FAILING TO THWART THE SPIRIT OF LIBYA
Posted: May 29, 2012 Filed under: Civil War, Democracy in Libya | Tags: NATO Leave a comment »| Pregnancy is the most painful experience a woman goes through in her life. She is not able to walk freely, eat freely and work freely. Every fraction of the moment she is reminded of the responsibility she has about a life in her womb and she continues to sacrifice her pleasure for the sake of a new future.
The distressing moments become more unbearable when a woman is at the last days of her raging experience. The heartbeats begin to intensify. She is not able to breathe at ease and so on. The visit of Sadia to the college in the condition of her last phase of pregnancy was a startling sight for many. She looked exhausted. Her face seemed completely dry and the eyes were without shine. She stepped into the language laboratory of the department of English in the College of Education at Zliten in Libya. She had to attend her lecture. She sat for a few minutes looking at things around her, put her head down on the table and began to relax. Possibly she was not able to bear the exertion of her visit to college. The corridor in the college was noisy as is generally the case on the campus with students greeting one other and talking about academic activities. Teachers made occasional appearance after they moved in and out of the lecture theatre as time passed by, and the day looked pretty settled for an ideal college meeting. Sadia too got busy with her academic assignments and began to turn the pages of the book searching relevant information to complete her research project for the on-going academic degree of Bachelor of Education. Suddenly there was a big bang…deafening sound the impact of which shook the whole of the building. The windows that were half opened, closed automatically and the glasses broke. The students sprang up from their seats. Some of them could have cried but there was nobody to wipe tears from their eyes. Some of them could have wailed but there was no one to comfort them. They remained restless, but after a while they kept busy in their work negating all the traces of whatever threat coming to them in the form of unpredictable thundering sound. I looked out of the window to find out the cause of the unexpected development. Soon it was verified. The NATO (National Atlantic Treaty Organisation) had just dropped bombs nearby at a distance of one kilometre. NATO had been bombing Libya for months. Recently it had intensified its campaign. It had hit every nook and corner of the country. It was destroying infrastructure selectively. That week had witnessed NATO bombing targets near Misurata. It had damaged palm fields, had ruined houses and had shaken the walls of schools and colleges to the depth of their foundations. That had greatly affected the normal routine of life. As a result, many people from Dafniya were forced to leave lest NATO should consider the village as the command and control centre of the government forces ‘a face-saving phrase’ to the world by the international coalition to bring hell upon frightened people. The fact on the ground was that the general public felt more threatened when the thundering warplanes of NATO roared the tranquility of the sky over Libya every minute. They feared their daughters and sons in the schools, colleges and in the fields might not be the victims of the faulty targets by fierce bomb campaign. Their survival solely depended upon their chance. The threat to life to common people was both from within and out…from Gaddafi brigades as well as from NATO. To most of the Libyans, it was like the best of times as revolutions envisioned a future, it was the worst of times as war was prolonging, it was the period of awakening, it was the period of irrationality, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. Despite everything, a girl like Sadia continued to visit the college…thousands of boys and girls continued to disregard the imminent threat of bombing every moment without arms and ammunition. Her presence in the lecture theatre defined her unwavering spirit, unshakable determination and spoke volumes of questions about the logic of war of which casualties were normally innocent men and women. Her endurance represented the will of the Libyan people to keep life moving, her resolution symbolised the courage of the common women to carry on untiringly and her commitment reflected the dream of Libya as an evolving nation. The bombing threats had failed miserably to thwart the spirit of Libya… the spirit of a girl like Sadia from weaving a dream for prosperity and dignity. Published: The Tripoli Post, http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=5&i=8228
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IN STORM OF CHAOS
Posted: April 16, 2012 Filed under: Civil War | Tags: Bangladesh, Bangladeshi, Egypt, Libya, Pakistan, Philippine, Tripoli, Tunisia Leave a comment »Published in print: The Tripoli Post, Saturday, April 14-20, 2012
Link: http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=5&i=8187
War has its own language to speak. It has its own story to narrate. Death and destruction are its essential features whereas chaos and confusion are its obligatory constituents.
When civil war in Libya erupted on 17th February, 2011, there was a scene of choas and confusion both among the natives and immigrants alike. While natives had their folks behind, the immigrants had hopelessness to live with.
The magnitude of revolt was so extraordinary both in its class and character that immigrants all across Libya were caught in a state of utmost trauma and anxiety. They did not know how to respond to the fast moving events.
While Arab speaking immigrants from neighbouring countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq had all sorts of means, by road or air, to flee in a large group, the Asian migrants had no options but to wait and watch helplessly.
48 hours had passed by. There was no let down in violence. The regime’s ruthlessness in crushing the rebellion had also increased. The cities appeared to be the dwelling of the ghosts and the terror seemed to be the only language of the moment. Unpredictability ruled the hours and uncertainty characterized the event.
In that state of insecurity and vagueness, many Chinese, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Philippines and other Asian workers precipitously decided to leave as the threat to life was increasing at alarming rate each second.
To some of the migrants, it was a hard choice as they had been staying in Libya for years. There were even individuals who had been in this north African country for more than twenty five or thirty years. Libya was like a home country to them. To move so hastily and rashly was abnormal to their comprehension.
But the hard choices had to be made. Farewell was undoubtedly painful as they had to desert whatever belongings they had, which they had managed in due course of their stay in years by parsimonious way of managing the economy.
The most expensive items to part with were car, television, air-conditioner apart from other valuable electronic items such as oven, fridge, wi-max device for internet. The luxurious sofa, bed, carpet and utensils were other prized possessions to abandon.
