Muammar al-Gaddafi 53029 225918315 2008-07-16T00:34:09Z Lars T. 203728 /* See also */ cped {{Infobox President | name = Muammar al-Gaddafi<br><small>معمر القذافـي</small> | image = Muammar al-Gaddafi-09122003.jpg | imagesize = 200px | order = [[List of heads of state of Libya|Leader and Guide of the Revolution]] | term_start = [[September 1]] [[1969]] | term_end = | predecessor = Office created | successor = | primeminister = [[Jadallah Azzuz at-Talhi]]<br>[[Muhammad az-Zaruq Rajab]]<br>[[Jadallah Azzuz at-Talhi]]<br>[[Umar Mustafa al-Muntasir]]<br>[[Abuzed Omar Dorda]]<br>[[Abdul Majid al-Qa′ud]]<br>[[Muhammad Ahmad al-Mangoush]]<br>[[Mubarak Abdallah al-Shamikh]]<br>[[Shukri Ghanem]]<br>[[Baghdadi Mahmudi]] | president = [[Abdul Ati al-Obeidi]]<br>[[Muhammad az-Zaruq Rajab]]<br>[[Mifta al-Usta Umar]]<br>[[Abdul Razzaq as-Sawsa]]<br>[[Muhammad az-Zanati|Muhammad al-Zanati]]<br>[[Miftah Muhammed K'eba]] | order2 = [[List of heads of state of Libya|General Secretary of the General People's Congress]] | primeminister2 = [[Abdul Ati al-Obeidi]] | term_start2 = [[02 March]] [[1977]] | term_end2 = [[02 March]] [[1979]] | predecessor2 = Office created | successor2 = [[Abdul Ati al-Obeidi]] | order3 = [[List of heads of state of Libya|Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council]] | term_start3 = [[08 September]] [[1969]] | term_end3 = [[01 March]] [[1979]] | primeminister3 = [[Mahmud Sulayman al-Maghribi]]<br>[[Abdessalam Jalloud]]<br>[[Abdul Ati al-Obeidi]]<br>[[Jadallah Azzuz at-Talhi]] | predecessor3 = [[Idris I of Libya|Idris I]] <small>([[List of heads of state of Libya|King of Libya]]) | successor3 = Office Abolished | order4 = [[Prime Minister of Libya]] | term_start4 = [[16 January]] [[1970]] | term_end4 = [[16 July]] [[1972]] | predecessor4 = [[Mahmud Sulayman al-Maghribi]] | successor4 = [[Abdessalam Jalloud]] | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1942|6|7}} | birth_place = [[Surt]], [[Tripolitania]] | religion = [[Islam]] }} '''Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi'''<sup><small>[[#Name|1]]</small></sup> ({{lang-ar|}} {{Audio|Ar-Muammar al-Qaddafi.ogg|مُعَمَرْ القِذَافِي}} ''{{ArabDIN|Mu‘ammar al-Qaḏḏāfī}}'') (born [[7 June]] [[1942]]) has been the ''[[de facto]]'' leader of [[Libya]] since a 1969 coup. Although Gaddafi holds no public office or title, he is accorded the honorifics "Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab [[Jamahiriya]]" or "Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution" in government statements and the official press.<ref>US Department of State's Background Notes, (Nov. 2005) [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5425.htm <u>"Libya - History"<u>], ''U.S. Dept. of State'', Accessed July 14, 2006</ref> He is the fourth longest-serving [[head of state]] currently in office and longest-serving [[head of government]]. ==Early life== Gaddafi was the youngest child born into a peasant family. His father is Mohammed Abdul Salam bin Hamed bin Mohammed Al-Gaddafi (Qadhafi), known as Abu Meniar (died 1985), his mother is Aisha Gaddafi. He grew up in the desert region of [[Surt|Sirte]]. He was given a traditional religious primary education and attended the [[Sebha]] preparatory school in [[Fezzan]] from 1956 to 1961. Gaddafi and a small group of friends that he met in this school went on to form the core leadership of a militant revolutionary group that would eventually seize control of the country. Gaddafi's inspiration was [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]], president of neighboring [[Egypt]], who rose to the presidency by appealing to [[Arab]] unity. In 1961, Gaddafi was expelled from Sebha for his political activism. Gaddafi went on to study law at the [[University of Libya]], where he graduated with high grades. He then entered the Military Academy in [[Benghazi]] in 1963, where he and a few of his fellow militants organized a secretive group dedicated to overthrowing the pro-[[Western world|Western]] Libyan monarchy. After graduating in 1965, he was sent to [[United Kingdom|Britain]] for further training at the British Army Staff College, now the [[Joint Services Command and Staff College]], returning in 1966 as a commissioned officer in the [[Signal Corps]]. ==Military coup d'état== On [[September 1]] [[1969]], a small group of military officers led by Gaddafi staged a bloodless [[coup d'état]] against [[Idris I of Libya|King Idris I]], while he was in Kammena Vourla, a Greek resort, for medical treatment. His nephew the Crown Prince Sayyid Hasan ar-Rida al-Mahdi as-Sanussi became King. Before the end of September 1, King Sayyid Hasan ar-Rida al-Mahdi as-Sanussi had been formally deposed by the revolutionary army officers and put under house arrest; they abolished the monarchy and proclaimed the new Libyan Arab Republic.