Libya introduced
by Paul Grant, ed.When most people hear the name “Libya” they understand the nation-state on the south shore of the Mediterranean Sea, but the name is very old. Originally a Greek word referring to the people living west of Egypt (New Bible Dictionary), “Libya” has come to refer to a long stretch of land in North Africa, its hinterlands, and the governments administering that land.
The Cyrene of the New Testament lies in the Eastern half of today’s country, so Libyan Christians can claim very old roots in the faith: It was Simon of Cyrene, after all, who carried Jesus' cross. The majority of today’s Libyan Christians (ca. 3% of the total population) are Orthodox (chiefly Coptic), but most of these are probably foreign laborers from Egypt. The vast majority of the population is Muslim.
After gaining independence from Mussolini’s Italy during WWII, Libya’s monarch was overthrown in 1969 in a revolutionary moment that placed a man in office who continues to this day. Indeed, Qaddafi is such a prominent personality, that his name can hardly be separated from Libya. Qaddafi has been at times a democrat, a tyrant, a revolutionary, a luxurious sultan, a pan-Arab leader and - currently - a pan-African leader. He has rarely had much patience for dissent, but he has been one to admit mistakes. A recent such confession has put Libya in front-page headlines at a rate not seen since the 1980s.
During the late 80s a series of terror attacks in France pointed to Libya. Ronald Reagan bombed Tripoli in 1986, and Libya began to appear on US lists of terror-sponsoring nations. In 1987, a PanAm airline flight bound for the United States blew up in mid-air over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing hundreds. Libya denied involvement. A year later, a French Airliner blew up. Investigations for both tragedies pointed to Libyan terrorists. When Qaddafi refused to turn over the perpetrators to international prosecutors, Libya's status as a rogue nation became complete. For the next decade, Libya struggled under sanctions and isolation, but Qaddafi held out hope for future glory.
Muammar Qaddafi has a vision of greatness for himself, and by extension for Libya. He started as the leader of a third-world country with a lot of potential - Libya could be a wealthy and powerful country if it were well-managed. Realizing the need for partnership in the global community, Qaddafi cooked up a version of pan-Arab nationalism, whereby all the Arab peoples of the world would join against the colonial powers, restoring dignity and stability to this region at the center of the world. He spent countless hours hob-nobbing around the governments of the Arab League, building influence and casting vision for joint greatness.
But all for nothing. When the campaign of aggression against the West led to terror, the Arab League (prudently) dropped Qaddafi like a wet rag. The leaders failed to come to Qaddafi's defense as the UN slapped pariah status on Libya, and his dreams of pan-Arab nationalism were derailed.
During the 1990s, the world's attention drifted eastward, to the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, and - as always - the Holy Lands. Saddam Hussein, Yassar Arafat, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the House of Saud all occupied precious Middle-East news pages, effectively keeping Qaddafi from seeing his picture in the papers. Eventually, he realized the futility of Arab Nationalism toward his purposes. He needed a new ideology for bringing greatness to Libya, and he found it in his own backyard: Africa.
The Organization for African Unity (OAU) emerged in the sixties as a roundtable to represent Africa on the world stage, and Qaddafi decided Libya could be a leader in that movement. Between 1999 and 2001, several conventions led to the dissolution of the OAU and the creation of its replacement, the African Union. The AU was chartered at a major conference held in Libya in 2001, with Qaddafi and South African President Mbeki leading. The AU was a compromise; Qaddafi had pushed for a "United States of Africa". As of this writing, the AU charter has been ratified by 38 African Governments and is seeking an increased international presence.
As pan-Africanism has replaced Arab Nationalism as Qaddafi's hope, Islamist terror became less appealing. He realized harboring terrorists hindered, rather than helped his cause, and that building a nuclear bomb didn't bring security, and that international trade brought prosperity, not protectionism. Libya is rapidly rejoining the world, and has surrendered its nuclear program. In March 2004, Libya was granted the honor of an official state visit by none other than the UK's Tony Blair.
A
CNN interview with Qaddafi from December 2003
Qaddafi's
Divorce from Arab Nationalism
Qaddafi Embraces Africa
The African Union
The Arab League
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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