The first few days of evacuations were those of utter chaos and confusion at the Embassies of their respective countries in Tripoli. The refugees had thronged the places in the capital and were jostling to get their names registered for an early flight to flee the imminent threat.
Though women and children were given preferences, the number of refugees exceeded the number of seats in the airplane despite the availability of flights twice or thrice a day.
Those who were on their way to airport or were escaping Tunisia by road were under strict vigilance by the army who had, by that time, taken full control of the situation in the entire west of Libya except Misurata, the place where rebellion had started.
In many cases of incidents, valuable items such as laptop, mobile and camera were snatched by Qaddafi army from immigrants in the name of security. Many poor immigrants had just their clothes on to run away from the vulnerability.
The reports of boats having capsized in the Mediterranean sea also resurfaced in the news when African migrants were trying to flee to Italy. The disastrous incidents left many children shattered.
Many women from other nationalities even had to deliver babies on their way to respective countries and had weeks of stay on the Libyan-Tunisian border to be airlifted. Some refugees had also managed to escape Libya through Egypt.
All seemed to be on the run helter-skelter, not knowing where to go and how to travel. That was like a doomsday…Qayamat when everybody will be in obsession of their own exit from misfortunes.
Definitely, Libya looked destined for major bloodshed. In that background of disorder and turmoil, those who decided to stay back had rumours of all sorts with families in their birth countries to live with. The relatives in China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Philippine had all apprehensions about those staying back in Libya.
A Tamil newspaper Daily Thanthi in India on 25th February, 2011 had carried out a piece of news with a photograph about a missing family.
The report of three other persons gone missing in Libya was also published in Pakistan. The facts were very difficult to verify.
The cases of physical harassments with families of immigrants were also reported in some of the Bangladeshi newspapers.
Rumours or incidents as such played havoc among the families in Asian countries as well as among those immigrants who had decided to stay back.
Truly, the unpredictable events in Libya granted legitimacy to all sorts of improbabilities and impossibilities to happen.
The armed conflicts always provide fertile ground for exploitation of both natives and non-natives alike. The immigrants were not exception.
War is not only about death and destruction. Well! while death and destruction have the capacity to terminate the sufferings and misfortunes, chaos and confusion that war yields traumatize the individuals the whole of their life and make them feel depressed endlessly. There is no going back from eternal misery. There is no greater torment than getting caught in storm of chaos and conflict.
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VALUING FOOD by Maryam Hedayat
Posted: April 3, 2012 Filed under: Wasting Food | Tags: Hunger Leave a comment »|
Published: The Tripoli Post, 03/04/2012 09:34:00
 Blessing (Photo credit: voyageAnatolia.tumblr.com) It is known to all that survival of human being depends upon air, water and food. Air and water are the vital necessities of life. Food is also our necessity, but in addition, it is also concerned with our wishes and cravings . Food is a substance that people or animals eat to sustain life and growth.
While air and water are in plenty and easily available to us, in comparison, food is something for which we have to work hard to grow and make use of it for survival. Truly, food is an essential part of living. Among all human activities eating undoubtedly has the greatest effect on health. After breathing, eating is what we do most frequently during lifetime. All human beings love food more than anything else. We can say food is the first and most desirable obsession in this world. Everyone wants to eat the best they can. People visit various hotels and restaurants to enjoy different and delicious food and drinks. We spend a lot of money on them. The delicious food provides us much more pleasure in life than any other activities in life. But do we ever think of the importance of food while wasting it? Do we ever feel that after a lot of hard work and spending a lot of money we get the food, which we just throw it in the dust-bin without knowing the value of it? Do we ever think of those people who are dying of hunger? Especially in parties and marriages, tones and tones of foods and drinks are wasted. Many people just pile up their plates with varieties of food and then throw them after taking one or two spoon from it. Sometimes we cook more than the need, and the left over are just wasted. Every time friends are invited and encouraged to pile up their plates, just to show the generosity and status of the family. The more the variety of food, the greater the family’s prestige. Unfortunately, there’s a dark side to this abundance. This is frequently noticed in the Arab countries with much wealth in their possession. In day to-day life also people just fill up the plate, sometimes they just taste it and leave the whole plate of food. Sometimes open the bottle of juice and leave it after tasting. All these are nothing but disregard and wastage of food. Consumers in rich nations waste a combined 222 million tons a year, according to the report. That’s almost as much as all the food produced in sub-Saharan Africa. One-third of the world’s food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted each year. The average European or North American consumer wastes 95kg-115kg of food a year, above all fruits and vegetables. In a report for The National, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) throws away 500 tons of food each year only during the month of Ramadan. The amount of food that they waste could fill the hunger of many million people. What is the real value of food; ask those who do not have even a single meal a day. Their children die just because of the hunger. How saddening it is! Every year 36 million people directly or indirectly die as a result of hunger. Fifteen million of them are only children. In developing countries, almost one out of every 15 children will die before they reach the age of five (UNICEF 2008). According to the latest Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) statistics, there are 925 million hungry people in the world and 98 percent of them are in developing countries. Wasting of food also increases the price of food, and the rising food price has pushed 44 million more people into extreme poverty. (According to a survey of world bank) Wasting food is not good for anyone in any way to the economy, to the environment or to our own ethical justification. Civilization is moving forward only to say but our values are actually moving backward. “The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “not to leave anything in the plate and he said: “You do not know in which portion of your food Allah has put the Barakah” (Blessing). Food is one of the great blessings that Allah has bestowed on mankind. Food is indeed a favour that we take for granted. We never think of the sin we commit by wasting it. We must think before wasting even a single grain. Food and drink are the great bounties of Allah Subhanahu Wa Taa’la. Every grain of food must be greatly appreciated. Wasting is the way of Shaitaan (devil). Allah (SWT) mentions in the Quran: “Eat and drink and do not waste, verily Allah does not love those who waste.”(S:7, V:31) Always thank the Almighty, and remember those who are starving of hunger. How lucky we are, we eat what we wish, Alhamdulillah! |
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LYING:A COMMON EVIL by Maryam Hedayat
Posted: March 25, 2012 Filed under: Morality | Tags: Lies Leave a comment »[Published in print: The Tripoli Post, March 24-30, 2012, page-10, Libya.]
