Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has been regarded as somewhat eccentric. He seldom travels overseas, because he insists on having his tent pitched outside whereever he is staying. And often he has problem getting permission to do so. But this week in Rome, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi did something even more eccentric. He paid 50 euros to around 500 girls over 3 evenings to attend an evangelism session as he tried to convert them to Islam.
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was in Rome as Chairman of the African Union to attend a UN World Food Summit. While in Rome, he ordered Libyan ambassador Hafed Gaddur to invite up to 500 girls for a party. So a frantic call was made to Hostessweb, the Italian hospitality agency, to recruit the attractive girls. The specifications given were for “500 attractive girls between 18 and 35 years of age, at least 1.7 metre (5 feet 7 inches) high.” The prohibitions: No mini skirts or plunging necklines. The exception: High heels acceptable.
Hostessweb did a good job in getting the girls at short notice (no doubt earning a good bonus in the process). On the first night, about 200 Italian girls turned out for the party, not knowing what to expect (and some were turned away for not observing the dress code or failing the height requirement).
The host was an hour late. But when he turned up, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi began to do his evangelisation bit. He had one simple exhortation: “Convert to Islam”.
Referring to the high divorce rate in the West, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi said that women there ”have often been used as pieces of furniture, changed whenever it pleases men. And this is an injustice.” The emphasising his support for equal rights, not equal duties, he said women must do “what their physical condition allows them”
Later the girls were given gifts – copies of the Koran, and copies of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s own book, called the Green Book, which outlines his views on democracy and political philosophy.
The girls were then dismissed without the customary drinks or food being served, perhaps reflecting the topic of discussion at the UN World Food Summit – famine and food poverty.
How did the girls react? Here are some reactions reported by the press: “I thought we were going to a party - we didn’t even get a glass of water or some salty snacks”. “It was all very polite but I expected at least a little bite to eat”. “I was expecting a party, not a lesson, but it was a very interesting experience”. “I feel very offended with regard to my religion.”
Think about it. How effective can paid evangelism (this rent-a-crowd strategy) really be? So why is Colonel Muammar Gaddafi paying for this event? And is he right in saying that women in the West “have often been used as pieces of furniture, changed whenever it pleases men”? What about the recent statement by the Sydney Morning Herald that said: “Despite Saudi claims of reform, women continue to be treated not even as second-class citizens but as a lower species”. And what about the statement by Indraswari reported recently in the Jakarta Post: “Again and again women become the victims of gender-biased laws which treat women as no more than an object to be controlled at all times and in many aspects of their life”. Are women worse off in the West, or in Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia?
Earlier posts
Aceh – Sharia Law On Women Wearing Trousers To Be Implemented
Saudi Arabia – When Male Guardianship Is Abused
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