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} Unlike some other military revolutionaries, Gaddafi did not promote himself to the rank of [[general officer|general]] upon seizing power, but rather accepted a ceremonial promotion from captain to [[colonel]] and has remained at this rank. While at odds with western military ranking for a colonel to rule a country and serve as [[Commander-in-Chief]] of its military, in Gaddafi's own words Libya's utopian society is "ruled by the people", so he needs no more grandiose title or supreme military rank. Gaddafi's decision to remain a colonel is not a new concept among military coup leaders; [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] remained a colonel after seizing power in [[Egypt]], and [[Jerry Rawlings]], President of [[Ghana]], held no military rank higher than [[flight lieutenant]]. In the same fashion, the Republic of [[El Salvador]] was ruled by Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Osorio (1950-1956), Lieutenant Colonel José María Lemus (1956-1960), and Lieutenant Colonel Julio Adalberto Rivera (1962-1967). ===Islamic socialism/pan-Arabism=== Gaddafi based his new regime on a blend of [[Arab nationalism]], aspects of the [[welfare state]] and what Gaddafi termed "direct, popular [[democracy]]." He called this system "[[Islamic socialism]]" and while he permitted private control over small companies, the government controlled the larger ones. Welfare, "liberation," and education were emphasized. He also imposed a system of Islamic morals, outlawing alcohol and gambling. To reinforce the ideals of this socialist-Islamic state, Gaddafi outlined [[Third International Theory|his political philosophy]] in his ''[[The Green Book|Green Book]]'', published in three volumes between 1975 and 1979. In practice, however, Libya's political system is thought to be somewhat less idealistic and from time to time Gaddafi has responded to domestic and external opposition with violence. His revolutionary committees called for the [[assassination]] of Libyan [[dissidents]] living abroad in April 1980, with Libyan hit squads sent abroad to murder them. On [[April 26]], Gaddafi set a deadline of [[June 11]] for dissidents to return home or be "in the hands of the revolutionary committees".<ref> Facts on File 1980 Yearbook p353, 451 </ref> Nine Libyans were murdered during that time, five of them in Italy. ===External relations=== {{main|Foreign relations of Libya}} [[Image:Tito-gadafi.jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[SFRY|Yugoslav]] President [[Josip Broz Tito]] (on the left) and Gaddafi (right) c. 1975.]] With respect to Libya's neighbors, Gaddafi followed [[Abdel Nasser]]'s ideas of [[pan-Arabism]] and became a fervent advocate of the unity of all Arab states into one Arab nation. He also supported [[pan-Islamism]], the notion of a loose union of all Islamic countries and peoples. After Nasser's death on [[September 28]] [[1970]], Gaddafi attempted to take up the mantle of ideological leader of Arab nationalism. He proclaimed the "Federation of Arab Republics" (Libya, Egypt and [[Syria]]) in 1972, hoping to create a pan-Arab state, but the three countries disagreed on the specific terms of the merger. In 1974, he signed an agreement with [[Tunisia]]'s [[Habib Bourguiba]] on a merger between the two countries, but this also failed to work in practice and ultimately differences between the two countries would deteriorate into strong animosity. Libya was also involved in a sometimes violent territorial dispute with neighbouring [[Chad]] over the [[Aouzou Strip]], which Libya occupied in 1973. This dispute eventually led to the [[Chadian-Libyan conflict|Libyan invasion]] of the country and to a conflict that was ended by a ceasefire reached in 1987. The dispute was in the end settled peacefully in June 1994 when Libya withdrew troops from [[Chad]] due to a judgement of the [[International Court of Justice]] issued on 13 February 1994.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.icj-cij.org/icjwww/icases/idt/idt_ijudgments/idt_ijudgment_19940203.pdf| title=judgment of the ICJ of 13 February 1994| accessdate=2007-01-08}}</ref> Gaddafi also became a strong supporter of the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]], which support ultimately harmed Libya's relations with Egypt, when in 1979 Egypt pursued a peace agreement with [[Israel]]. As Libya's relations with Egypt worsened, Gaddafi sought closer relations with the [[Soviet Union]]. Libya became the first country outside the Soviet bloc to receive the supersonic [[MiG-25]] combat fighters, but Soviet-Libyan relations remained relatively distant. Gaddafi also sought to increase Libyan influence, especially in states with an [[Islam]]ic population, by calling for the creation of a Saharan Islamic state and supporting anti-government forces in [[sub-Saharan Africa]]. [[Image:Marcos Gaddafi.