The world is full of crimes. There is not only one crime but hundred and thousand types of crimes. One of the common crimes is lying. We can say ‘lying is the beginning of all crimes’.
In fact, lying is not only a crime but also a sin. Lying is one of the most common wrong acts that we commit throughout our daily life. It has become a sort of habit. People have literally forgotten to avoid it.
Sometimes, husband lies his wife for his late coming at home from office. The other time, wife lies husband about the meals, about not taking care of kids etc.
We also lie for no reason like, we say we are ill when we are just lazy and don’t want to go to work. Sometimes we don’t like something but we say we like it because we don’t wish to hurt someone’s feelings by telling ‘no’.
Kids lie their parents or teachers regarding their home-works or for not attending school. Employees lie to their boss, for late coming, or for incomplete work. The examples go on.
Telling lies for salary and age is also very common.
In short, there are so many unimportant activities and doings about which people tell lies to avoid argument or to get some quick benefits. In doing so, nobody realizes that they commit sin though small or big. Sometimes, some people even commit it without knowing what they are actually saying.
We will have to tell countless lies to hide the very first lie we told. Very true, to conceal one wrong statement, people make hundred more wrong statements so that they can keep up the pride.
By telling lie, one can misguide others and just by a single wrong word, people can be misguided easily.
Some people tell lies just for fun, some to hurt others and some for maintaining their social status. Sometimes a very small and minute lie can destroy somebody’s whole life. Lying truly is a form of deception.
In contrast, the truth is usually ‘bitter’; we can say sometimes it is ‘painful’. It is not that we have to be rude; rather we have to be honest. One lie leads to the next while the truth never changes, it always remains the same.
All religions and systems of ethics warn against lying. A man’s innate common sense also agrees that it is wrong, yet one commits it. A person who is habitual of telling lies looses faith in himself by others.
Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said:
‘You must be truthful, for truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise’.
Speaking the truth with respect is the right thing to do. It makes us worthy of people’s respect. It is the foundation of any worthwhile relationship. And in this age of hype it sets us and our message apart.
It is much easier to remain consistent when you are telling the truth than when you are telling a lie. It also leaves your conscience clear and unburdened. A man who tells a lie not only deceives others, he deceives himself too.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Taa’la mentions in the Quran;
‘Only they forge the lie who do not believe in Allah’s communications, and these are the liars’. (16:105)
Truthfulness is a command of Allah while lying is an act of Satan. Truthfulness is health to faith while lying is sickness to modesty.
Therefore, we should always speak the truth. It is an identity of being a good person.
May we always be blessed to speak the truth whatever the consequence to face in future! ▄▄▄
IT’S TIME TO DECLARE ISRAEL A TERRORIST STATE
Posted: March 20, 2012 Filed under: Terrorism | Tags: Israel 4 Comments »
 Gaza Freedom Flotilla under attack. That too is in full knowledge of USA and the “civilized” world. Unbelievable!
A video released by the Israeli government justifies the carnage. In a propaganda clip, the Israeli soldier rationalizes the violence, claiming they were attacked first by the people on the flotilla. “It was a lynch,” says the soldier. “Every guy that came down the ropes was taken aside, and everyone there had metal rods, knives, slingshots, glass bottles.” Since the Israelis can only be victims, and never aggressors, the soldier tries to justify the cold-blooded murder of 10 people armed with “humanitarian aids.” Enough is enough. It’s time to declare Israel a terrorist state. That’s what it is. It reacts to slingshots with machine guns. It allows its tanks to fire at stone-throwing kids. It has no qualms about firing rockets on Palestinian hospitals and residential areas. And Israel does all this in the name of fighting terror tactics of Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. And look at the way the world is reacting to this brazen attack on a humanitarian mission. The UN is saying it wants to probe the ‘acts’ which led to this ‘tragedy’. The UN is a spineless organization, but to look away and talk in an ambiguous language when civil society people are killed in cold blood is a new low even by the UN’s pathetic standards. And the US, which leaves no chance to talk about the “threats of terrorism” and “making the world safe for democracy”, is quiet. Why? Imagine, if Iran had done something similar. In that case, President Obama would be busy planning missiles attacks on Tehran. But today, 72 hours after the attack on the Gaza flotilla, the Nobel Peace Prize winner is mum. Israel is a dangerous country. It’s an irresponsible regime. It’s an undeclared nuclear power. It bullies its neighbors. It has been torturing the Palestinians living in West Bank and Gaza for decades. It treats Israeli Arabs as second-class citizens. And Israel has been doing all this because of the backing of the US, UK and other western countries, which always turn a blind eye to Israel’s crimes against humanity. And the west backs Israel not because it feels guilty about hundreds of years of crimes against Jews in Europe, but because it uses Israel as a thug against the Middle Eastern nations in order to maintain a crisis situation in the oil and gas-rich region. It’s because of this attitude; Israel always gets away with murder. After the massacre of Israeli athletes by the Black September in Munich during 1972 Olympics, Israel launched a campaign to hunt down the perpetrators of the Munich attack. Instead of finding the Black September leaders, Israel assassinated the Palestinian movement leadership spread over Europe and Africa and propagated a pure lie that all Munich criminals had been killed. In his brilliant film ‘Munich’, Steven Spielberg exposed this lie and the Zionist fanatics became angry at them. Now, Israel is denying visa to Noam Chomsky, the greatest living American public intellectual, because he has been chronicling Israel’s crimes. And both Spielberg and Chomsky are Jews. The attack on flotilla is actually an attack on Turkey. The recent nuclear deal between Turkey, Brazil and Iran has made Israel nervous. According to the deal, Iran will send its enriched uranium to Turkey for conversion into fuel. If this plan is successful, Israel and the US will have no excuse to attack Iran. That’s why they have been dismissive of the Tehran deal. And now, the US is keeping quiet and Israel is spreading lies about the Gaza flotilla, which came from Turkey. Turkey, howsoever, it can wear the mask of modernity, the Muslim identity will always remain a factor for it to maneuver global actions against Israel. At least, the recent tragedy reinforces that argument. It’s time for the international community to stop Israel’s terror games. To begin with, why can’t Israel’s actions be termed as an act of ‘terrorism’? Published: The Tripoli Post, http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=5&i=4505&archive=1
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IS WAR A NECESSARY EVIL?
