Editor,
The Western nations currently trying to bomb Libya into submission must not be familiar with Libyan history.
Who was Umar Mukhtar, and why is he so famous in Libya? Mukhtar organized and led the armed resistance to Italian colonization between 1912-31.
Benito Mussolini, the Italian leader, was hell-bent on reconquering Libya in order to rebuild the Roman Empire.
With the latest weapons of war at his disposal, the fascist Mussolini thought that the conquest of Libya would be a walk in the park. What Mussolini found instead was a former Quran teacher skillfully using guerilla warfare to ambush Italian forces and then disappearing back into the desert.
When the fascists realized that Mukhtar’s support among the Libyan people was so strong, Mussolini decided to place many Libyans into concentration camps. This strategy paid off, and eventually Mukhtar was captured and executed.
Ironically, the Italians were forced out of Italy in 1943 having failed in their bid to re-establish their beloved Roman Empire.
I can fully understand that the leaders of the West are far too arrogant to let the final words of a Quran teacher change their minds, but I will conclude with Mukhtar’s final words: “To God we belong, and to Him we shall return.”
Muhajir Romero
UNM student
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