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BREAKING | Revolution in Libya: The End for Gaddafi??

Published

August 21, 2011

Dr Youssef Chouhoud

News Updates

21st August

The End??

After six months…

SIX MONTHS…

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Victory is at last in sight for Libya’s rebels – for all Libya.

What happened in the past few days caught most by surprise. The speed with which rebels moved toward Tripoli was simply stunning. Not long ago, there were fears that Gaddafi may succeed in pushing the revolutionaries back, but a valiant sweep Westward, particularly into the towns of Gharyan and Zawiyah, seems to have decisively turned the tide. Even so, as late as the morning of August 21, as rebel forces were on the outskirts of the Libyan capital, the most optimistic estimations of a takeover were 7-10 days. Yet, once again, we see that Allah is the best of planners.

Sentiment quickly turned today from one of a prospective, somewhat protracted “end game” to one of an immediate “final push.” As the evening progressed, news of Gaddafi’s forces retreating and the capture of Gadaffi’s sons spurred celebrations across the country, particularly in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

Even with the writing on the wall, Gaddafi still continues to communiques as brief as they are incoherent and out of touch with reality. One wonders if he believes any will heed his call to “defend” Tripolli, whether anyone buys the oft-repeated dictator-on-the-brink claim of a foreign led revolution?

To be sure, no one knows what will be the fate of Gaddafi when all is said and done. Will he flee? Will he be summarily executed? Will he be put on trial?

The world waits with bated breath. InshAllah they won’ t need to wait much longer.

A rundown of recent events in the Libyan revolution (via Aljazeera)

May 15: Gaddafi forces withdraw from Misrata. The seaside city of Misrata was besieged for months by Gaddafi forces; they surrounded it and frequently lobbed mortars downtown.

Hundreds of civilians and rebel fighters were killed, and thousands more wounded, during weeks of fighting in the city centre and near the port. Civilians reported appalling living conditions: scarce food and water, little to no electricity, and a severe shortage of medical supplies.

NATO planes began bombing the city in late April, targeting Gaddafi’s tanks and artillery. Rebels began their own counter=offensive on April 25, pushing slowly from the east, seizing the port area and working their way through the city.

A fierce battle on May 11 left the rebels with control of the airport, and four days later they declared the battle for Misrata over.

July 28: Major push in the Western Mountains. Rebel gains in the east slowed down after the Misrata campaign, but they began winning territory in western Libya, allowing them to surround Gaddafi in Tripoli.

The western campaign allowed rebel fighters to control Libya’s main supply lines
The rebels began their push in early June, and for several weeks they reported steady gains, capturing scattered villages and seizing much-needed supplies from the Gaddafi troops stationed in the region.

Their advance was halted in early July at the town of Qawalish. It took several advances to seize the town; rebels had to retreat at one point because they ran out of ammunition.

By late July, the rebels were pushing down from the Nafusa Mountains to towns in the foothills, allowing them to control strategically-important roads linking Tripoli to Tunisia – Gaddafi’s main source of supplies.

Rebels would seize several other important towns, including Tiji and Bir al-Ghanam, after the start of Ramadan in August.

August 15: Rebels take Gharyan. The war’s final phase seemed to begin last week, when rebels reported taking control of Gharyan, a town about 80km south of Tripoli.

That victory allowed them to completely encircle the Gaddafi-controlled capital: All of the major highways leading out of Tripoli now pass through rebel-controlled areas.

Control of Gharyan, and the town of Zawiyah in the west, is not yet absolute; there are still reports of scattered shelling by Gaddafi’s artillery. But the Libyan leader has been unable to retake these towns, and with reports of fighting on the streets of Tripoli, his grip on power is weaker than ever.

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Dr Youssef Chouhoud

Youssef Chouhoud is an assistant professor of political science at Christopher Newport University, where he is affiliated with the Reiff Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution. Youssef completed his PhD at the Political Science and International Relations program at the University of Southern California as a Provost’s Fellow. His research interests include political attitudes and behavior, survey methodology, and comparative democratization.

15 Comments

MR

August 21, 2011 at 7:07 PM

Blessings of the last 10 days? MashaAllah! May Allah protect the innocent and oppressed around the world. Ameen.

Reply
Ameera

August 21, 2011 at 8:29 PM

Who’s next? Bashar Al Assad?