Posted: March 11, 2012 Filed under: Democracy in Libya | Tags: NATO Leave a comment »
The revolution started in Tunisia[i] and travelled to Egypt. It did not even spare Libya. And then the whole of the Arab world was engulfed into it[ii].
Now there is no going back.
Critics characterize the happenings as the ‘Arab Spring’[iii]. The demonstrations have also been termed as the ‘Arab Spring and Winter’[iv]. Sometimes ‘Arab Awakening’[v] and ‘Arab Uprisings’[vi] have also been referred to the protests across the Middle East and North Africa.
Undoubtedly, the developments mark the dawn of transformation in the Arab world.[vii]
For long under subjugation by their own rulers, the common people have been struggling to come out of their own shackles[viii]. Hopefully a brighter future waits.
Democracy by its nature is a progressive philosophy. It guarantees equality and freedom[ix] to all irrespective of caste, creed and religion.
What is to be cautious about is that the product of democracy should not be imported from the warehouse of Europe or the entire sacred spirit of revolution will have its own death before it reaches its flowering.
The much celebrated war in Libya in the name of ‘Protecting Civilians’[x] through Security Council resolution authorizing “all necessary measures”[xi] is a unique and an interesting account of conflict in history. It is the war in which common people have paid the price for the sake of the interest of a few.
We saw the destruction of NATO[xii] more than the Qaddafi government or the rebels combined could have damaged. The international war coalition had authority to do so. They could not be questioned.
More than 50,000 people were killed during the conflict[xiii] as acknowledged by the National Transitional Council in Libya. All this happened in the name of ‘humanitarian intervention’ which turned out to be ‘Humanitarian Disaster’[xiv].
What Qaddafi could not do in forty years as a tyrant, NATO accomplished it[xv] in just six months. To cure the disease, we should not kill the patient.
The NATO religiously operated more than twenty five thousand sorties[xvi] in the sky over Libya…out of which more than 9,500 hit the targets[xvii].
The constant bombings by NATO were beyond the mandate[xviii] for protecting civilians. It hit every nook and corner of the country. The BBC once reported that NATO was running short of targets.
In the name of protecting civilians in Benghazi, the west succeeded in passing the resolution 1973 in the United Nations[xix] to punish Qaddafi, eventually leading to his cold-blooded murder, but hardly any piece of news hit the headlines when Sirte, Qaddafi’s birth place, was systematically destroyed[xx] blocks by blocks by NATO hand-in-hand with rebels.
The Telegraph in Britain, which backed Gaddafi’s ouster, nevertheless commented that Sirte, which once had “a brilliant panoply of university and hospitals, with a glittering seafront and a marble-lined conference centre to host leaders from around the world,” is now “a squalid ruin.”[xxi]
Undoubtedly, Colonel Qaddafi’s fight against Islamic terrorism cost him his life[xxii]. He wanted to please the west while public at home were seething with anger for his actions against religious fundamentalism[xxiii]. Some 1,270 prisoners were killed at Tripoli’s Abu Salim jail in 1996.
Both the Islamists and the west were hand in hand[xxiv] to finish Qaddafi…a reversal of American foreign policy to help Islamic fighters defeat the dictator who never supported the western cause in Africa.
Rodan writes‘With each passing day it has become apparent that the US and NATO are assisting Islamic Imperialists against Col. Mumar Qaddafi. Not only is Al-Qaeda present, but there are reports that Hizb’Allah has joined the fight as well’.[xxv]
Mr.Qaddafi also paid the price for being vocal against the interests of imperial power in Africa.[xxvi]
Colonel Qaddafi was the most secular leader in the Arab world. ‘Gaddafi called the Islamists “heretics” and worked fanatically to suppress them. Hundreds, if not thousands, were jailed, and an unknown number were executed. In 1987 Gaddafi authorized state television to broadcast the hanging of six suspected Islamists in front of a crowd at a sports stadium.’[xxvii]
He kept religion far away from politics…the modern philosophy of governance but he paid a higher price for it.
At the end, Islamists won. He also gave dignity to the black people…those who were wronged and exploited throughout the ages historically while prioritizing ‘living standard – GDP per capita $11,314 for Libyans’[xxviii].
‘Prior to the international sanction placed on Gadhafi and Libya in the 1980s, it was one of the richest in the world by GDP per capita – with a living standard higher than Japan. It was the richest in Africa before the revolution.’[xxix]
Well! big players[xxx] participated in the game. As usual, might is right.
