Muammar_Qaddafiii.doc

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Muammar Qaddafi: A constant threat

By: Marie Krouse

Submitted To:

Dr. Jaballa M. Hasan

Specific Goal: I would like to persuade my audience that Muammar

Qaddafi is a sleeping threat which must be dealt with before calamity strikes the Libyan people….again!

Introduction

1.

Who is Muammar Qaddafi? a.

Born to a Bedouin family near the desert region of Sirte in the year 1942. b.

Attended and graduated from the University of Libya and then from Libya’s military academy. It was while he was in military training that he was said to have begun planning his coupe against the Libyan monarchy. c.

On September 1, 1969 he staged a successful coup d'état against the Libyan monarch

King Idris whom he exiled to Egypt d.

He then took over as the dictator of Libya and has been in power these last 41 years e.

He brought with him a pro-Arabic, anti-western attitude where anyone could obtain weapons and financial assistance so long as they were fighting “imperialism” f.

He made Libya an Islamic Socialist nation. Taking away many of the freedoms of expression the people of that country. g.

Supports many international organizations associated with terrorists and guerrilla warfare h.

His reign has been marked by cruelty, terrorism, and violence, He has been linked to mass murders and terrorism occurring around the world AND his own country

Thesis

For the last four decades, the blood of thousands of people has cried out in horror of the crimes against humanity done in the nation of Libya. The country has become a place where the very sanctity of life itself has been spit upon by those in power. It has become a place where a father has to worry about sending his children to school where they can get gunned down for

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reading the wrong material, where an individual has to worry about bombs going off because there happens to be one American or Israeli around, where those accused of any crime get sentenced to a place called “prison” where only death itself would provide relief; a place where

Muammar Qaddafi has taken over. For forty-one years, his reign of terror has deprived his people of their dignity, peace of mind, and their very lives; Qadaffi must be stopped!

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Body

2.

What are his crimes? a.

On September 5, 1972 Israeli athletes were held hostage by the Palestinian militant secular group: Black September (a group which Qadaffi fully supports), during the

Munich Olympics. By the end of the ordeal, 11 Israeli athletes were dead along with 1

German police officer. b.

On December 17, 1973, 5 Palestinian terrorists open fired in an airport in Rome and killed 2 people, then made their way to American Airlines flight 707-thre explosive devices inside the plane killing all 29 people on board and then managed to board and hijack a plane. After much negotiation with authorities at an airport in Athens, the hostages were released in exchange for the terrorist’s freedom. They were allowed to fly the plane off to an unknown destination. It was later found out that the attack had been ordered by Qadaffi. c.

In 1979, Qadaffi officially created “death squads” and gave them orders to assassinate any and all opponents. In 1986, Qadaffi bombed a discotech in Berlin wounding many people and killing at least 2 American service men. d.

On December 21, 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by a Libyan agent sponsored by

Qadaffi. The plane bombed was a Boeing 747 with 259 passengers on board-all of whom were tragically killed as well as 11 villagers on the ground when the plane crashed. e.

In 1989, a French UTA airline with 180 individuals aboard was blown up over Chad. Libya agents were the ones responsible. Traces led authorities to Qadaffi and his regime. f.

September 19, 1989 UTA flight 772 of France was bombed over the Sahara desert and claimed the lives of all 170 people on board. Investigators discovered evidence which was brought to trial and convicted 6 Libyans who had close ties with Qadaffi’s regime.

One of the men convicted was Qadaffi’s brother-in-law: Abdullah Sanussi. g.

On June 28 th 1996, hundreds of political prisoners were mercilessly massacred in the

Abu Saleem Prison in Tripoli when they complained for the appalling conditions at the prison. While the government alerted some of the families of the victims of the

“unfortunate” accident, the bodies of the prisoners murdered were never returned to the families for proper burials.

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3.

His Treatment of Prisoners in General a.

When asked by the Human Rights Solidarity in a questionnaire, ex-prisoners living outside of

Libya answered that “yes” that had all been tortured in prison. b.

Physical means listed: o Collective beating by guards o Undergoing electrical shocks while hanging o Having cigarettes put out in various parts of the body o Threatening of harming special parts of the human body o Kicking ears and face c.

Morals means listed: o Preventing talking in heard voice o Cutting electricity especially at night o Delaying provision of meals o Knocking on the doors very hard upon entering to increase terror level of prisoners o Summoning prisoners late at night for interrogation or torture o Threatening rape or killing and sometime putting the hangman’s rope around the neck o Claiming the confession of the prisoners against each other-implanting hatred o Using lies, reprehensions and insults during interrogation o Preventing families and relatives from visiting prisoners o Preventing the entrance of drugs, clothes, and cleaners o Denying prisoners the right to legal appearances before courts and examination of cases

4.

Why hasn’t he been stopped yet? a.

Libya holds the largest proven oil reserves o n the whole continent of Africa b.

Western power eventually concluded that they could not function without friendly relations with Libya due to the oil and business they provided to the international community. c.

Qadaffi also paid 2.7 billion dollars total in damages to some of the countries he affected with his terrorism d.

For the last decade, Qadaffi seems to have gone underground (as far as terrorism goes) so he is no longer viewed as an “active” threat

5.

Conclusion a.

Qadaffi must be stopped, he has toned down some of his violence over the last few years due to increased pressure on him from the US and other opposing nations, but he is just a sleeping threat right now, ready to wake up at any moment.

b.

Based on his own history of lack of respect for human rights or life, given the opportunity he could/would easily strike again. The results could be devastating. c.

We have no proof that he has changed any of his treatments of political prisoners or the people in his own country. His violence could even be occurring right now as we speak. d.

We need to be very aware of this situation as we consider which politicians we are going to vote for. We need someone in office who is sickened by the thought of all that

Qadaffi has done to humanity. We can also write to our state representatives and

Senators and demand that Libya be put on the “State Sponsor of Terror” list until

Qadaffi resigns-make him face the repercussions of his crimes.

Works Cited:

1.

“Bombings, Shootings, and Other Attacks at Airports.”

Emergency- managemtn.net

. Web. 2 May 2010. < http://www.emergencymanagement.net/airterror_shoot.htm

>.

2.

"Boycott Libya." www.boycottlibya.com

. N.p., 2008. Web. 2 May 2010.

<http://www.boycottlibya.com>.

3.

Human Rights Solidarity. 1 May 2010. Online Publication . < http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/docs/ngos/HRS_LibyaAJ.pdf>.

4.

“Muammar al-Gadaffi.” Wikipedia.com. Web. 2 May 2010.

< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muammar_al-Gaddafi > .

5.

“Munich Massacre.”

Wikipedia.com

. Web. 2 May 2010.

< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre >.

6.

“UTA Flight 772.” Wikipedia.com.

Web. 2 May 2010.

< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTA_Flight_772#Libyan_compensation >.

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