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| Asmaa Waguih/Reuters |
So what are these rioters doing in Benghazi ?
There was some interesting news out of Libya today. Just ten days after the savage attack on the U.S. Consulate resulting in the death of four Americans including Ambassador Chris Stephens, angry crowds were once again in the streets, attacking facilities, and burning down buildings. This time a crowd of approximately 30,000 was in the streets of Benghazi to protest the violent attack against the U.S. Consulate and specifically the death of the four Americans. This crowd was large and organized. The New York Times reported that people in the crowd had signs saying things like, "We want justice for Chris," and, "The ambassador was Libya's friend." According to the press reports, a large portion of the crowd assembled in the main square of Benghazi while other groups split off and systematically attacked the facilities run by both militant Islamic and armed rebel groups in the city. The photo above is of the rioters destroying the headquarters of Ansar-al-Sharia, the militant Islamic group believed by many to be behind the attack against the Consulate. The group raided the building, evicted its occupants (some of whom were armed), destroyed most of it, and then turned it over to government forces. The same types of activities took place throughout the day focused on other armed rebel groups in Benghazi including some of the militias that helped overthrow Gaddafi. According to press reporting, as the crowds took control of the buildings and confiscated the weapons belonging to the groups, the facilities were then turned over to government forces as well.
As this new era in the Islamic world continues to unfold, I think it is important to keep careful track of the data points like what happened today in Libya. I used the term "Islamic world" only because I could not think of a better way to describe the extremely diverse area that extends from Mauritania (under Morocco on the west coast of Africa) all the way to Indonesia. The danger of using a term this general is that it tends to oversimplify what is actually many different countries and regions, each of which we must come to understand on their own merit. The situation in Libya is different than the situation in Egypt.
Take a look at this letter to the editor of the Washington Post dated September 22, 2012 from Mustafa Abu Shagour, the Prime Minister of Libya. His letter is titled Don't Give Up on Libya and expresses extreme regret for the attack on the American Consulate as well as strong support for the United States. Read the letter - it is interesting and perhaps a good basis for comparison to what we are hearing (or not hearing) from the leaders of countries such as Egypt and Pakistan.
I am not going to say much more about it as the purpose of this blog entry was not to give my opinion but encourage the reader to develop their own. I would be interested to read your constructive thoughts about any of this.
- Abu
Libyans Attack Extremist Groups and Protest Violence Against America (NY Times Article 09/21/12)