The victory belongs to the west. Libyan people are very humble. In the past they were exploited by their own rulers; now they will be submitted to that doom by the west. The dynamics have not changed so much. The players are different. The fate of the Libyan People is likely to be the same.
Howsoever the holy intention of war in Libya, it caused immense misery and suffering to the common people. Howsoever the virtuous objective of hostility, it trailed death and destruction behind.
Ernest Hemingway said, ‘Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.’[xxxi] He continued, ‘“I don’t think there is such a thing as a good war.’[xxxii] He questioned, ‘ Is war a necessary evil?[xxxiii]
It is time we follow the true spirit of Aristotelian’s words, ‘It is not enough to win a war; it is more important to organize the peace.’[xxxiv] ▄
About the author: Mohammad Azeemullah is a lecturer of English at the College of Education in the University of Al-Merghib, Libya. He has written extensively about Libya, its people and culture. He is an opinion writer to The Tripoli Post too.
[i] Fahim, Kareem (22 January 2011). “Slap to a Man’s Pride Set Off Tumult in Tunisia”. The New York Times. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
[ii] Raghavan, Sudarsan (27 January 2011). “Inspired by Tunisia and Egypt, Yemenis join in anti-government protests”. The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
[iii] Hardy, Roger (2 February 2011). “Egypt protests: an Arab spring as old order crumbles”. BBC. Retrieved 7 March 2012
[iv] Miller, Aaron. “What Is Israel’s Next Move In The New Middle East?”. Moment Magazine. Moment Magazine. Retrieved 5/6/2011
[vi] “Democracy’s hard spring”. The Economist. 10 March 2011.
[vii] http://www.dawn.com/2011/04/04/arab-revolts-set-to-transform-middle-east-2.html. Retrieved 7 March, 2012
[ix] “Aristotle, Politics.1317b (Book 6, Part II)”. Perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 08.03.2012
[x] http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/71679.htm, Nato and Libya. Retrieved 08.03.2012
[xi] http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/14/us-un-protection-idUSTRE74C74J20110514, Analysis: U.N.
protection of civilians at issue after Libya
[xii] http://theaviationist.com/2012/03/02/un-libya-report/
‘Some NATO air strikes in Libya may have violated the law of war’ report of the International Commission of
Inquiry on Libya, The Aviationist, March 2, 2012
[xiii] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/rebel-leaders-put-libya-death-toll-at-50000-2346590.html
Sengupta, Kim. ‘Rebel leaders put Libya death toll at 50,000’, The Independent, 31 AUGUST 2011
[xiv] http://andrewgavinmarshall.com/2011/08/26/lies-war-and-empire-nato%E2%80%99s-
%E2%80%9Chumanitarian-imperialism%E2%80%9D-in-libya/
[xv] http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/news/intrnational/2011/10/25/1327.html
‘Libya: NATO’s humanitarianism results in mass destruction’, The Canadian, 25 OCTOBER 2011
[xvi] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-28/nato-s-seven-month-mission-in-libya-will-end-oct-31-after-26-
000-sorties.html,
Penny, Thomas ‘NATO’s Seven-Month Mission in Libya Will End Oct. 31 After 26,000 Sorties’ Bloomberg, Oct 28,
2011
[xvii] Ibid
[xviii] http://theaviationist.com/2012/03/02/un-libya-report/
‘Some NATO air strikes in Libya may have violated the law of war’ report of the International Commission of
Inquiry on Libya, The Aviationist, March 2, 2012
[xx] http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/oct2011/liby-o18.shtml
Marsden, Chris. ‘Sirte destroyed by NTC-NATO offensive in Libya’, World Socialist Website (wsws.org),
Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), 18 October 2011
[xxi] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8829523/Ruined-Sirte-becomes-a-
killing-ground-as-Gaddafi-loyalists-face-destruction-but-mete-out-death-of-their-own.html
[xxii] http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1740/al-qaeda-is-gaddafi-enemy-then-who-obama-is
Asalah, Fayha. “Al Qaeda is Gaddafi’s enemy, then who Obama is”, Blitz, August 31, 2011
[xxiii] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15058755
‘Libyan ‘prison massacre grave’ revives painful memories’, 26 September 2011
[xxiv] http://www.theblogmocracy.com/2011/03/30/1000-jihadists-with-libyan-rebels/
Rodan. ‘1,000 Jihadists with Libyan Rebels’, The Blogmocracy, March 30th, 2011
[xxv] http://www.theblogmocracy.com/2011/03/30/1000-jihadists-with-libyan-rebels/
Rodan. ‘1,000 Jihadists with Libyan Rebels’, The Blogmocracy, March 30th, 2011
[xxvi] http://voices.yahoo.com/tribute-colonel-muammar-gaddafi-10250153.html
LAfrique . ‘Tribute to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’, Oct 20, 2011
[xxviii] http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/52-blog-The-other-side-of-Gadaffi.html
[xxix] http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/52-blog-The-other-side-of-Gadaffi.html
Kweronda, Frank. ‘The other side of Gadaffi’, New Vision, March 08, 2012
[xxx] http://www.theblogmocracy.com/2011/03/30/1000-jihadists-with-libyan-rebels/
Rodan. ‘The Unholy Trinity remains United on Libya’, The Blogmocracy, March 30th, 2011
[xxxiv] http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/aristotle?before=1314995739
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Published: http://muslimvillage.com/2012/03/12/20439/is-war-a-necessary-evil/
OFFERING A MESSAGE THROUGH FEAR
Posted: March 5, 2012 Filed under: Faith, Islamic Perspective Leave a comment »|
If one looks meticulously at life, one grasps that fear dominates human psyche and regulates provisional existence of mankind on the earth. It is an inseparable element of human instincts as those of love, hate, anger and other forms of emotions and instincts.
