Monday, August 22, 2011

Imam Ali and the Downfall of the Dictator of Libya

We have been celebrating the nights of Ghadr or "value".This has been an opportunity to gather and pray together.  Imam Ali Ibn Abitalib was martyred on such a night in the month of Ramazan  40 years after the hejira. He was then, the leader or khalifa of the  Muslim  society . Ali had a unique status among the companions of the Prophet , his attractive and strong personality, his thirst and sacrifice for the truth and for justice were qualities  revered among both enemies and friends. Ali had proven to be reliable, and trustworthy. He was considered to be the most qualified successor to the Prophet of Islam in personal attributes and behavioral traits. He had the substance and compassion to forgive his enemies and to withstand the oppressors. However, those who  claimed to be Muslim but only in name, those who could not tolerate his justice  and his values became aligned against the symbol of righteousness . The hypocrites had begun a smearing campaign against Imam Ali which led to his martyrdom.

The unique personality of this man, his lifestyle and his teachings, gathered as the Nahjul-balaghe, have been studied and reviewed by scores of scholars from all faiths and backgrounds. Many point to his four- year government as an example of a just and efficient system of governance, unprecedented in those ages. Many examples of Imam Ali's practices are now taken by Reformists as cases that prove that certain practices of the current Iranian government are not in tune with what they claim to be as followers of Imam Ali.  The self criticism of Imam Ali and his respect for those who criticized him and his struggle against despotism and tyranny are among some of the issues that Reformists point to.
The coincidence of these nights of Ramazan with the transformations in Libya and the downfall of one of the most despised dictators of our age is also interesting.

With astonishing speed overnight,  revolutionary forces have entered Tripoli, signaling the end of  the reign of a four decade old dictator. After months of struggle and hundreds of martyrs, the Libyan Revolution against tyranny and oppression is coming to a culmination. It seems that Dictators, like Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Saddam Hussein, Ben Ali, Mubarak, Ali Saleh and now Ghazzafi have awakened to the reality only when it was too late. This is a common feature of unlimited, endless and unregulated power in the hands of men who were actually at one time revolutionaries themselves.
The footage emerging from Benghazi and Tripoli shows the jubilation of the people, the calls of Allah o Akbar and the religious atmosphere among the revolutionaries indicates that religious beliefs are key factors in this movement. They now feel that the suffering and sacrifices they experienced was worth it. It seems that the Libyan people expect NATO to leave the future of Libya to the people and Western forces are expected to refrain from interference. We all hope that the revolutionary forces learn from the lessons of other revolutions and fill the power vacum with a transitional government to bring order and pave way for democratic and constitutional changes.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

do u think that 4 years governmrnt of Ali can be taken as an examplary governingsmetod all over the world ? Dont u think that this imagination is somehow immatured and unrealistic ?

Gregory said...

Anonymous has an ax to grind , I think the Shia followers have not done enough in demonstrating a model of the Imam Ali for governance. I have read alot about his works and words but how does that translate into modern governance values?

Pitocco said...

I can't agree with your opinion, not sure!
I am not a Lybian person and I don't like what Gheddafi rappresents in face to the image that he has drew up to his enemies, but in every person there is a side where the evil can't be living.
Gheddafi has made a new state of Lybia, he had unbound this country from the worst chain of the west.
He had built the most biggest waterwork taking the water from the ancient water deep in the desert (The Great Man Made Water). He has divided politic and religion from his state, but at the same time he has endured many other religion.
Gheddafi was not a clear man, here in Italy there are many persons that don't love him at all, but this is a very stupid politic position because many of them are taking money from Usa and Israel. They are not clear in what they do and what they think.
Gheddafi was the first person who tried to make free Africa from IMF and World Bank and he had built a new currency called african dinar in opposition to the dollar and euro. His meaning were to fight the power of the multinational companies and bankster. Only one state stand up in opposition to this project: South-Africa. One of the last colonial english racist colonial.
In Libya there was not banks as we have in west, but only one: the national Bank of Libya. The money is of the people and not property of a little club of kriminal bankers.
The revolution began in Cirenaica with some hundred people and not thousand as media wrote on the newspapers, but Libya, as many other country in the middle east, were made from england, russia, Usa and France and the delimitation of their borders are a clear example that these nations are not natural as they could be.
Every chief of these nations was elected only by forcing the elections and Usa, israel, Russia and other countries have given their support to distort the reality of those people.
That's it!
Gheddafi as many other dictator was not surly a lamb, but he made a great nation in the middle east and this was the first step for waht Usa and Israel have began the war in Libya.
Usa and Israel don't want any greta nation in the middle east, but why, sombody could ask. The ansewer is very simple. Both of them want to attac Iran as giudaic simbol of Amalek, but this is only for the stupid brain, because the reality is much more bad. Usa is afraid about the power of Cina and Russia and ad they could destabilize the middle east they can control everything happen.
That I write could seem too much easy, but I remember that the reality is much more easy of what we see. Other want to manipulate reality for what it is really.
Tha's my opinion and I bag pardon if my english is not so fluent as could be.