The killing of Libya’s strongman, Muammar Gaddafi, who ruled his country with an iron grip while remaining hostile to the Western world, brought his 42-year ruthless regime to an end. His brutal and autocratic way of governing at home as well as his ongoing execution of opponents abroad will surely list him as one of the most faithful representatives of despotism, tyranny and dictatorship in the 21st century.
US President Barack Obama said that Col Gaddafi’s death not only terminated a painful chapter for Libyans but also relayed the serious warning that “iron fist” regimes, especially in Arab countries, are destined to an unavoidable collapse. “The rule of an iron fist inevitably comes to an end.” Violence is annihilated by violence itself! Did not Jesus say to Peter: “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26, 52)? Col Gaddafi’s demise vindicated Jesus’ prophetic admonition.
The US President went on by saying that “just one year ago, the notion of a free Libya seemed impossible but then the Libyan people rose up and demanded their rights. …With this enormous promise, the Libyan people now have a great responsibility to build an inclusive and tolerant and democratic Libya that stands as the ultimate rebuke to Col Gaddafi’s dictatorship”. Is this inclusivity and tolerance to be merely relegated to the political spectrum? Will a democratic Libya be promoting religious freedom? The Iraqi experience shows that after Saddam Hussein’s downfall there has been a significant increase of concrete cases of intimidation, abductions, assassinations and attacks on Christian churches in Iraq. Can these criminal acts be qualified as meaningful tokens of inclusivity and tolerance? Will the Christians in Libya be facing the same music those of Iraq are still facing?
In his message for the World Day of Peace this year Pope Benedict XVI lamented that currently Christians “are the religious group which suffers most from persecution on account of its faith. Many Christians experience daily affronts and often live in fear because of their pursuit of truth, their faith in Jesus Christ and their heartfelt plea for respect for religious freedom. This situation is unacceptable since it represents an insult to God and to human dignity; furthermore, it is a threat to security and peace, and an obstacle to the achievement of authentic and integral human development”.
Such a grave injustice can only be remedied if the full exercise and promotion of religious freedom is assured. There is no true democracy without the legal and practical implementation of religious freedom.
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the secretary for relations with states in the Vatican Secretariat of State, explains why. “The full exercise of the right to religious freedom is based on respect for human reason and its capacity to know the truth; it ensures openness to transcendence as an indispensable guarantee of human dignity; it allows all religions to manifest their own identity publicly, free from any pressure to hide or disguise it. Religious freedom includes the right to disseminate one’s own faith and the right to change it.
“Respect for religious liberty would unmask the pretence of some terrorists to justify their unjustifiable actions on religious grounds. If violence still arises between religious groups, anti-incitement programmes in civil society should be supported, especially when they are initiated by local groups in cross-religious alliances. Anti-incitement activities include education, mobilisation of religious leaders, mass movements opposing hate speech and other public acts calculated to spur sectarian violence.”
Will this be happening in the new Libya? Only time will tell...