent, pure and moral peacemakers. We can not defeat a fascist movement that has grinning men with rusty butcher knives to kill us with the same level of violence unless we completely degrade ourselves to their mindset.
On the other hand, what makes intelligent people with great minds and hearts (like Salwa, Fariha, Tawfik, Sami, Abdulsalam, and countless of other great people Libya has lost) more powerful than any fascist movement is the way they believed and acted of how Libyans must be like if they first love themselves, each other and their country. They believed that:
No violence will stop them
No protest will shame them
No public spectacles will humiliate or destroy a grinning group of people with deranged minds and long knives in their hands but a highly intellectual group of people with open minds and hearts, working all together as one
What unifies these fascistic maniac groups is the sword. If anyone of them think of operating outside the sword, he will be backstabbed by his closest kill-mate immediately. They work with each other and protect themselves from each other by the same tool.
Meaning, each one of them worships nothing by himself.
On the other hand, what makes intelligent people with great minds and hearts (like Salwa, Fariha, Tawfik, Sami, Abdulsalam, and countless of other great people Libya has lost) more powerful than any fascist movement is the way they believed and acted of how Libyans must be like if they first love themselves, each other and their country. They believed that:
We Libyans, are all equal in the fact that we are all different
We are all the same in the fact that we will never be the same
We are all united by the reality that each one of us has his or her own different personal life to be respected, not judged
We are all harmonious in the reality that we are all held accountable by law in order, not by any religious views, traditional or cultural background
If you ask me how can I destroy Islamism in Libya? My answer would never be: "Through applying the real values of Islam." NO! Let's never talk or use religion as a behavioral biometrics tool to measure and analyze our good and bad deeds as citizens. Use religion to measure your deeds with God, but in public, we must use law and order.
Although, I may personally believe that my religion- like many other religions- is a fundamental repository of compassion, moral goodness, and self-transcendence, i also believe that people can possess all these virtues without the need to follow or use any religious metrics to measure their good or bad deeds.
If you really believe in the concept and philosophy behind religions, you should know that following and practicing one is way more than just carrying these virtues. My religion is so personally mystical and spiritual that no one else can fathom but me and God and if I ever try to force it on anyone, then it becomes anything else but religion.
Although, I may personally believe that my religion- like many other religions- is a fundamental repository of compassion, moral goodness, and self-transcendence, i also believe that people can possess all these virtues without the need to follow or use any religious metrics to measure their good or bad deeds.
If you really believe in the concept and philosophy behind religions, you should know that following and practicing one is way more than just carrying these virtues. My religion is so personally mystical and spiritual that no one else can fathom but me and God and if I ever try to force it on anyone, then it becomes anything else but religion.
Happy Indepedance Day, Libya
December 24, 2014
Nafisa Elsed (aka- Nafissa Assed)
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In these times of upheaval in Libya, it's no wonder many of us would want to remember happier times in Libya.
A Glimpse of life before Gaddafi: "The oppressive Ideology"
Libya, 1960s
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| A New Year's party at the Uddan Hotel In the picture: Mohamed Nga, the owner of the hotel. Tripoli, 1960s |
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| The pink striped cathedral Tripoli, Libya 1960s |
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| Tripoli, Libya 1960s |
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