Insha’Allah!!

Reply
jawad

August 21, 2011 at 10:25 PM

this should be a warning to all the dictators in the muslim lands that.enough is enough. It is a disgrace to see all these leaders eat the wealth of their population

Reply
Tom

August 21, 2011 at 11:43 PM

1300+ dead.

Reply
Huddi

August 22, 2011 at 12:42 AM

may Allah give them freedom, and allow them to establish a government based on his mercy, and justice.

Reply
HadithCheck

August 22, 2011 at 2:12 AM

The End??
After six months…

SIX MONTHS…

Victory is at last in sight for Libya’s rebels – for all Libya.

I think that things are just starting, not ending. Only Allah knows what will happen when there is a power vacuum or if different groups start fighting over who gets to rule. Who knows who these “rebels” are and what their agenda is?

May Allah have mercy on our Ummah and guide us to following the Quran and authentic Sunnah.

Reply
- Aly Balagamwala
  
  August 22, 2011 at 2:48 AM
  
  Dear Hadith Check
  
  Please note that you are requested to use a name or kunya for your future comments as per our comments policy http://muslimmatters.org/2011/07/29/etiquette-of-discussion-on-a-blog-comments-policy/
  
  Jazak’Allah Khairin
  -Aly
  
  Reply
  - HadithCheck
    
    August 22, 2011 at 7:42 AM
    
    Dear brother,
    
    I don’t know why “HadithCheck” doesn’t qualify as a kunya. Doesn’t it serve the same purpose and makes me clearly identifiable, as this isn’t a generic name which too many people are using nor is it a message.
    
    Reply
    - Amad
      
      August 22, 2011 at 4:03 PM
      
      I think what is kuniya is well understood in the context we are referring to… abu-x or umm-x.
      
      Your handle is clearly meant to state a “msg”. We’ll keep your suggestion in mind when we review the policies next time inshallah. For now, pls comply in order stay active here.
      
      Reply
Saheed

August 22, 2011 at 4:57 AM

I have two fear in the exit of Ghadafi. 1) There is a possibility that Libya ends up just like Afganistan and Iraq because those that lead this struggle are minority groups and are mainly from Benghazi. So there will be pressure on the new Government from the majority group whereby there could be constant terriorism. 2) I fear that the western world might be supporting the rebel for their own interest, whereby they control libyan resources and have a large chunk of it to clear their own debt.

Reply
Abu Yusuf

August 22, 2011 at 10:21 AM

Salaam Alaykum,

I find it strange that people are celebrating this…isn’t it forbidden in Islam to rebel against the ruler even if he is a tyrant? I’ve seen books upon books written on this subject. Furthermore, here is a case of Muslims fighting against Muslims. Isn’t it prudent to at the very least not take sides?

Reply
Abu Musa

August 22, 2011 at 1:46 PM

Inshallah,
The Muslims of Libya will implement the law of Allah as a form of governance.

Reply
- Kashif H
  
  August 22, 2011 at 11:17 PM
  
  Salaam aleikum,
  
  The problem of naivete and political illiteracy of Muslims, especially when it comes to Islamic political concepts is very sad. The NTC rebels are predominantly secular and the grounds are already being set for future conflicts post Qaddafi, here is just one example:
  
  Libayn Rebels NTC to Recognize Israel
  
  This is especially ironic because at a time when groups around the world are trying to organize divestments and boycotts of Israel for their actions (they locked up Muslims in al Aqsa just last night)
  nationalistic and secular groups are still working to undermine Islam even after all this bloodshed.
  
  That which is not started or fought on an Islamic basis, will always end with compromised kufr.
  
  Reply
Tom

August 22, 2011 at 3:27 PM

I don’t think there’s any significant difference between this and Iraq or Afghanistan. It’s atrocious to see so many Muslims celebrating and supporting the bombing of innocent civilians, their own brothers and sisters in Islam!!

Reply
- Perseveranze
  
  August 22, 2011 at 4:27 PM
  
  Not sure if your trolling, most likely are.
  
  But we Muslims only want our oppressive rulers to step down, we want the west to also get out of our countries and stop oppressiving our “brothers and sisters”, like it’s happening in Iraq/Afghanistan and around much of the Muslim world.
  
  Reply