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Gaddafi with Philippine First Lady [[Imelda Marcos]]]] Notable in Gaddafi's politics has been his support for liberation movements, and also his sponsorship of rebel movements in West Africa, notably Sierra Leone and Liberia, as well as Muslim groups. In the 1970s and the 1980s, this support was sometimes so freely given that even the most unsympathetic groups could obtain Libyan support; often the groups represented ideologies far removed from Gaddafi's own. Gaddafi's approach often tended to confuse international opinion. Throughout the 1970s, his regime was implicated in subversion and terrorist activities in both Arab and non-Arab countries. By the mid-1980s, he was widely regarded in the West as the principal financier of international terrorism. Reportedly, Gaddafi was a major financier of the "[[Black September (group)|Black September]] Movement" which perpetrated the [[Munich massacre]] at the [[1972 Summer Olympics]], and was accused by the [[United States]] of being responsible for direct control of the [[1986 Berlin discotheque bombing]] that killed three people and wounded more than 200, of whom a substantial number were U.S. servicemen. He is also said to have paid "[[Carlos the Jackal]]" to kidnap and then release a number of [[Saudi Arabia]]n and [[Iran]]ian oil ministers. Tensions between Libya and the West reached a peak during the [[Ronald Reagan]] administration, which tried to overthrow Gaddafi. The Reagan administration viewed Libya as a belligerent rogue state because of its uncompromising stance on Palestinian independence, its support for revolutionary [[Iran]] in the 1980-1988 war against [[Saddam Hussein]]'s [[Iraq]] (''see'' [[Iran-Iraq War]]), and its backing of "liberation movements" in the developing world. Reagan himself dubbed Gaddafi the "mad dog of the Middle East." In December 1981 the US State Department invalidated US passports for travel to Libya, and in March 1982 the U.S. declared a ban on the import of Libyan [[Petroleum|oil]] <ref> {{cite news |title= Proclamation 4907 -- Imports of Petroleum | publisher= US Office of the Federal Register | date= March 10, 1982| url=http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1982/31082a.htm |author=President Ronald Reagan}}</ref> and the export to Libya of U.S. oil industry technology; European nations did not follow suit. In 1984 British [[police constable]] [[Yvonne Fletcher]] was shot outside the Libyan Embassy in [[London]] while policing an anti-Gaddafi demonstration. A burst of machine-gun fire from within the building was suspected of killing her, but Libyan diplomats asserted their diplomatic immunity and were repatriated. The incident led to the breaking-off of [[Diplomacy|diplomatic relations]] between the [[United Kingdom]] and Libya for over a decade. In accordance with [[Freedom of Navigation]] principles, the U.S. attacked Libyan patrol boats from January to March 1986 during clashes over access to the [[Gulf of Sidra]], which Libya claimed as [[territorial waters]]. On [[April 15]] [[1986]], [[Ronald Reagan]] ordered major bombing raids, dubbed [[United States bombing of Libya|Operation El Dorado Canyon]], against [[Tripoli]] and [[Benghazi]] killing 45 Libyan military and government personnel as well as 15 civilians. This strike followed U.S. interception of [[telex]] messages from Libya's East Berlin embassy suggesting Libyan government involvement in a bomb explosion on [[April 5]] in West Berlin's [[1986 Berlin discotheque bombing|La Belle discotheque]], a nightclub frequented by U.S. servicemen. Among the fatalities of the [[April 15]] retaliatory attack by the U.S. was Gaddafi's adopted daughter, Hannah. Libya responded by firing two [[Scud]] missiles at the [[LORAN-C transmitter Lampedusa|U.S. Coast Guard]] navigation station on the Italian island of [[Lampedusa]], in its own retaliation for that day's [[Operation El Dorado Canyon|American bombing]] of [[Tripoli]] and [[Benghazi]]. However, the missiles passed over the island, landing in the sea, and caused no damage. In late 1987 a merchant vessel, the ''MV Eksund'', was intercepted. Destined for the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]], a large consignment of arms and explosives supplied by Libya was recovered from the ''Eksund''. British intelligence believed this was not the first and that Libyan arms shipments had previously reached the IRA. (See [[Provisional IRA arms importation]]) [[Image:MandelaGaddafi.jpg|left|thumb|300px|[[Nelson Mandela]] negotiated with Gaddafi the hand-over of two accused Libyans for the [[Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial]] ]] For most of the 1990s, Libya endured [[economic sanctions]] and diplomatic isolation as a result of Gaddafi's refusal to allow the [[extradition]] to the [[United States]] or [[United Kingdom|Britain]] of two Libyans accused of planting a bomb on [[Pan Am Flight 103]], which exploded over [[Lockerbie]], [[Scotland]]. Through the intercession of [[South Africa]]n President [[Nelson Mandela]] - who made a high-profile visit to Gaddafi in 1997 - and [[U.N.]] Secretary-General [[Kofi Annan]], Gaddafi agreed in 1999 to a compromise that involved handing over the defendants to the [[Camp Zeist, Netherlands|Netherlands]] for trial under [[Scots law]]. U.N. sanctions were thereupon suspended, but U.S. sanctions against Libya remained in force. In August 2003, two years after [[Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi]]'s conviction, Libya wrote to the [[United Nations]] formally accepting 'responsibility for the actions of its officials' in respect of the [[Pan Am Flight 103|Lockerbie bombing]] and agreed to pay compensation of up to $2.7 billion &ndash; or up to $10 million each &ndash; to the families of the 270 victims. The same month, Britain and [[Bulgaria]] co-sponsored a U.N. resolution which removed the suspended sanctions. (Bulgaria's involvement in tabling this motion led to suggestions that there was a link with the [[HIV trial in Libya]] in which 5 Bulgarian nurses, working at a [[Benghazi]] hospital, were accused of infecting 426 Libyan children with HIV.)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3167907.stm |title=Libya completes Lockerbie payout |accessdate=2005-03-05 |publisher=BBC News }}</ref> Forty per cent of the compensation was then paid to each family, and a further 40% followed once U.S. sanctions were removed. Because the U.S. refused to take Libya off its list of state sponsors of terrorism, Libya retained the last 20% ($540 million) of the $2.7 billion compensation package. On [[June 28]], [[2007]] Megrahi was granted the right to a second appeal against the Lockerbie bombing conviction.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/Lockerbie/Story/0,,2114463,00.html Libyan jailed over Lockerbie wins right to appeal]</ref> One month later, the Bulgarian medics were released from jail in Libya. They returned home to Bulgaria and were pardoned by Bulgarian president, [[Georgi Parvanov]]. ===Recent openness=== Simultaneously, Gaddafi has also emerged as a popular African leader. As one of the continent's longest-serving, post-colonial heads of state, the Libyan leader enjoys a reputation among many Africans as an experienced and wise statesman who has been at the forefront of many struggles over the years. Gaddafi has earned the praise of [[Nelson Mandela]] and others, and is always a prominent figure in various pan-African organizations, such as the [[Organization of African Unity]] (now replaced by the [[African Union]]). He is also seen by many Africans as a humanitarian, pouring large amounts of money into sub-Saharan states. Large numbers of Africans have come to Libya to take advantage of the availability of jobs there. [[Image:Hugo Chávez and Muammar al-Gaddafi.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Gaddafi with [[Venezuela]]n President [[Hugo Chávez]]]] Gaddafi also appeared to be attempting to improve his image in the West. Two years prior to the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|terrorist attacks]] of [[September 11]] [[2001]], Libya pledged its commitment to fighting [[Al-Qaeda]] and offered to open up its weapons program to international inspection. The [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] administration did not pursue the offer at the time since Libya's weapons program was not then regarded as a threat, and the matter of handing over the Lockerbie bombing suspects took priority. Following the attacks of [[September 11]], Gaddafi made one of the first, and firmest, denunciations of the Al-Qaeda bombers by any Muslim leader. Gaddafi also appeared on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] for an open interview with [[George Stephanopoulos]], a move that would have seemed unthinkable less than a decade earlier. There are many explanations for the change of Gaddafi's politics. The most obvious is that the once very rich Libya became much less wealthy as oil prices dropped significantly during the 1990s. Since then, Gaddafi has tended to need other countries more than before and hasn't been able to dole out foreign aid as he once did. In this environment, the increasingly stringent sanctions placed by the UN and US on Libya made it more and more isolated politically and economically. Another possibility is that strong Western reactions have forced Gaddafi into changing his politics. It is also possible that [[realpolitik]] changed Gaddafi. His ideals and aims