Unarmed people power drums Libya's jihadists out of Benghazi

[one...two...tree 2,762]

These were the incredible scenes in Benghazi as tens of thousands of ordinary citizens marched on the Islamic extremists in their compounds and drove them out with shouts, placards and sheer courage.

A Libyan man gestures as thousands of people march in Benghazi during a protest against militias on 21 September, 2012. Photograph: Abdullah Doma/AFP/Getty Images

As fires blazed and protesters danced in the ruined compound of a vanquished jihadist militia, I watched as the citizens of the Libyan city of Benghazi staged a dramatic display of raw people power.Numbed by the murder of an American ambassador in their city, furious with jihadist militias lording it over them and frustrated by a government too chaotic and intimidated to react, ordinary Benghazians took matters into their own hands.

Elsewhere in the world jihadists staged fiery attacks on foreign targets. InLibya they were sent running by people power. A rally called to Rescue Benghazi on Friday night became the launch pad for a spontaneous retaking of the streets, and more – a retaking of the soul that saw this city become the cradle of last year's Arab spring revolution.

Ansar al-Sharia militia, blamed by many for the killing of ambassador Chris Stevens and three of his diplomats had last week deployed anti-aircraft guns around their Benghazi compound, fearing attack from drones and US warships. But the attack, when it came, was from a very different direction. Civilian. Unarmed. And with nothing more than the desperation of a population staring anarchy in the face.

For the people of Benghazi, the killing of Stevens was the final outrage in a campaign of extremist violence that had seen other consulates firebombed, the convoy of Britain's ambassador rocketed, commonwealth war graves vandalised and 14 officials assassinated. As foreign missions fled and businessmen cleared out, Benghazi found itself cast as Libya's Dodge City. And in the absence of a sheriff to impose order, its people staged their own spontaneous cleansing.

The rally on Friday was peaceful: crowds of men, women and children marched on central Benghazi, with balloons, flags and placards, many calling for justice for the killers of Stevens. "We are Islam, we are not extremists!" they chanted.

Ever since the 11 September attack on the US compound that left Stevens and three fellow diplomats dead, Benghazians have been incredulous at the inability of government to act. No serious investigation has been launched to catch his killers, the government cowed by the power of jihadist militias.

But support for the protest was everywhere. The defence minister refused to give his backing, but air force pilots made their feelings known: an attack helicopter circled Friday's protest to protect it and a pilot made low thundering passes over the crowd to remind them of the revolutionary slogan: "The army is with the people."

When night fell, the dam broke. The women and children of the rally were escorted home and the crowd surged towards militia bases. First to go was the Abu Salem Shahouda militia base, behind the seafront Tibesti hotel, and blamed by locals for thuggery and intimidation. A crowd of hundreds of young men, some teenagers, smashed through the gates and into the compound.

I was propelled in with them, as the frightened militiamen were manhandled out of the gates. Minutes later three jeeps loaded with red-capped military police screeched into the compound, weapons ready, unsure what they would find. The protesters embraced them. "It's like in the revolution," said colonel Ben Eisa, taking command of the abandoned Abu Salem Shahouda base. "We are taking orders from the people." It was as easy as that. Months of militia violence ended by a show of unarmed force.

Then came Ansar al-Sharia: a 300-strong force blamed by Libya's head of state Muhammad Magariaf for involvement in Stevens's death. As the demonstrators approached, the militiamen flooded out of their compound and loosed volleys of machine gun fire into the air. The crowd, bursting with the frustration of months of humiliation, simply kept coming. The militia, who had vowed to fight American air power, fled before people power.

Compound buildings were torched, cars set ablaze and looting of everything not nailed down began as, belatedly, red-capped military police arrived. "We are in control of this place," said colonel Saleh Yemeni, sporting a red beret and the silver wings of the parachute regiment, as a flaming car burned behind him. "We are with the people."

A well-built man, Ehad El Farsi, stopped me to ask if I was American and to apologise on behalf of Benghazi for the killing of Stevens. Told I was English, he explained he was a politics professor at Benghazi university and wanted to talk to me some time about the merits of singer Chris Rea. "What you have here is the people taking action," he said. "All the people."

TV pictures may give the impression of mob rule. Being there felt it felt more like a cup final crowd toasting victory. Then the cry went up to march on Hwari, the sprawling base of another militia, Raffala al-Sahati, to which Ansar al-Sharia men were believed to have fled. El Farsi found his car, a BMW, and roared off south.

Protesters crammed into cars, hooting horns and waving Libyan tricolours as an impromptu convoy surged south. But this time the response was different. The first protesters who marched on the gates were met by machine gun fire, triggering pandemonium. Cars bringing more protesters ran into the traffic jam of abandoned vehicles and civilian cars trying to ferry the wounded to hospital. Pickup trucks with anti-aircraft guns manned by military police sat, their crews unsure if they should return fire.

