With the Libyan conflict coming to its final conclusion of overthrowing the Libyan government led by Qadafi and establishing a new government picked by NATO and the Arab League, there are some serious questions that most of those cheering the conflict, especially those who assert themselves to be Muslims, seem to have overlooked.
- What is the source of the conflict?
- What is the role of NATO?
- What is the status of the "rebels"?
- What are the facts?
The Source of the Conflict.
The conflict began back in February 2011 following the spark of revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, which were widely politicized in the media creating a fad that spread to nearly every single country in the region.
"Opponents of the government had set Thursday, Feb. 17, as the day of a demonstration dubbed the “day of rage” and inspired by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt..." (NY Times)
The government reacted by sending riot police and security forces to restore order and end civil disobedience, however, the situation continued to escalate being fueled by exiled Libyans and social media calling for an overthrow of the entire government.
It is at this point that the first Qura’nic stance be examined.
4:59 O you who believe, obey God and obey the messenger and those in authority among you. But if you dispute in any matter, then you shall refer it to God and His messenger if you believe in God and the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for knowing.
Obedience to a legitimate government, to acts that do not conflict with Qur'anic laws, is not "optional", but is a requirement placed for Muslims along with the obedience of God and His messenger. Therefore, for a government to call people "not to participate in rallies", "not to participate in civil disobedience", "not to support revolts" is a completely legal action with result being that those people who do indeed participate can be labeled as "mufsidoon fil ard" (corruptors in the land) which make the laws of 5:33 available as a counter to these actions.
The second Quranic stance that is to be examined is that of "information".
49:6 O you who believe, if a wicked person comes to you with any news, then you shall investigate it. Lest you harm a people out of ignorance, then you will become regretful over what you have done.
Most of the information being spread about the reasons behind the revolt, as well as the actions of the Libyan government during the revolt itself turned out to be complete fabrications (similar to the lies told about the War in Iraq). TV stations were racing withe headlines "he is killing his own people!" with so called "eye witnesses" calling to state that Libyan jets were bombing civilians and that an all-out massacre was taking place - the madman must be stopped!
Of course, it now turns out no jets ever attacked civilians - a fact that could have been verified by any sane person watching the mass gatherings of protestors in Benghazi square from the early days, and seeing that no planes were attacking this mass of thousands.
Reports by Al Jazeera about Libyan jets firing on protesters in Tripoli and the major cities are unverified and questionable. [9] Hereto, the reports that Libyan jets have been attacking people in the streets have not been verified. No visual evidence of the jet attacks has been shown, while visual confirmation about other events have been coming out of Libya. (Global Research)
The failure to adhere to the Quranic law of "verification" is the reason that thousands of brave Libyan soldiers and innocent civilians are now dead and that a complete country has been thrown into chaos and turmoil.
The Role of NATO.
As with Iraq, the West is very quick to intervene in nations where there is great oil wealth and where it can see a future of dominance and open-ended contracts (note: Syria conflict has not raised one statement of "intervention" from NATO or the US).
The hypocrisy in position is nothing new, but what is new is that there are suspect events that indicate the NATO and/or the West may have actually been behind the instigation and fanning of the Libyan conflict way ahead of any official intervention.
- Old Libyan flag was miraculously made available, in abundance, on the eve and immediately after the start of the revolts;
- Libyan rebel council was established and announced in 10 days from the outset of the revolt - an unheard of achievement for any "natural" revolution";
- Western media began a demonization campaign against the Libyan government from day-1, with much of the information being reported turning out to be fabrications - but after the damage was done;
- Arab media loyal to the US (Jazeera and Arabiya) took the lead in the disinformation campaign.
Further proof that NATO has always had a "hidden agenda" in its involvement in Libya is the disparity between the official announced status of NATO in this conflict, and the actual facts on the ground.
Under "Operation Unified Protector" (OUP) the goals were announced (NATO factsheet)
- NATO agreed to commence Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR (OUP) on March 27, 2011
- OUP operates under a UN mandate (UNSCRs 1970 and 1973)
- UP's aim is to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack
- OUP's tasks include:
- Enforcement of the arms embargo by sea and air
- Enforcement of the no-fly zone
- Actions to protect civilians from attack or threat of attack
At the NATO Foreign Ministerial in Berlin on April 14-15, NATO agreed to continue OUP until:
- All attacks and threats of attack against civilians and civilian-populated areas have ended;
- The regime has verifiably withdrawn to bases all military forces, including snipers, mercenaries and other paramilitary forces, including from populated areas they have forcibly entered, occupied or besieged; and
- The regime permits immediate, full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all the people of Libya in need of assistance.
The statements above can be called without a doubt "complete fabrications". NATO has worked diligently from the outset to destroy the Libyan army and government, flying thousands of sorties and dropping hundreds upon hundreds of bombs, all designed to kill and disable the ability of the legitimate government to function. As for the so called "civilians" NATO seeks to protect, this has emerged to mean "armed rebel insurgents" who have become NATO's boots on the ground and have undertaken an orgy of murder and destruction at the behest of their masters - whomever that may prove to be.
