Congratulations to all my compatriots! Today the fighting ends officially in Libya.
A death is not a happy occasion but the death of Gaddafi in particular gives a sense of closure to the battered hearts of Libyans all over the world. Libyans needed to see him die in Libya. His death in Libya provides a sense of satisfaction that a trial no matter how 'fair' could not have done.
Such a clean cut is the best medicine for the wound that has been oozing in Libya for decades.
How he met his end is confusing that's what I'm trying to figure out and I do have some reservations about this, but it does not come as a shock. Some say he was alive when captured and the videos we saw on TV and online show that; others say he was badly injured, eyewitness seem to have conflicting accounts.
However, it would come as no surprise that people would not hold themselves and would have finished him off after capturing him as the overwhelming feeling in Libya was to cut him to shreds if one had the opportunity. It seems the same thing happened to his son Moatassim as well. Live capture and then death.
I was not waiting for his death to feel that Libya had been liberated, the fall of Tripoli on August 20 was Independence day for me and Gaddafi's killing has occurred exactly as I expected most of my adult life i.e. extremely violently.
I've been grappling with bitter sweet feelings triggered by an acquaintance's comment ( who is not Libyan) who told me last night that it was too fishy that just one day following Hillary Clinton visits to Libya Gaddafi gets killed : "she probably ordered his assassination herself and was here to see it through- telling the NTC and any NATO troops to finish with the Libya movie script". This friend told me now you will see Highlander, as soon as his death is confirmed NATO and the US will pull out of Libya as their mission has ended.
Why do some people insist on ruining the happiness of Libyans with these types of comments? Just like most Arabs I love conspiracy theories but not sure how to digest this one. I want to say that we are not dumb we understand human nature and the self interest of nations including the Western world ( who had helped and propped up the Arab dictators for decades and then removed them when no longer useful) but let us just have a small time to savour the event - we have suffered incredibly for most of our life and especially these last 9 months, thousands of Libyans have lost lives, limbs and property for freedom we deserve to grab some moments of celebration.
May the Libyan martyrs rest in peace not just those from 2011 but all those who died because of him and fighting him throughout those 42 year.
A death is not a happy occasion but the death of Gaddafi in particular gives a sense of closure to the battered hearts of Libyans all over the world. Libyans needed to see him die in Libya. His death in Libya provides a sense of satisfaction that a trial no matter how 'fair' could not have done.
Such a clean cut is the best medicine for the wound that has been oozing in Libya for decades.
How he met his end is confusing that's what I'm trying to figure out and I do have some reservations about this, but it does not come as a shock. Some say he was alive when captured and the videos we saw on TV and online show that; others say he was badly injured, eyewitness seem to have conflicting accounts.
"Arab broadcasters showed graphic images of the balding, goateed Gadhafi -- wounded, with a bloodied face and shirt -- but alive.
Later video showed fighters rolling Gadhafi's lifeless body over on the pavement, stripped to the waist and a pool of blood under his head.Standing, he was shoved along a Sirte road by fighters who chanted "God is great." Gadhafi appears to struggle against them, stumbling and shouting as the fighters push him onto the hood of a pickup truck.He was driven around lying on the hood of a truck, according to the video. One fighter is seen holding him down, pressing on his thigh with a pair of shoes in a show of contempt." [ref]
However, it would come as no surprise that people would not hold themselves and would have finished him off after capturing him as the overwhelming feeling in Libya was to cut him to shreds if one had the opportunity. It seems the same thing happened to his son Moatassim as well. Live capture and then death.
I was not waiting for his death to feel that Libya had been liberated, the fall of Tripoli on August 20 was Independence day for me and Gaddafi's killing has occurred exactly as I expected most of my adult life i.e. extremely violently.
I've been grappling with bitter sweet feelings triggered by an acquaintance's comment ( who is not Libyan) who told me last night that it was too fishy that just one day following Hillary Clinton visits to Libya Gaddafi gets killed : "she probably ordered his assassination herself and was here to see it through- telling the NTC and any NATO troops to finish with the Libya movie script". This friend told me now you will see Highlander, as soon as his death is confirmed NATO and the US will pull out of Libya as their mission has ended.
Why do some people insist on ruining the happiness of Libyans with these types of comments? Just like most Arabs I love conspiracy theories but not sure how to digest this one. I want to say that we are not dumb we understand human nature and the self interest of nations including the Western world ( who had helped and propped up the Arab dictators for decades and then removed them when no longer useful) but let us just have a small time to savour the event - we have suffered incredibly for most of our life and especially these last 9 months, thousands of Libyans have lost lives, limbs and property for freedom we deserve to grab some moments of celebration.
May the Libyan martyrs rest in peace not just those from 2011 but all those who died because of him and fighting him throughout those 42 year.
6 comments:
So we should thank Hillary, eh? Well, that makes a lot of sense indeed! What I cannot figure out though is this: "If she had the clout to order his execution, how come she previously ordered all those men who really wanted him dead to let him live?" Anyway, jolly nice of them to oblige on both accounts.
Seriously, back in 2006, I envisioned a completely different end to this era. I thought The Man would grow old and weak and that his regime would crumble slowly during indecisiveness and infighting among his heirs. Was I wrong or what! I will need to have a serious chat with that gypsy woman who sold me that bogus crystal ball!!
But really, now, I am soooo happy for all you Libyans! Cheers!
I agree it was over in August but at least now this hopefully reduces the risk of a serious insurgency starting up. I'm also glad he's dead rather than taken alive for trial. Some people think it's a healing process to put tyrants on trial but I'm not one of them. I think they deserve to be treated the same way the treated their victims while they were in power. A formal summary execution probably would have been better but too much to expect from militia fighters, I guess.
Wonderful post! It is so Highlander-like! I admit that I am also glad that the bastard is dead, and I prefer that to having more of his usual verbal diarrhoea in a trial.
Oceankid fixed the (fatally) weak point of the conspiracy theory. It rests on a wrong premise: that Libyan revolutionaries could kill the Q-man long ago but awaited a go-ahead from the USA.
If Americans and other Westerners had any control over new Libya, I am sure we would not be hearing now all this talk about introduction of full-blown Sharia and ban on interest, which (I assure you) makes us quite unhappy.
Oceankid thank you, though I regret the way he died, he had to go for the Libyans to feel safe, I'm not sure how to explain it but will perhaps blog more about this another time.
Maya thank you, I don't know how Libya will end up but I'm sure that if Libyans don't keep silent the will of the majority will take place, the problem is that some people are nowadays more armed than others and the ones that have the most arms are not necessarily the more enlightened among us .....the NTC does not really have power on the street and there is no national army ( or there is a tiny nucleus of one )
Craig thanks yes summary execution would have been great in Bab Azizia !
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