did not materialize: there never was any [[Pan-Arabism|Arab unity]], the various armed revolutionary organizations he supported did not achieve their goals, and the demise of the [[Soviet Union]] left Gaddafi's main symbolic target, the [[United States]], stronger than ever. Following the overthrow of [[Saddam Hussein]] by US forces in 2003, Gaddafi announced that his nation had an active [[weapons of mass destruction]] program, but was willing to allow international inspectors into his country to observe and dismantle them. US President [[George W. Bush]] and other supporters of the [[Iraq War]] portrayed Gaddafi's announcement as a direct consequence of the Iraq War by stating that Gaddafi acted out of fear for the future of his own regime if he continued to keep and conceal his weapons. Italian Premier [[Silvio Berlusconi]], a supporter of the Iraq War, was quoted as saying that Gaddafi had privately phoned him, admitting as much. Many foreign policy experts, however, contend that Gaddafi's announcement was merely a continuation of his prior attempts at normalizing relations with the West and getting the sanctions removed. To support this, they point to the fact that Libya had already made similar offers starting four years prior to it finally being accepted.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brookings.edu/views/op-ed/indyk/20040309.htm |title=The Iraq War did not Force Gaddafi's Hand |publisher=The Financial Times |year=2004 |first=Martin S. |last=Indyk |accessdate=2006-03-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/bush/libya.htm |first=Flynt |last=Leverett |title=Why Libya Gave Up on the Bomb |publisher=New York Times |year=2004 |accessdate=2006-03-05}}</ref> International inspectors turned up several tons of chemical weaponry in Libya, as well as an active [[nuclear weapon]]s program. As the process of destroying these weapons continued, Libya improved its cooperation with international monitoring regimes to the extent that, by March 2006, [[France]] was able to conclude an agreement with Libya to develop a significant [[nuclear power]] program. In March 2004, [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] [[Tony Blair]] became one of the first western leaders in decades to visit Libya and publicly meet Gaddafi. Blair praised Gaddafi's recent acts, and stated that he hoped Libya could now be a strong ally in the international [[War on Terrorism]]. In the run-up to Blair's visit, the British ambassador in Tripoli, Anthony Layden, explained Libya's and Gaddafi's political change thus: :"35 years of total state control of the economy has left them in a situation where they're simply not generating enough economic activity to give employment to the young people who are streaming through their successful education system. I think this dilemma goes to the heart of Colonel Gaddafi's decision that he needed a radical change of direction."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/misc/libya_20040224.shtml| title=The Libyan Prime Minister| publisher=Today Programme| first=Mike| last=Thomson| accessdate=2006-06-19}}</ref> On [[May 15]] [[2006]], the [[US State Department]] announced that it would restore full diplomatic relations with Libya, once Gaddafi declared he was abandoning Libya's weapons of mass destruction program. The State Department also said that Libya would be removed from the list of nations supporting terrorism<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4773617.stm BBC NEWS | World | Africa | US to renew full ties with Libya<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. On [[August 31]], [[2006]], however, Gaddafi openly called upon his supporters to "kill enemies" who asked for political change.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://en.epochtimes.com/news/6-8-31/45530.html| title=Libya's Gaddafi Urges Backers to 'Kill' Enemies| publisher=The Epoch Times| accessdate=2007-03-11}}</ref> In July 2007, French president [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] visited Libya and signed a number of bilateral and multilateral ([[EU]]) agreements with Gaddafi.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6914857.stm Sarkozy signs deals with Gaddafi]</ref> [[Image:Muammar al-Gaddafi-6-30112006.jpg|thumb|300px|Muammar al-Gaddafi and the [[Brazil]]ian president [[Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva]] at a Conference in [[Nigeria]].]] On [[4 March]] [[2008]] Gadaffi announced his intention to dissolve the country's existing administrative structure and disburse oil revenue directly to the people. The plan includes abolishing all ministries, except those of defense, internal security, and foreign affairs, and departments implementing strategic projects [http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=19968&prog=zgp&proj=zdrl,zme#news]. ==Internal dissent== In October 1993, there was an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Gaddafi by elements of the Libyan army. In July 1996, bloody riots followed a football match as a protest against Gaddafi. There are a number of political groups opposed to Gaddafi: * [[National Conference of the Libyan Opposition]] * [[National Front for the Salvation of Libya]] * [[Committee for Libyan National Action in Europe]] A website, actively seeking his overthrow, was set up in 2006 and lists 343 victims of murder and political assassination.