Amid a cacophony of car horns, shouts and the rattle of machine gun fire, red tracer slashed the night sky and protesters dashed for cover. "The were shooting at the people – the crowd were all running away," said Muhammad el-Gadari, an aviation student who had gone there to search for his younger cousin.

I had abandonded my vehicle to try to get to the battle by foot through the chaos of traffic and angry protesters, when a huge, bearded man in a white robe grabbed me, yelling in my ear and violently pushing me backwards. He spoke no English, and I was separated from my translator. When he caught up with us, the man in the robe explained he was not attacking me but defending me: "You must go away, it is not safe," he said. "We have to protect our foreigners."

As protester numbers grew and fire was returned, the base garrison fled, abandoning vehicles, guns and huge quantities of ammunition which the crowd looted. City hospitals were meanwhile forced to deal with carnage not seen since last year's war: surgeons were summoned from their beds, blood donors requested. By dawn the toll stood at 11 dead and 19 injured.

The wounded included Abu Baker Feraz, who had his leg smashed by a panicking militiaman escaping in a jeep. "It was an Ansar al-Sharia guy. I know his face. I have seven brothers – we want to find this man." As he was wheeled away to be operated on at Benghazi medical centre, his hand snaked out from the blue shawl that covered him. "I want to say something," he said. "Ansar al-Sharia, they have somebody from Afghanistan, somebody from Tunisia, somebody from Libya. Islam is not in Ansar al-Sharia."

It is a refrain you hear across Benghazi: Libya is a conservative Muslim country, and perhaps for this reason jihadists are distrusted for wanting to tell Libyans how to interpret their faith. Cynics say jihadists were wrongfooted by the revolution, won by the ordinary people and Nato, then by July elections that were won by a pro-business coalition, and are staking all on taking power – and Libya's oil wealth – by force.

http://www.guardian....libya?fb=optOut

[Danno 1,228]

Just so no one is confused, these folks in large number still detest America.

They still want, Islamic rule (consider who they elected).

They just don't want the very nuttiest brand known as Jihadist.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Just so no one is confused, these folks in large number still detest America.

They still want, Islamic rule (consider who they elected).

They just don't want the very nuttiest brand known as Jihadist.

You are the one who seems confused.

1.) As the article describes, the small, 300-member group of al Ansar al Sharia was no match for thousands of Benghazi civilians who wanted them out. As the article describes, these civilians expressed outrage over the killing of the American Ambassador and (thinking the reporter was also American) personally apologized to him and went out of their way to protect him from potential harm by the small group of al Ansar al Sharia.

2.) In fact, in the July elections, Libyans overwhelmingly chose candidates from the National Forces Alliance, a predominantly liberal party that calls for moderate Islam and a democratic, civil state.

3.) Of course most Muslims don't want extremists. (By the way, extremists are not called "Jihadists" by other Muslims; that is a term made up by certain Westerners who don't even understand what "jihad" means, but like to brandish unfamiliar foreign words in order to give their xenophobia some luster of authenticity.... the same way they try to turn the word "madrassa" into something frightening.) What a shock predominantly moderate Muslim Libyans elect mostly other moderate Muslim Libyans - like moderate American Christians elect mostly other moderate American Christians. Seems Libyans like their religion, just as most Americans do, but (like most Americans) they like moderation, not extremism.

I know all this reality does not play into the paradigm of the angry unreasonable scary Muslim meme that you have so eagerly embraced, so therefore you must dismiss reality as somehow "not reality." Otherwise, you would have to reject your paradigm, and that might feel uncomfortable. Cognitive dissonance is a b!tch.

[Ontarkie 14,224]

Inappropriate post removed, and one quoting it.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Danno doesn't even recognize the universal peace sign the young man is gesturing in the photo. Go figure.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Danno doesn't even recognize the universal peace sign the young man is gesturing in the photo. Go figure.

Just so no one is confused, these folks in large number still detest America. --> As do many British, French, Japanese, Australian, South African, Israeli, Palestinian, Mexican, Argentinian, Ugandan, Ecuadorian, [enter nationality]

They still want, Islamic rule (consider who they elected). --> I.e. they want to choose their form of government and if they want Islamic rule, it is up to them to decide.

They just don't want the very nuttiest brand known as Jihadist. --> Which means, they can dislike American foreign policy, have a legal system based on Sharia and still not condone fundamentalist extremist acts of violence.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Just so no one is confused, these folks in large number still detest America. --> As do many British, French, Japanese, Australian, South African, Israeli, Palestinian, Mexican, Argentinian, Ugandan, Ecuadorian, [enter nationality]

They still want, Islamic rule (consider who they elected). --> I.e. they want to choose their form of government and if they want Islamic rule, it is up to them to decide.

They just don't want the very nuttiest brand known as Jihadist. --> Which means, they can dislike American foreign policy, have a legal system based on Sharia and still not condone fundamentalist extremist acts of violence.

