Muammar Gaddafi quotes - page 2
Women must be trained to fight in houses, prepare explosive belts and blow themselves up alongside enemy soldiers. Anyone with a car must prepare it and know how to install explosives and turn it into a car-bomb. We must train women to place explosives in cars and blow them up in the midst of enemies, and blow up houses so that they can collapse on enemy soldiers. Traps must be prepared. You have seen how the enemy checks baggage: we must fix these suitcases in order for them to explode when they open them. Women must be taught to place mines in cupboards, bags, shoes, children's toys so that they explode on enemy soldiers.
Muammar Gaddafi
I call on the Libyan people, men and women, to go out into the squares and the streets in all the cities in their millions. ... Go peacefully... be courageous, rise up, go to the streets, raise our green flags to the skies. ... Don't be afraid of anyone. You are the people. You have right on your side. You are the rightful people of this land.
Muammar Gaddafi
Today there is a divide that we must acknowledge, and we must know who is deepening it. Perhaps it is colonialism-the enemy of Islam, the enemy of the Arabs, the enemy of the Persians-that is deepening it.... They have divided Islam into two Islams, and there came to be Shi'ite Islam and Sunni Islam. This is a bid'a [heresy]... When did Muhammad say: "I have brought you Shi'ite Islam and Sunni Islam?"... they have now begun to group the Arabs against Iran and Iran against the Arabs, and then Shi'ites against Sunnis and Sunnis against Shi'ites.... Are we Muslims, or are we Shi'ites and Sunnis?! For whose benefit is this? It is for the benefit of the "other" that we are speaking about, for the benefit of the enemy, for the benefit of colonialism.
Muammar Gaddafi
We are not responsible for what might be done with the weapons we give to the Palestinians. We give them to the Palestinians because we believe in their cause and we believe we have a duty to help them. What happens afterwards is none of my business. If I am to be found guilty by proxy, I prefer charges that are direct. But there is no proof.
Muammar Gaddafi
Why should we be closer to the Soviets? Because the Americans have challenged us. America is involved in a conspiracy [against the Arab world], primarily because of its policy toward Israel. In our view, whoever is against the Americans stands with us. The enemy of your enemy is your friend.
Muammar Gaddafi
Libya is an African country. May Allah help the Arabs and keep them away from us. We don't want anything to do with them. They did not fight with us against the Italians, and they did not fight with us against the Americans. They did not lift the sanctions and siege from us. On the contrary, they gloated at us, and benefited from our hardship....
Muammar Gaddafi
It was our hope that Libya with its revolution would become a model of freedom, popular democracy and a state free from oppression and injustice. However Libya became another conventional state, even a dictatorial or police state. This is deeply regrettable. We are not like that, nor do we want to be like that.
Muammar Gaddafi
Did Libya invade Italy or was it Italy that invaded Libya? You attack us now as you did then. In other ways, with other systems, by supporting Israel, opposing Arab unity and our revolutions, frowning on Islam and calling us fanatics. We've been too patient with you. We've put up with your provocation for too long. If we hadn't been so wise, we would have gone to war with you a thousand times. We didn't because we think the use of force is a last resort for survival and because we have always been on the side of civilisation. After all, during the Middle Ages we civilised you. You were poor barbarians, primitive, savage creatures.
Muammar Gaddafi
I staged a coup d'état and the workers staged the revolution, occupying the factories, becoming partners instead of employees, eliminating the monarchic administration and setting up people's committees. In short, they liberated themselves. Students did the same. Today in Libya, only the people count.
Muammar Gaddafi
Hitler and Mussolini exploited the support of the masses to rule the people. We revolutionaries enjoy the support of the masses to help the people become capable of ruling themselves on their own. I myself am constantly appealing to the masses to govern on their own. I say to my people: ‘If you love me, listen to me. And govern yourselves on your own'. That's why they love me because, unlike Hitler, who said ‘I'll do it all for you', I say ‘Do it on your own.
Muammar Gaddafi