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.stopqaddafi.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10&Itemid=9| title=Stop Gaddafi| accessdate=2008-05-09}}</ref> The Libyan League for Human Rights (LLHR) &ndash; based in [[Geneva]] &ndash; petitioned Gaddafi to set up an independent inquiry into the February 2006 unrest in Benghazi in which some 30 Libyans and foreigners were killed. [[Fathi Eljahmi]] is a prominent [[dissident]] who has been imprisoned since 2002 for calling for increased [[democratization]] in Libya. ==Personal life and family== {{Cleanup-section|date=January 2008}} {{Unreferenced|date=May 2008}} Gaddafi has eight children, seven of them sons. His eldest son, [[Muhammad Qaddafi|Muhammad Gaddafi]], was born to a wife now in disfavour, but runs the Libyan Olympic Committee and owns all the telecommunication companies in Libya.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} The next eldest, [[Saif al-Islam Qaddafi|Saif al-Islam Gaddafi]], was born in 1972 and is a painter. He runs a charity which has been involved in negotiating freedom for hostages taken by [[Islamic]] militants, especially in the [[Philippines]]. In 2006, after sharply criticizing his father's regime, Saif Al Islam briefly left Libya, reportedly to take on a position in banking outside of the country. He returned to Libya soon after, launching an environment friendly initiative to teach children how they can help clean up parts of Libya. He has also been on the forefront of resolving the HIV case of the Palestinian doctor and Bulgarian nurses described previously. The third eldest, [[Al-Saadi Qadhafi|Al-Saadi Gaddafi]], is married to the daughter of a military commander. Al Saadi runs the Libyan Football Federation, plays for Italian [[Serie A]] team [[U.C. Sampdoria]], made billions of dollars in the petrol industry and produces films. Gaddafi's fourth son, Mutasim-Billah Gaddafi, was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Libyan army. He fled to Egypt after allegedly masterminding an Egyptian backed coup attempt against his father. Gaddafi forgave Mutasim-Billah and he returned to Libya where he now holds the post of national security adviser and heads his own unit within the army. Saif Al Islam and Mutasim-Billah are both seen as possible successors to their father. The fifth eldest, Hannibal once worked for a public marine transportation company in Libya. He is most notable for being involved in a series of violent incidents throughout Europe, including charges against him for beating up his then pregnant girlfriend, Alin Skaf. (In September 2004, Hannibal was involved in a police chase in [[Paris]].) Gaddafi has two younger sons, Saif Al Arab and Khamis, a police officer in Libya. Gaddafi's only daughter is [[Ayesha Qaddafi|Ayesha Gaddafi]], a lawyer who had joined the defense team of executed former Iraqi leader [[Saddam Hussein]]. She [[cousin couple|married a cousin]] of her father in 2006. His reportedly adopted daughter, Hanna, was killed in the [[United States bombing of Libya|1986 USAF bombing raid]]. At a "concert for peace", held on [[April 15]] [[2006]] in Tripoli to mark the 20th anniversary of the bombing raid, U.S. singer [[Lionel Richie]] told the audience: :"Hanna will be honoured tonight because of the fact that you've attached peace to her name."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4911434.stm| date=15 April 2006| title=Libya concert marks US bomb raids| publisher=BBC News| accessdate=2006-06-19}}</ref> In January 2002, Gaddafi purchased a 7.5% share of Italian football club [[Juventus]] for [[USD]] 21 million, through [[Lafico]] ("''Libyan Arab Foreign Investment Company''"). This continued a longstanding association with the Italian industralist [[Gianni Agnelli]].{{Fact|date=May 2008}} Gaddafi holds an [[Doctor honoris causa|honorary degree]] from [[Megatrend University]] in [[Belgrade]] proclaimed by former Yugoslav President [[Zoran Lilić]]. <ref>{{cite news| url=http://standartnews.com/en/article.php?d=2007-03-03&article=3589| publisher=Standart News| title=Impostor Defends Bulgarian Nurses before Gaddafi| date=[[2007-03-03]] |accessdate=2007-04-06}}</ref> ==Quotations== {{wikiquote|Muammar al-Gaddafi}} *"Ronald Reagan plays with fire! He sees the world like the theater".