I watched a traveling shown on Iran a few years ago. The traveler, an American with a camera, would capture Iranians honking their horns, waving at him and saying they love American food, music, tv, just not our foreign policies (this was when GWB was president). That's probably the case for most people in most countries who express a negative reaction towards the U.S.. It's geopolitical rather than cultural. Except for the French - they really hate American culture.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

I watched a traveling shown on Iran a few years ago. The traveler, an American with a camera, would capture Iranians honking their horns, waving at him and saying they love American food, music, tv, just not our foreign policies (this was when GWB was president). That's probably the case for most people in most countries who express a negative reaction towards the U.S.. It's geopolitical rather than cultural. Except for the French - they really hate American culture.

That's exactly what average people say all over the Arab world - "we love American people, we love your democracy, we love your freedoms, we love your music. It's your government that we don't like." The first thing people want to know is where you're from, and if you say "America," you will find people lining up to have a chance to talk with you and they will tell you all of this.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

That's exactly what average people say all over the Arab world - "we love American people, we love your democracy, we love your freedoms, we love your music. It's your government that we don't like." The first thing people want to know is where you're from, and if you say "America," you will find people lining up to have a chance to talk with you and they will tell you all of this.

Yep. It was the Bush Administration that kept drumming into American voters that we were attacked on 9/11 for our culture. A very clever marketing strategy because they convinced a lot of Americans that outsiders hated them for being who they are. I think that has bled into the animosity towards immigrants in general who are looked upon as threatening our culture.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Yep. It was the Bush Administration that kept drumming into American voters that we were attacked on 9/11 for our culture. A very clever marketing strategy because they convinced a lot of Americans that outsiders hated them for being who they are. I think that has bled into the animosity towards immigrants in general who are looked upon as threatening our culture.

"They hate us for our freedoms" is a lot easier than having to admit "They hate our government for meddling in their politics, supporting brutal dictators against the will of their people, invading and occupying their countries, and for arming and enabling Israel to continue to brutally oppress and dispossess the Palestinians with impunity." What's surprising is that so many Americans fell for Bush's answer.

Edited September 24, 2012 by wife_of_mahmoud

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

"They hate us for our freedoms" is a lot easier than having to admit "They hate our government for meddling in their politics, supporting brutal dictators against the will of their people, invading and occupying their countries, and for arming and enabling Israel to continue to brutally oppress and dispossess the Palestinians with impunity." What's surprising is that so many Americans fell for Bush's answer.

There is the other side of that as well. While most countries would rather be left alone, but if some outside country has to be there, they prefer it be America. Two reasons: 1) America brings dollars and those dollars do make their way into the economy and 2) America does not come as a colonial master or conqueror.

For instance, look at all the opportunities the US missed in not fully exploiting Iraqi oil.

Edited September 24, 2012 by The Patriot

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

There is the other side of that as well. While most countries would rather be left alone, but if some outside country has to be there, they prefer it be America. Two reasons: 1) America brings dollars and those dollars do make their way into the economy and 2) America does not come as a colonial master or conqueror.

For instance, look at all the opportunities the US missed in not fully exploiting Iraqi oil.

Doing business is one thing, and usually welcomed. But they really, really don't like the invading/occupying part, or the supporting of dictators against the will of the people. Doing business doesn't require either, and is much cheaper without.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Doing business is one thing, and usually welcomed. But they really, really don't like the invading/occupying part, or the supporting of dictators against the will of the people. Doing business doesn't require either, and is much cheaper without.

Yep. That is the sucks part. But, as is often the case, removing the dictator and allowing the popular front to control the government, doesn't work out well, either for the US, or the indigenous population. But, I tend to lean to the side of self-determination, no matter the outcome. We miss many of the opportunities to gain allies we can treat as equal partners, by getting too involved in the internal politics. Perhaps the US government should just keep all those taxpayer dollars at home, and let US companies function as our diplomatic corp.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Yep. That is the sucks part. But, as is often the case, removing the dictator and allowing the popular front to control the government, doesn't work out well, either for the US, or the indigenous population. But, I tend to lean to the side of self-determination, no matter the outcome. We miss many of the opportunities to gain allies we can treat as equal partners, by getting too involved in the internal politics. Perhaps the US government should just keep all those taxpayer dollars at home, and let US companies function as our diplomatic corp.

I agree - we need to butt out of meddling with their governments. The constant interference of the West is what's gotten us to this point, and all the tax money we spent only benefited private interests while hurting American interests. Let people determine their own governments and their own ways of life. The U.S. can do business and make friends, maybe donate some aid money for health or education etc. if it feels like it, but other than that, butt the hell out. The U.S. government is out of line using taxpayer dollars to try to run their countries (especially when it can't even run our own country properly.) Once it butts out, the international esteem and good will for the U.S. will soon return to what it once was, before the U.S. government started trying to impose its will on everyone else by hook or by crook.

[Danno 1,228]

Danno doesn't even recognize the universal peace sign the young man is gesturing in the photo. Go figure.

I'm hoping this is a joke?

If not I see you an obama are using the same weathervane to guide our footsteps in the M.E.