The capacity to fear is part of human nature. It operates as an authority often instructing, commanding and, on occasions, cautioning individuals not to indulge in those adverse activities that lead them to detrimental consequences. It is like breath of life that resides in the interior of a living soul often causing a scope for security and safety.  Image via Wikipedia Citing fear as the essential constituent to oil the wheel of life, Dr. Michael Stadler in his renowned book The Psychology of Sailing records, ‘ As long as fear is the response to actual danger, it is a natural and even useful phenomenon’.
Richard Henderson, a well-known American author, expresses, ‘Fear gives birth to self-confidence’. Man, in fact, is born in fear howsoever he or she boasts himself/herself of. From cradle to the grave, fear keeps in human in a subdued state of slumber waiting for a chance to be acted upon. Relationship does not alone rely upon love. It is a fictitious claim and deceitful publicity. In truth, it excavates its root in fear. It receives its sustenance from fear and yields its allegiance to fear. An instance in the direction may be referred to the harmony between a child and a father. The modification of a child’s behavior at home, apart from love, also results from the awe and fear of father, and in the process, the character of child is shaped to a desirable outcome. Another example in the direction refers to that of strong feelings of patriotism in the heart of a citizen whose only jingoistic attachment towards his/her country is not sufficient enough to inject the spirit of making a law-abiding citizen until fear constantly reminds him/her of facing the consequences. Fear, in short, is a basic survival mechanism. It sharpens one’s senses and improves one’s capacity to anticipate. It also assesses risks inherent in certain situations. The argument leads to the conclusion that one should nurture fear as it strongly affects the vitality and centrality of life. It causes relationship and improves the prospect of submissiveness. Fear, in fact, is a hope. Only this ‘fear’ is required to be cultivated in heart to establish a superior relation with the Almighty, the One who sustains and nourishes us; the One who causes us to birth and causes us to death; the One who causes us to misery and causes us to happiness and the One who causes to cause everything in the universe. Woodrow T. Wilson reflects, ‘Fear God and you need not fear anyone else’. It is absolutely this fear that some of the verses of the Holy Quran intend to cultivate in man. Indeed, some of the verses in the Holy Book of which description is beyond the imagination of man are startling. Man commonly thinks… the earth, the sun, the moon, the sea, the mountain – all heavenly bodies will last forever. The Holy Book claims: “When the Sky is rent asunder and hearkens to the Command of its Lord, and it must do so; and when the Earth is flattened out, and casts forth what is within it and becomes empty, and hearkens to the Command of its Lord and it must do so; then will come Home the full Reality” (LXXXIV: 1-5). One may think that the heavens one sees above – high and sacred, seemingly vast and limitless, eternal and timeless – are not created matter. But they are. And they remain just so long as God wills them so, and not a moment longer. As soon as His command issues for their dissolution, they will obey and vanish, and all their misery will be emptied out. And it must necessarily be so; their very nature as created beings requires that they must listen to the voice of their Creator even to the extent of their own extinction. Likewise, one may think the earth so solid and real. All our perishable things dissolve into the earth. But the earth itself will dissolve into a truer Reality one day. The fear is further aroused as in the following verses: “When the Earth is shaken to her utmost convulsion, and the Earth throws up Her burdens from within, and man cries distressed: ‘What is the matter with her?’- On that Day will she declare her tidings: For that thy Lord will have given her inspiration” (XCIX: 1-5). To the ordinary human observer, a violent earthquake is a terrifying phenomenon, in its suddenness, in the mysterious origin, and in its power to destroy and uproot the strongest buildings and to bring up strange materials from the bowels of the earth. The Overwhelming Event which ushers in the Judgment will be a bigger and more far-reaching convulsion than any earthquakes that one knows. The argument leads to the fact that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. It is not a passive oppression by an outside feeling, but an active assertion of one’s own will to recognize Lord, the Cherisher. Hearts come to God by no higher motive than fear. In the words of Marianne Williamson, ‘We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone’. Signs, Miracles, Portents and Natural Disasters are sent by as a warning to strike terror into the hearts of a soul to return to the right path and be obedient to the Lord of the universe. The Divine Scripture addresses: ‘O you who believe! Fear God as He should be feared and die not except in a state of Islam’ (III: 102). Psychologists have addressed the hypothesis that fear of death motivates religious commitment, and that it may be alleviated by assurances about an afterlife. Empirical research on this topic has been equivocal. According to Kahoe and Dunn, people who are most firm in their faith and own higher degree of fear, attend religious services more than those who do not. It is time man inculcates ‘fear’ in order to comprehend the ultimate Truth, the final Destination and keep away from all disgraceful activities that corrupt and darken human soul. Love for God in us should be as spontaneous as the fear for Him. In fact, ‘To live with fear…is the final test of maturity’ as Edward Weeks noted, and the real pathway to salvation. Published: The Tripoli Post, http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=5&i=4430&archive=1
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THE BRIDAL FACE OF LIBYA
Posted: February 20, 2012 Filed under: Democracy in Libya | Tags: First Anniversary of 17th February Leave a comment »
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The bridal face of Libya on 17th February, 2012 was worth a billion-sight to behold. It was the day every house seemed lit with colourful bulbs and every door decorated with tri-colour flags of freedom.
The celebration was remarkably amazing. The revelling shrill of the children, the glowing faces of the girls, the thumping boots of the youths and the rejuvenated spirits of the old…all witnessed their moments of rebirth in the glory of hard- earned independence and liberty.