<ref>{{cite news| title=BBC News: Timeline: Libya| date=[[May 16]], [[2006]]| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1398437.stm}}</ref> *"I have nothing but scorn for the notion of an Islamic bomb. There is no such thing as an Islamic bomb or a Christian bomb. Any such weapon is a means of terrorizing humanity, and we are against the manufacture and acquisition of nuclear weapons. This is in line with our definition of—and opposition to—terrorism."<ref>{{cite news| title=An Interview with Gaddafi| publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]| date=[[June 8]], [[1981]]| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,922551-1,00.html| accessdate=2006-12-15}}</ref> *"Israel is a colonialist-imperialist phenomenon. There is no such thing as an Israeli people. Before 1948, world geography knew of no state such as Israel. Israel is the result of an invasion, of aggression."<ref>{{cite news| title=An Interview with Gaddafi| publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]| date=[[April 9]], [[1979]]| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,920211,00.html| accessdate=2006-12-15}}</ref> *"God damn America" - Time magazine, April 2, 1973 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,907040-6,00.html *"I've got two idols in my life — [[Abraham Lincoln|President Lincoln]] and [[Sun Yat-sen|Dr. Sun Yat-sen]]."<ref>quoted from a newspaper article in "China Times", [[January 19]] [[2006]], page A3</ref> *"Irrespective of the conflict with America, it is a human duty to show sympathy with the American people and be with them at these horrifying and awful events which are bound to awaken human conscience." &mdash; [[September 11]], [[2001]]<ref>{{cite news| title=CBSNews.com: Global Outrage at Terror Attacks| date=[[September 26]], [[2001]]| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/09/11/archive/main310763.shtml}}</ref> *"Man’s freedom is lacking if somebody else controls what he needs, for need may result in man’s enslavement of man."<ref>{{cite book| editor=Christman, Henry M.| title=Qaddafi’s Green Book| location=Buffalo, New York| publisher=Prometheus Books| year=1988| pages=72}}</ref> *"We have four million Muslims in [[Albania]]. There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe &ndash; without swords, without guns, without conquests. The fifty million Muslims of Europe will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades. Europe is in a predicament, and so is America. They should agree to become Islamic in the course of time, or else declare war on the Muslims."<ref>{{cite news| title=interview on Al-Jazeera TV. Qatar| date=[[April 10]] [[2006]]| url=http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1121}}</ref> *"The Libyans said they'll buy their way out of these three [terrorism] black lists. We'll pay so much, to hell with $2 billion or more. It's not compensation. It's a price. The Americans said it was Libya who did it. It is known that the president was madman Reagan who's got Alzheimer's and has lost his mind. He now crawls on all fours."<ref>{{cite news| title=SBS Dateline: The New Libya| date=[[October 08]], [[2003]]| url=http://news.sbs.com.au/dateline/index.php?page=archive&daysum=2003-10-08#}}</ref> *"We fear that Obama will feel that, because he is black with an inferiority complex, this will make him behave worse than the whites."<ref>{{cite news| title='Gaddafi attacks Obama on Israel' BBC News | date=[[June 12]] [[2008]]| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7450000.stm}}</ref> Following [[Barack Obama]]'s expressions of solidarity with Israel. ==Name== Due to the inherent difficulties of transliterating written and regionally-pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name can be [[Transliteration|transliterated]] in many different ways. An article published in the [[Evening Standard|London ''Evening Standard'']] in 2004 lists a total of 37 spellings; a 1986 column by ''[[The Straight Dope]]'' quotes a list of 32 spellings known at the [[Library of Congress]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_264b.html |title=How are you supposed to spell Muammar Gaddafi/Khadafy/Qadhafi? |publisher=The Straight Dope |year=1986 |accessdate=2006-03-05}}</ref> '''''Muammar al-Gaddafi''''', used in this article, is the spelling used by ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine and the [[BBC]]. The [[Associated Press]], [[CNN]], and [[Fox News]] use the spelling '''''Moammar Gadhafi''''', [[Al-Jazeera]] uses '''''Muammar al-Qadhafi''''', the [[Edinburgh Middle East Report]] uses '''''Mu'ammar Qaddafi''''' and the [[United States Department of State|U.S. Department of State]] uses '''''Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi'''''. In 1986, Gaddafi reportedly responded to a [[Minnesota]] school's letter in English using the spelling '''''Moammar El-Gadhafi'''''.