The actions of NATO became very transparent after some weeks of bombing when they started openly targeting Qadafi and his family and leadership - murdering one of his sons during such raids. In-fact, after around three months of bombing, and still no collapse of the Libyan government, the NATO mask completely came off with in the introduction of "Apache helicopters" to support the advancement of rebels on the ground and to destroy as much of the Libyan forces as physically possible.
With the last stages of the vicious attack now coming to an end, we have also come to learn that NATO has been employing "special forces" who are coordinating the movement of the rebels as well as the attacks of the NATO airpower - all of course designed to "protect the civilians"!
3:196 Do not be deceived by the success of those who have rejected in the land.
3:197 A brief enjoyment, then their abode is Hell. What a miserable abode!
The Status of the Rebels.
This is by far the most bizarre point.
The Libyan rebels are comprised mainly of former government officials and military who have defected to the side of NATO and, rather than fight to defend Libya, are working to establish their own positions and power in the "new Libya". The only common factor holding the rebels together is their sense of hatred for the government - which until recently they themselves had formed parts of said government! - and the media frenzy which has been fanning the flames of hatred against Qadafi, his family, and the government.
What is even more bizarre are the chants of "Allah Akbar" as the rebels take a town or stronghold - as a result of NATO's non-stop killing spree of the defenders. The rebels then prostrate to God and hold the prayer as their faith is increased by these victories...
Why I say this is "bizarre" is because, according to the Qur'an, the rebels have placed themselves in a status of "kufr/rejection" and their destiny is now guaranteed to be that of Hellfire - unless they are able to quickly repent and amend against what they have done.
- By not accepting the authority of the legitimate government (see 4:59) they have fallen into disobedience of the authority God has equated with Himself and His messenger.
- By fighting against the authority of the legitimate government (see 5:33) they have placed themselves as "corruptors", a crime punishable by death or maiming or exile.
- By allying themselves with NATO to enable them to overthrow the legitimate government, they have fallen into "kufr/rejection" as alliances with the Jews and Nazarenes has been "forbidden" and makes the people who do so to be "wicked" (see 5:51).
5:51 O you who believe, do not take the Jews and the Nazarenes as allies, for they are allies to one another; and whoever takes them as such from among you is one of them. God does not guide the wicked people.
5:52 You will see those who have a disease in their hearts hurrying to them, saying: “We are concerned that a disaster will befall us!” Perhaps God will bring a victory or a decree from Himself, then they will become regretful over what they had kept hidden within themselves.
It is tragic to read the above words of the Qur'an and see them played out - word for word. The rebels and Arab leaders who ran to NATO indeed made the same claims in 5:52 that God said they would make - the times may have changed, but the hearts of men remain the same.
The Facts.
Remember, the Qur'an does not advocate revolutions or uprisings even if the leader was Pharaoh himself - rather, the Qur'an teaches us that those who are dissatisfied, persecuted or suffering should look to emigrate, and that God will make a way out for those who follow His system (see article "Revolutions in the Qur'an").
The final section of this article is to simply share some facts with the reader regarding the situation in Libya, and what it is the people are fighting.
- According to the 2009 CIA Factbook, healthcare in Libya had raised the life expectancy of the average citizen to 77 years (only one year less than that of an American citizen).
- Under the current government, Libyans enjoyed much improved housing and education, comprehensive social welfare services, and general standards of health that were among the highest in Africa.
- Heavy government subsidization made life easy for the average citizen – free education and healthcare, subsidized gasoline, government handouts to newly married couples, subsidized housing, unemployment benefits, welfare for the orphans and elderly, etc.
- The government of Libya ended water shortage for the desert nation once and for all with the construction of the US$ 25Bn “Great River”. The project provides 6.5million m3 of fresh water to the major cities of Libya and is estimated to last for centuries.
- UN and US sanctions on Libya have been in-place since 1992, yet, throughout all the sanction years, the Libyan government has continued to ensure the welfare of its citizens and a continuation of the support given to individuals and families.
- Qadafi is a sane, intelligent, and observant individual. Who, on the subject of the Qur’an, has come out openly to speak against the teachings of the sects on Mohammed’s intercession and makes the observation that the sects praise Mohammed whenever his name is mentioned, but they are completely silent when the name of God is mentioned. This is a man who speaks truth without fear of backlash, and that is to be respected (see link).
- Rebels in Libya have been on a rampage of murder, looting, and lawlessness. Prisoners have been repeatedly executed (with their hands tied) reminiscent of the Italian Fascist crimes in Libya during WWI (see link-1, link-2). This behavior is not unexpected for people who reject the laws of the Qur’an and follow their desire.
From the information gathered, it becomes obvious what our stance should be. We must stand with justice, we must support that which is legitimate over that which is illegitimate, even if it means going against the masses, against the media, against the mainstream...Truth is judged not by the majority, but by the facts.
4:135 O you who believe, stand with justice as witnesses to God, even if against yourselves, or the parents or the relatives. Even if he be rich or poor, God is more worthy of them, so do not follow desire into being unjust. And if you twist or turn away, then God is Expert over what you do.
3:147 And they did not say except: “Our Lord, forgive us our sins and our shortcomings in our responsibility, and make firm our foothold, and grant us victory over the rejecting people.”
Stay with God. That is where the winners are.
Written for www.free-minds.org