Libya had never witnessed the same experience of shared joy before. The collective thrill and public jubilation had never been the components of national festivity before. The drum never beat its music and the firecracker never burst its way to the sky before. All was alien to the conscience of autocracy in the past.
The revitalizing mood of celebration on the day was even more than the combined merriment of Eid-ul-Fitra and Eid-ul-Adha together. It surpassed all its inhibitions and the night shied from its characteristics of darkness as the dwellers thronged the road with dazzling lights of the cars and the singing songs of patriotism. In short, the cities in Libya never slept…at least that was the temper like in Zliten.
In contrast, 17th February, 2011 was the day of earthquake in Libya when tyranny let loose its teeth to bite the awakened souls of the common masses. The day savagery danced to the tune of its thirst and hunger. The day bullets outnumbered the victims and darkened the night with blood of the innocent and the hapless.
Thereafter, the struggle began…the day seemed to have the shroud of the night with horror and the night seemed to have the lurking danger of hell. Finally what led to the climax of drama is history now.
Freedom is far superior to all the wealth accumulated. Libyans had almost everything before. They had houses, cars, shops, and lands to cultivate. They had wives, children, parents and all that a normal human being elsewhere in the world could aspire to attain in life. But they were deprived of one precious asset, and that was FREEDOM.
Truly, they were denied the rights to cultivate the nationalistic feelings. They were prevented from inventing patriotic songs that envisioned the future of Libya in unity beyond tribes and beyond one-man.
That caused most Libyans to live through the feelings of restlessness and rootlessness. That generated in them the frustration of unbelongingness. Such was the state of subjugation and slavery for over four decades without a query. Then what worth were all the houses and cars for?
Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), a Spanish novelist, dramatist and poet said, ‘Liberty is one of the most precious gifts which heaven has bestowed on man; with it we cannot compare the treasures which the earth contains or the sea conceals; for liberty, is for honor…’
The honor is finally back. The surge of nationalism was never seen before and national awakening never enveloped Libyans in as much way in the past as that of now. Finally, struggle for political independence has reached its zenith. National identity is something they should feel proud of.
But true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. It is good to announce the monetary reward for the parents as well as for the children on the historic occasion. However, such a defining moment of the day should be kept exclusively for policy announcement that affects the large group of people in the long run for financial rehabilitation.
Another aspect of gala on 17th February was that the restraint with which the freedom procession was organized in the streets without chaos and without proper security on the ground augurs well for the eventful moments of general elections to be held within months.
That also acknowledges the maturity with which Libyans have chosen freedom their way of life without causing nausea to others.
At the same time, those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like other martyrs, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. They should know that the pain they went through in getting it will require more endeavor in maintaining its continued existence.
The bridal face of Libya that was glimpsed to the world in the night of 17th February, 2012 could be kept in a state of constant smile forever only if Libya reflects its true character of liberty in every walk of life setting an example for other Arab countries to emulate. Only then the true spirit of 17th February will be attained with cherished message for liberty and dignity.
Published: The Tripoli Post, http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=5&i=7914
DESECRATION OF THE HOLY QURAN IMPLIES FALSE INDIVIDUALITY OF THE LIBERAL TRADITION
Posted: February 11, 2012 Filed under: Islamic Perspective | Tags: Quran Leave a comment »|
The attempt to burn the holy book of Islam by Terry Jones, the Florida pastor in the United States of America reflects the growing pressure of spiritual frustration among public in general and in person in particular who was to stage show the event. What does it mean? It means many things to many persons.
To the traditionalists, it is an outrageous act…a case of demeaning intolerance and religious bigotry. The argument goes on. The contradiction will never cease. The animosity toward Islam is a part of history. Since its inception, the religion of Islam has faced immense challenge, false accusation and infinite disapproving remarks, yet it has grown to its recognition and awareness day by day. But never at any point in history was displayed as much prejudice against Islam as that of now. From Asia to Africa and from Europe to America, the distrust and misapprehension against Islam is widespread. The unfair treatment of Islam in global media triggering in the psyche of world public largely originates from the collective ignorance of common masses whose sustenance of knowledge of religion emanates from biased and spurious journalism. It also partly comes from reckless and wild behavior of some Muslims who seek salvation in violence to achieve their political objectives. The apprehension also arises from war of America and its Western allies in Iraq and Afghanistan of which natives are predominantly Muslims. The above arguments may seem prominent to most of the analysts but the veiled reality is that the founding philosophy of America and the Western world, and to an extent most part of the globe under the cultural weight of rich nations, is materialism and consumerism. Spirituality lies low in their scheme of life. The concept of divinity seems alien to them. In brief, the feeling of religion is pain to many. There is complete deterioration in the quality of public thoughts and beliefs. The twenty-first century has demonstrated a distressing poverty in the moral life of the people. In the words of L. H. Myer ‘deep seated spiritual vulgarity that lies at the heart of our civilization’ aptly concludes the entire gamut of modern civilization. Henry James bluntly termed the whole mystery as ‘clumsy conventional expensive materialized vulgarized brutalized life’, with T. S. Eliot terming the awesome mansion of material march of the West as ‘Waste Land’. The temper of age is undoubtedly anti decency. Interest in perversion has grown. Spiritual despair of our times is enormous. Moral dilemma shapes the psychology of an individual. Cobbett, Robert Owen, Dickens, Mathew Arnold, Ruskin, William Morris had all with a variety of stresses, pointed to the human disenchantment and disillusionment. I.A.Richards in Principles of Literary Criticism (1924) wrote: “At present bad literature, bad art, the cinema, etc., are an influence of the first importance in fixing immature and actually inapplicable attitudes to most things.” Exhorting and urging them to pay heed to the message of religion is a spiritual exercise in futility to the worn-out populace being constantly fed upon hedonism and depravity. Whether it is an attempt to burn the Holy Quran, the caricature of Prophet Muhammad or any other form of religious bigotry…all this originates from their moral rootlessness and from their escapist tendency to seek abode in perversion. There arises an urgent need to create a new interest in divinity to keep the masses away from the daily dose of spurious influence and false idealization of reality. The dilemma is that many people live fantasy existences derived from the make-believe lives of the media. One can ask why D.H.Lawerence had to ask: “why do modern people invariably ignore the things that are actually present to them?…They certainly never live on the spot where they are. They inhabit abstract space, the desert void of politics, principles, right and wrong, and so forth…talking to them is like trying to have a human relationship with the letter X in algebra.” (Insouciance, 1928) The emotional impact and the intellectual appeal of Islam are instinctive and immeasurable. The time is to unclothe their bare soul with genuine spiritual garb and emancipate them islamically so that the person like Terry Jones, the Florida pastor, does not fall into the pits of the false individuality of the liberal tradition. His attempt to burn the Holy Quran implies the depth of his ignorance in Semitic revelation and also mourns the death of a dynamic personality embodied in a common man. Published: http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=5&i=4971&archive=1 |
MISUNDERSTANDING JIHAD
Posted: February 4, 2012 Filed under: Islamic Perspective | Tags: Jihad 1 Comment »
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Is jihad the other form of terrorism? Are jihad and terrorism the two sides of the same coin? To many, they are the same and the one. Regretfully it is another crusade against the term ‘Jihad’ in Islam stands for. It is indeed a violation of the sacredness of the cause.
