December 1997 - Web Posted 12/28/97
by Askia Muhammad [Editor'snote: Colonel Muammar Qadhafi (MQ): I guess the answer now lies with the representativeof the Secretary General of the United Nations, who I believe just leftthe (Libyan Arab) Jamahariya and who acquainted himself with the injusticeand the damages that were inflicted upon the Libyan Arab people, whichare unfair and unjust because of the sanctions which were unfairly andunjustly imposed on Libya. He will submit a report to the Secretary General,and you will be able to acquaint yourself with this report. Q: There have been reports in the United States that you may givea billion dollars to Black groups, or to the Nation (of Islam), I'm notsure. Would you please put that on the record for clarification? MQ: We are committed to give our support and confidence to the Nation of Islam in America led by my dear brother and friend, Mr. Louis Farrakhan.This help and assistance is not expressed and manifested in numbers, becauseit is not an account in a bank and it is not a kind of a loan. We givesupport and confidence that is unlimited and unwavering and it is the responsibilityor the problem of those who want to translate this kind of aid and assistanceinto numerical figures. Q: How great has the affect of sanctions been on the people of Libya?What can the people of America do to convince our government to lift thosesanctions?
Q: You've been known as a revolutionary all over the world. You helpedsupport the African National Congress and Nelson Mandela a long time ago,while the American government supported apartheid. How does it make youfeel, looking back in history, knowing that you were on the right sideof history? MQ: First of all it was considered a historical defeat to America andall the blocs that were giving support to this apartheid regime. It hasalso given credibility to what is mentioned in The Green Book, that "theBlacks will prevail in the world." Q: How can the Black newspaper publishers that are helping to promotethe cause-we're at a great sacrifice to tell your story-how can we be mutuallybeneficial when we tell your story? MQ: You should have correspondents stationed here in Libya, so theycan understand and take the truth right from Libya and it can be publishedover there (America). Consequently, you will be able and in a positionto help contribute to the enlightenment of the American people of the Libyanquestion or the Libyan issue. This is considered also in the interest ofthe American people because it will help them to know the truth. Truly,the American people are imprisoned by these imperialist circles that Ijust mentioned. There is a body in Libya called the Department of ExternalInformation, responsible for that. You conclude an agreement with thisDepartment so you will be in a position to have a permanent correspondenthere for your newspapers. There are correspondents in Libya (who can be)working for you, or you can send your own correspondents to be stationedhere. Q: I was watching television and I saw a program about the need forthe Arabs to unite with Africa, and you have held many conferences on thissubject. Why is it important for you to achieve Arab-African unity? MQ: I think the Arabs and the Africans are a people who are connectedto each other more than any other people. Half of Africa are Arabs. Halfof Africa are Muslims. The African continent when we look at it, we findthat the Arabs and the Africans and the Arab Muslims are integrated together.It is very evident in the African continent. This creates a common destiny.It also creates common enemies. For this reason we should be united todetermine our common self-determination, and to face this common enemytogether, united. Just a point. The Arabs and the Blacks are very muchkindred and related together, more than any other peoples. In Asia, wedon't have Blacks. In Europe, we don't have Blacks either. In America,they know Blacks as slaves brought from Africa to work there. But the Blacks(Africans) and the Arabs live together on one territory, on one land. Q: I don't believe-especially in light of what you've just said,in light of what's written in The Green Book-that you or anyone under yourauthority would order a bomb to be placed somewhere that is frequentedby Black soldiers, yet the American (National Security Agency) has takenthe unprecedented step of releasing what they say are "super secret"transmissions that they recorded from a Libyan embassy that they say, giveorders for the Berlin disco bombing. Please tell us that it's not so. MQ: Yes. The minute that it is said that there are Black soldiers, theaccusation would be far away from Libya. Q: How has Abdel Gamal Nasser affected your life? What has been yourdriving force, to keep you so strong, and to keep your people full of thespirit of love, and never weakening? MQ: As regards Abdel Nasser, when we were young, Abdel Nasser at thetime was leading the battle against imperialism, against colonialism, forthe liberation of Africa, for the unity of Africa, for the independenceof Africa, for the unity of the Arab world, against Zionism, against apartheid,racial discrimination. We felt very touched by these noble principles andvery affected and very moved. As regards part two of your question, since1977, I handed over the power to the people. We seized power, and thenwe handed the authority and the power to the people on the second of March1977. For these reasons, the Libyan people have no opposition in politicsor in authority or in power because they wield power. They are in power.My all-out objective and goal is to instigate and inspire the masses andthe people to govern themselves and to reach authority. What is takingplace in the world is just the opposite. The rulers are using power againstthe people to reach authority. Q: Would you tell us how the Jamahariya has affected the health statusof the Libyan people. What are the major accomplishments in the healthsector? MQ: We have a system which is called the Health Security Insurance.There is also free medical treatment. The only country that has (free)medical treatment is Libya. Q: Last year we observed in the military units, women soldiers, whichis widely discussed in America, but is particularly unusual in a Muslimcountry. What is the status of women in Islam in Libya, and the treatmentof women in Islam in Libya? MQ: Islam is not a hindrance upon a people, upon mankind so that theyare not free. Besides, and moreover, Islam does not differentiate betweenman and woman. These are all sanctions that were made up after man-maderegimes and systems. Even in the creation of Eve and Adam, they were withoutclothes, or naked in Paradise. These veils and the coverings came afterward,sanctions that were brought up afterward. They were not there in the beginning.What happened is that women were exploited in the name of Islam. But Islamis free of that. They exploited