<ref>"Second-Graders Get Letter From Khadafy." The Associated Press [[May 16]] [[1986]]: Domestic News.</ref> ===The show=== In September 2006, at the [[English National Opera|ENO]] in [[London]], the [[UK]]-based electronic band [[Asian Dub Foundation]] created and did 6 performances of a show commissioned by [[channel 4]] and based on Gaddafi's story, called "Gaddafi: A Living Myth". The title role was played by [[Ramon Tikaram]]. The book was by [[Shan Khan]] and the direction by [[David Freeman]]. The critics were generally not very flattering in the English-speaking press. Press coverage in Muslim countries was positive: see Charles T. Downey, [http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2006/09/gaddafi-failure-or-triumph.html Gaddafi: Failure or Triumph?] (Ionarts, 18 September 2006). ==References== {{reflist}} ==See also== *[[Al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights]] *[[HIV trial in Libya]] *[[List of national leaders]] *[[Terrorism]] ==External links== {{commonscat|Muammar al-Gaddafi}} *[http://www.algathafi.org/html-english/index.htm Official web site] *[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Muammar-Al-Gathafi/8952624785 Al-Gathafi's FaceBook Page] *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZQ2yp8BWc8 Interview with Gaddafi on Youtube] *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/misc/libya_20040224.shtml Libyan PM denies responsibility] *[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7D91F3AF934A25750C0A967958260 "Gaddafi Plays Quietly, but He's Still in the Game," ''The New York Times'', March 17, 1991]. *[http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050704/wl_nm/group_africa_gaddafi_dc_3&printer=1;_ylt=Asq1qg_.nDreuyr7dPlUR4Zn.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE- Reuters article on Gaddafi's Unified Africa - ''during G8 summit meetings on relieving African debt] [[4 July]] [[2005]] 22:08 (UTC) *[http://slate.msn.com/id/2111135/ "Meeting Muammar"] by Vivienne Walt, [[Slate.com]], [[16 December]] [[2004]] *[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_264b.html Straight Dope article on the many spellings of Muammar's name] *[http://libya-watanona.com/ Libya news and views] *[http://www.stopqaddafi.org/ Anti-Gaddafi website] *[http://www.eno.org/gaddafi Gaddafi: A Living Myth] - Performance by Asian Dub Foundation in conjunction with ENO *[http://www.bitsofnews.com/content/view/3805/ "Colonel Bogey"] by Gisle Tangenes, BitsofNews.com, [[02 September]] [[2006]] *[http://www.youarenotalone.bg "You are not alone" International humanitarian mission in support of the Bulgarian Medics in Libya] *[http://www.alwasla.com alwasla Libya web directory] *[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070314/14libya.htm Qadhafi Talks Up 'Direct Democracy'] *{{imdb name|id=0300490}} {{LibyaHeadsofState}} {{LibyaPMs}} {{Pan-Africanism}} {{Cold War figures}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaddafi, Muammar}} [[Category:Muammar al-Gaddafi| ]] [[Category:Heads of state of Libya|Gaddafi, Muammar al-]] [[Category:Libyan politicians|Gaddafi, Muammar al-]] [[Category:Current national leaders|Gaddafi, Muammar al-]] [[Category:Leaders who took power by coup|Gaddafi, Muammar al-]] [[Category:Non-South African anti-apartheid activists|Gaddafi, Muammar al-]] [[Category:Pan-Africanism|Gaddafi, Muammar al-]] [[Category:Libyan revolutionaries|Gaddafi, Muammar al-]] [[Category:Cold War leaders|Gaddafi, Muammar al-]] [[Category:1942 births|Gaddafi, Muammar al-]] [[Category:Living people|Gaddafi, Muammar al-]] [[Category:Chadian-Libyan conflict]] [[Category:Libyan Sunni Muslims]] [[ang:Muammar al-Gaddafi]] [[ar:معمر القذافي]] [[bs:Muammar Abu Meniar el-Gaddafi]] [[br:Mu'amar Al-Qadhafi]] [[bg:Муамар Кадафи]] [[ca:Muammar el Gaddafi]] [[cs:Muammar Kaddáfí]] [[da:Muammar al-Gaddafi]] [[de:Muammar al-Gaddafi]] [[et:Mu‘ammar al-Qadhdhāfī]] [[el:Μουαμάρ αλ Καντάφι]] [[es:Muammar al-Gaddafi]] [[eo:Muamar Kadafi]] [[eu:Muammar al-Gaddafi]] [[fa:معمر قذافی]] [[fr:Mouammar Kadhafi]] [[hr:Muammar al Gaddafi]] [[io:Muammar al-Qaddafi]] [[id:Muammar al-Qaddafi]] [[it:Muammar Gheddafi]] [[he:מועמר קדאפי]] [[sw:Muammar al-Gaddafi]] [[lt:Muammar al-Gaddafi]] [[hu:Moamer Kadafi]] [[ms:Muammar Al Gaddafi]] [[nl:Moammar al-Qadhafi]] [[ja:ムアンマル・アル=カッザーフィー]] [[no:Muammar al-Gadafi]] [[pl:Muammar al-Kadafi]] [[pt:Muammar al-Gaddafi]] [[ru:Муаммар Каддафи]] [[sl:Omar Moamer el Gadafi]] [[sr:Моамер ел-Гадафи]] [[sh:Moamer Gadafi]] [[fi:Muammar Gaddafi]] [[sv:Muammar al-Qadhdhafi]] [[ta:முவம்மர் அல்-கதாஃபி]] [[tg:Муаммар ал-Қаддафи]] [[tr:Muammer Kaddafi]] [[uk:Муаммар Каддафі]] [[yi:מואמאר קאדאפי]] [[zh:穆阿迈尔·卡扎菲]]