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Libya's `lizard' the only leader that matters

A university student studies the philosophy of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi at the Green Book Center, as a ceiling-high portrait of the leader looks on in Tripoli, Libya, on Saturday. The Green Book, which the Libyan government translated into 53 languages, is a 1970s tract on Qaddafi's philosophy. PHOTO: AP

His face looks down sternly from nearly every street corner in Tripoli. Schoolchildren take classes on his philosophy. He has single-handedly shaped the course of the nation for 34 years.

And yet his name is rarely uttered. When Libyans talk of "al-Qaed" -- The Leader -- there is no need to say Muammar Qaddafi.

Qaddhafi, whose military coup overthrew King Idris I in 1969, has no official position. He is not president or prime minister, just a colonel. But there is never any question that in Libya, he is the only leader who matters.

His photo hangs in every office. His image is painted on most billboards. Some portraits are put up by the government; others are ads for soap or spaghetti, congratulating The Leader on his 34 years of rule.

Opponents, one dissident said, call 61-year-old Qaddhafi "the lizard -- because he's always on the wall."

Qaddhafi's every word is reported by Libya's official press, and at the Green Book Center, hundreds of Libyan academics still pore over the Green Book, his rambling 1970s tract on political philosophy.

"You know Ali Baba and the 40 thieves? This is it. Libya is ruled by the 40 thieves."

Tripoli resident

Most Libyans are too young to remember life before Qaddhafi, and tend to describe him in almost divine terms, although given the close presence of the Libya's security services, it is unclear how spontaneous the reverence is.

"I feel peaceful with him. I love him so much," said Manal Mohammed, a 25-year-old English teacher.

Miloud El Mehadbi, the Green Book Center's foreign affairs director, said the passion comes in part from Libyans' long history of colonialism.

"In Libya we had not been ruled by a nationalistic ruler for centuries. Now, we feel we are ruling ourselves," he said. "It is a question of psychology. He embodies our feelings of patriotism."

Not all agree. Muttered comments on the street and secret discussions with dissidents indicate that a significant number oppose their leader, whom they accuse of torture, slaughter and embezzlement.

"You know Ali Baba and the 40 thieves? This is it," said one man who didn't give his name for fear of retribution. "Libya is ruled by the 40 thieves."

That's certainly the opinion of many Western governments. The US calls Libya a military dictatorship, and it is one of seven on the US State Department's list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

Qaddhafi is now paying billions of dollars in compensation for the most famous terrorist act attributed to his agents: the blowing up of Pan Am flight 103 in 1988, which killed 270 people. In recent months, he has renounced terrorism and allowed international inspectors to dismantle his programs to develop weapons of mass destruction. On Thursday, the White House lifted a 23-year-old ban on Americans traveling to Libya.

Some say Qaddhafi is preparing to hand over power to his son, Seif el-Islam.

But to most Libyans, life without Qaddhafi is hard to imagine.

A group of friends strolling through Tripoli's old city burst into laughter when asked how Libya would change when Qaddhafi left power. When she regained her composure, Samira Mohammed, 45, realized the question wasn't a joke.

"Well, of course only God will stay forever," she said. "But I hope he will, too."
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