and misused Islam. On Judgment Day, Allah(God) does not differentiate between male and female, man and woman. Allahlooks upon us as human beings, mankind. Allah sees our deeds. He does notlook to our complexion, to our clothes. Furthermore, the Islamic womanshould be strong. She should be trained so that she can defend herself,she can defend her religion, she can defend Islam. She is strong to defendthe home, the house of Islam, to defend Islam. When she is well-trained,and when she is a pilot, and when she is an officer, she can do that. Thisis what is taking place in Libya. Q: Today, you are in need-yourself and Libya-of support from manyother countries to fight against the sanctions that this great countryis facing. How many from the so-called Arab leaders and countries, andof course African countries you have helped, come to support this causeof removing the sanctions, apart from the Honorable Louis Farrakhan? MQ: This is a very important question. This is the first time that thispolicy has been heard. We were trying to make it public (but) we couldn'tsay it loudly. So it comes from our brother to speak publicly like that.There is no doubt that the Libyan Arab people incurred upon themselvesa great sacrifice for the sake of the African people and the sake of theArab property, for the people of the world and the Muslims-at-large. Thereis no people who are fighting, struggling for their just cause that theLibyan Jamahariya did not give comfort to, after the Revolution. As a matterof fact, the Libyan Arab people are waiting for the support of these peoplenow that the Libyan Arab people are facing this confrontation. And now,what you witnessing, my dear Brother Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islamin America, he is taking the risk to come to Libya because he feels thatthe time is now for the Nation of Islam and the Blacks in America shouldcome and support Libyan Arab people in this ordeal. When we gave supportto the Nation of Islam and Brother Elijah Muhammad at that time, we didn'texpect that a time would come and we would be in need and difficulty, andexpecting our brothers, the Blacks, the Nation of Islam to come and supportus and give us help in the time of need. And now the world is hearing the voice of Nelson Mandela saying thattime is now right, that time has come that we should repay the good favorthat Libya has done for the peoples of the world who have been fightingto gain their liberty and independence. When there was injustice and apartheidagainst the South African people, Libya gave support and help, and nowit's time to pay back the help and support, because Libya is in need ofthat now. Q: Libya contributed hundreds of millions of dollars and aided Palestinein many other aspects. You ordered the Palestinians who were living andworking in Libya to leave and go back to their country, when you knew thatthey could not go there. Why did you do that? And what is their status? MQ: First of all, all of them have returned back to Libya. Indeed, thereare thousands of Palestinian people living in Libya as refugees. They cameup with this story that agreement had been reached, recognition had beenexchanged, and the issue of Palestine had been solved. Abu Ammar (YasserArafat) said (Palestinian refugees) were able to come back; we said, "Okay.If the case is like that, Abu Ammar said the refugees can go back. Thoserefugees from 1948 and from 1967, they should be in the same position tocome back to their own homeland, as others did so." We said to them: "Thank God that the issue has been solved andthe question has been resolved, and it is not good that you should be refugeesfor the rest of your life, so you should go back to your own homeland."When they did so, and went to the border-line with Egypt, they stoppedthere and they refused to go because they were told they don't have landand the issue is not solved. They made a camp there. We said to the world, "Didn't you tell us that the problem of thePalestine people had been solved? Look, the Palestinian people are stillliving in camps and tents. They are at the border." By this action,truth has been exposed before the world because it has been a lie, andit was exposed in the eyes of the world. It has been clear and evidentthat the (Israeli) occupation is still in existence, is still there, andPalestinians, all of them, are still under occupation, still occupied.Palestine of 1948 and Palestine of 1967 is still under occupation, andnobody can go there. And this is what has been recently emphasized by (IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu himself. Q: From the Libyan perspective, what can be done to end sanctionsbefore the end of this century? MQ: There is nothing from the Libyan side because these sanctions areimposed by America upon the Security Council. It is the responsibilityof the Security Council to find ways and means to lift these American sanctions.Because now the problem is between America and the United Nations SecurityCouncil. Q: What do you think about our President of the United States, Mr.Clinton, as opposed to the earlier Presidents, Ronald Reagan and GeorgeBush? MQ: My view, vis-a-vis Clinton, is clear and evident and the whole worldknows it, and he himself (Mr.) Clinton knows about it. We don't hate him.We consider him a good man. The poor man has been overwhelmed. He has beenbesieged or encircled by terrorists (and people who) are very deceptive.But he himself is a good man. But he cannot achieve what he wants. We want to hear from you! |
Colonel Muammar Qadhafi, the leader of the Libyan
Jamahariya, recentlywas interviewed by a delegation of Black newspaper publishers from
America.The Black publishers were in the North African country to investigate the affects
of UN-imposed sanctions on Libya. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, publisher of The
Final Call, was part of the delegation, during a stop on his World Friendship Tour. The
following is a transcript of the interview with Col. Qadhafi.]
MQ: First thing, I don't believe that the American people have any
influence in affecting the American policy because the system in America is a
dictatorship.Because all the establishment, namely the White House, the CIA, the
Pentagon,the National Security Council and the foreign affairs (State Department),all of
these establishments rule and ... they (American public) only knowthe world through the
American newspapers. These newspapers are ruled andgoverned by hostile, racist circles.
Hostile to the Blacks, hostile toIslam, hostile to the Arabs. Most of them are under the
Zionist controland hegemony. The Zionists hate the Arabs from the racial point of viewand
from the ethnic point of view. For this reason the American peopledon't know the truth. If
you ask them, "How do you know Qadhafi? Howdid you come to know Qadhafi?" They
will answer, that they knew fromCNN or The Washington Post.