TRIPOLI – Assuring Western allies about the new rule in the oil-rich Arab country, Libya’s rulers have vowed that ‘moderate Islam’ will be the basis of rule after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.
“We will not be an extremist Islamic country,” Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, chairman of Libya’s National Transitional Council, told a press conference with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton cited by Reuters on Saturday, November 12.
“Our Islam is moderate.”
Worries have been growing in the West about the rise of Islamists in Libya following Gaddafi’s ouster.
The Western worries escalated last month after Abdel-Jalil said that Islamic Shari`ah will be the basis of legislation in post-Gaddafi Libya.
Sending a reassuring message to the West, the NTC leader said that a moderate Islamic rule will be established in new Libya.
"Islam is the religion which encourages respect for human life ... We will not be an extreme Islamist country."
Gaddafi was killed last month after an eight-month uprising against his 42-year rule of the oil-rich Arab country. More than 50,000 are believed to have been killed in the uprising.
Since Gaddafi’s death, concerns have sharply grown about the stability of a country awash with weapons in the hands of hundreds of disparate armed groups.
But Abdel-Jalil said the incoming government would be addressing the need to control arms and form a national army.
He said he expected Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib to announce his government within a week.
Women’s Rights
The EU foreign affairs chief called on Libya’s rulers to ensure women rights are protected in new Libya.
"Discrimination should have no place in a new country," Ashton told an audience of mainly women in the Libyan capital.
During her short visit, Ashton inaugurated the EU's mission, which is intended to help coordinate aid efforts for Libya.
The EU struggled during the early days of the Libyan revolution to find a common policy.
France, Britain and then NATO carried out a military operation to protect civilians under a UN mandate -- an operation thought to be crucial to the success of the campaign against Gaddafi.
But the EU has since been active in working for the reconstruction of the country.
It has been the biggest contributor of humanitarian assistance there, donating 155 million euros ($213 million) so far, according to EU diplomats.
Ashton toured Tripoli’s Martyrs' Square, where she picked up a bracelet, T-shirt and pendant commemorating the liberation of Libya from Gaddafi.
"This is your country," she told diplomats and Libyan representatives at the EU's new mission.
"We are here to help and support."
She told an audience of women to "make sure that your new constitution enshrines women's rights."
"You need to find ways to turn laws into practical reality," she added.
She later told a news conference alongside Abdel-Jalil that equality for women was "not just ... the right thing to do" but was also a "sensible economic proposition".
Asked whether she was concerned about the rise of Islamist groups in Libya, she said: "We support all groups who believe in the values that we hold dear, of democracy, human rights, the rule of law."Related Links:
Libya’s Rulers Assure West on Shari`ah"Moderate Islam" to Rule New Libya: Ruler
Islamists Carve Out Place in Libya Politics
Rising Islamist Wants Moderate Libya
Moderate Islam for Libya Politics: Islamist
