Qaddafi = Dangerously Crazy
I can’t believe I missed this absolutely insane speech that Qaddfi made in April - ok, he’s made a lot of crazy speeches, but this one was particularly so. Here’s a few gems from the looney bin:
“”We in North Africa are Arabs, and North Africa is 100% Arab. Those whom we say are Berbers are the original, unadulterated Arabs.”
“We the Berbers are the Arabs who came by land, by land [barr barr].”
“The Amazigh tribes died out a long time ago, since the days of the Kingdom of Numidia. These are tribes we don’t know at all. Perhaps they were Semitic or Eastern [tribes] who came [to the region], but they died out and are no more.”
Here’s a great reponse to this insanity from Belkacem Lounes, president of the World Amazigh Congress.
August 26th, 2007 at 7:38 am
He is just trying to apeal to panarabism and thinks he is Gamal Abdul Nasser all over again.
August 26th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
ويبقى القدافي المهرج المبدع الدي يعطي للقمم العربية نكهة خاصة… حتى عندما هان بعد احدث سبتمبر و طلب الشفاعة طالبته امريكا بالانبطاح فلم يكتف بكشف برنامجه النووي بل سلم حتى سكاكين المطابخ بينما احتفظ بسلاح قمع الشعب الليبي او كما يسمي من يعارضه بالكلاب الضالة و اصبحت كوندي حبيبته و هي تستعد لزيارة ليبيا واقولما و بموضوعية الانحناء امام العاصفة افضل من مواجهتها وماهو اليوم يتبث سيف الاسلام كواقع ويتبث نفسه كعميد للديكتاتوريات العربية
August 27th, 2007 at 3:55 am
DV - Apparently I need to learn a little bit more about this Pan-Arabism! I had the idea that it was a rather outdated school of thought…
Al-M - Well, with the help of my husband and an online translator, I think I have the gist of your comment - yes, the U.S. always seems to be involved somehow.
August 27th, 2007 at 6:48 am
Azul Liosliath,
a quick translation of al-muta9adea’s comment into English:
Qaddafi remains the clown who gives Arab summits a distinct taste… even when he softened up and begged for grace. The US asked him to capitulate. He did not only show his nuclear programs but gave everything even the kitchen knives. The weapon he kept was that of the oppression of the Libyan people. He calls those who oppose him “street dogs”. Condi becomes the one he loves. She is getting ready for a visit to Libya. I say this with objectivity, bending down to a storm is easier then having to face it. Here he is now placing Saif al-Islam [his son] as reality and proving himself the dean of Arab dictators.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:32 am
Thanks Bouba!
August 28th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Felix,
I am only vaguely familiar with Qaddafi, and I am trying to understand your statement. I realize that I am probably playing into the “ignorant American” role here, but I am truly interested in understanding the issue (as I’m roughly familiar with American politics, and those I have a hard time keeping up with sometimes; what is the root issue here in the ‘Arabic-Berber/ North African’ politics with Qaddafi’s statement?) Is he trying to give the Berbers an identity? Is he attempting to unify North African ethnic groups, dispose of ethnic identity or something else?
Can you define ‘pan-arabism’? Is there an issue with Arab/Berber identity, racism, class distinction or otherwise?
Ok, enough questions. I’m afraid if I ask more, I will play even further into the American stereotype of ignorance; in my defense, the Arab-Berber issue isn’t given any air-time in the news here in the States, and I wish to remedy my lack of understanding.
Blessings!
August 31st, 2007 at 8:17 am
@Shane, Amazigh people (pl, imazighen) are the indegenous people of North Africa and they lived there since dawn of history. they occupied a vast area that was called Tamazgha, North africa ( tafriqt) Libya is their land. Gaddafi, like many other rulers of North africa wanted to arabize te land and the people to rule new nation states they made themselves.
i personally think, Gaddafi is an assasin. he killed so many people because they refused to endorse his ideas. Said Sifaw El Mahrog was a poet and he said his words in Berber. “he died in a car accident”. a lie that nobody believed. he was killed by Gaddafi. if you speak Tamazight in a public space you go to gail. you can’t name your children Numidia, Massin, Massinissa, yuba, yugerten, anir, tafukt …etc these names are “ifranja” that is non arab. and you are totally disciminated against if you do not speak arabic and you can go to jail if you play music in your own car or house if it is berber.
Tamazight has never made it to radio or tv, not even in a folklorized way as in morocco and Algeria.
one of my close friends can not go to Libya NOW because he was seen in Amazigh news papers and International conferences. he preferred to stay away from the regime and
work from abroad.
there is a huge movement outside Libya working with other organizations in morocco, algeria ++ to put more pressure on Gaddafi.
By saying Amazigh people have died out, what he is saying is every Amazigh of Lybia is a famtom. a ghost. they do not exist. well this is not new for these regimes. i mean it is happening i guess in north America as well. the Navajo and the Hopie are considered part of the past… they are living but they are part of a story told in the past tense. people like you and me know they are there but in formal educational and media contexts they belong in a remote past. and that is what Gaddafi was referring to when he said amazigh people died out.
@shane again thank you for your interest in amazigh people.
@Felix, tanemirt (thanx)
August 31st, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Bouba,
Thank you for the clarification! It is strange to think that discrimination is so rampant in the world, but if the shoe were to be put ‘on the other foot,’ I’m sure that it wouldn’t be very comfortable, were the ‘discriminators’ turned into the ‘discriminated’.
Blessings.
October 19th, 2007 at 2:08 am
Read this letter to Qaddafi .. if you think he is crazy!
www.ersnews.com
August 9th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
thanks,
Nice blog
October 16th, 2008 at 8:41 am
My question is .
Why Qaddafi accept all minority except Amazigh minority?