History is a witness – the defeated nations or for that matter the communities are always at the dictates of the conquered army.
Everything that belongs to the beaten is demonized. Muslims as one of the worn-out communities are at the altar of imperial onslaught whether militarily or culturally. Their belief, God, Prophet, or whatever pertaining to Islam is misquoted, misinterpreted and misinformed vigorously often with religious zeal by the antagonistic camp.
Jihad is one such sacred belief that has often been in conflict with intellectual vagueness in the west. It has never been in harmony with the superior military prowess of the other armed forces.
Undeniably nothing has been as much discussed and blown out of context in modern history as that of Jihad in Islam after the fall of communism. Its emergence on the global scene after 9/11 September in America hardly needs further elaboration.
Jihad is an Arabic word meaning “striving” or “struggle”. It is to overcome hard times in life. It is to discipline both physical and spiritual diversion into mystical cohesion.
A number of verses in the Quran testify that goal: “And those who strive in Our cause, We will certainly guide them to Our paths. For verily God is with those who do right” (29:69). This form of Jihad is to preserve vigour enlarging the scope of a believer’s activities leading him/her to the Straight Path.
“To those who leave their homes after trials and persecutions, and who thereafter strive hard and are patient, surely your Lord after all this, is oft-forgiving, most merciful”(16:110). The striving implies to remain patient and steadfast while facing impossible moments and severe difficulties in life.
“Allah has made those who strive, with their property and their lives, to excel by a higher degree than those who hold back.” (4:95).
It aims at spending not only in persons but also hard-earned money for the sake of God to attain maximum mileage.
Jihad doesn’t mean “war”. It certainly does not mean “violence”. The Arabic equivalents for them are ‘harb’ and ‘unf’. The distorted interpretation is unfortunate. The biased secular media interpret Islamic edicts in relation to their political objectives. The malicious design is to depict Islam into the public psyche as ‘fearsome’ entity in order to keep them away from its divine and magical influence.
Irrevocably, Jihad is an important organ of Islamic belief. Linking it to terrorism cannot frustrate the spirit of it. It is a positive word while terrorism carries negative connotation. Jihad teaches Muslims to be true to their striving in pursuit of achieving a moral goal while terrorism hurts the psyche of humanity.
Jihad is not mindless violence that kills without rationale. It is a planned and well-formulated activity. It prepares Muslims to be just and firm against the forces that harm them without provocation.
Who does not fight back against the aggressors? Do others not teach their army how to defend their nations from unjust invasion? Or do others not teach their forces the principles and conventions of war? It is as if Muslims only fight while others do not.
In the equal spirit for dignity and respect, the Quran exhorts Muslims to be ready and be prepared to face hardships in life where resistance becomes a sacred duty against the enemy: The Quran sanctions: ‘…if someone kills another person-unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth, it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And if anyone gives life to another person, it is as if he had given life to all mankind (05:23).
Muslims are granted to fight for just cause and in self-defense.
‘Permission to fight is given to those who are fought against because they have been wronged, truly God has the power to come to their support, those who were expelled from their homes without right…’(22:39). Instances can be multiplied. A verse is further mentioned: ‘Fight in the way of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress. God does not love transgressors (2:190).
Is it wrong to fight against atrocity? Is it immoral to resist occupation? Did India not fight against the British army before it attained freedom in 1947? Will America not retaliate if it is ever to face superior army? Then what ground does it hold to be labeled as ‘terrorists’ if Muslims defend their motherland from foreign invasion?
What distinguishes Jihad from terrorism is as Prophet Muhammad lays down the principles: ‘Go to war in adherence to the religion of God.
Never touch the elderly, women or children. Always improve their situation and be kind to them. God loves those who are sincere.’
In this context, Libyan leader Muammar Al-Qathafi‘s statement appears to be relevant and significant: ‘We Reject Terrorism, We Never Abandon Jihad’ (The Tripoli Post, 28 February, 2010).
It is time we understand the undercurrents of Jihad and try to condemn the social and political factors that originate it.
Published: The Tripoli Post: http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=5&i=4771&archive=1
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