"lever of social change," writes Maria Graeff-Wassink in her essay, Militarization of Women and 'Feminism' in Libya (quotes hers). Today, many urban Libyan women do not wear the Muslim head scarf; they attend university in droves.

    

Back in the '70s, though, Qaddafi's biggest move was to determine that women should serve in Libya's army and that training should start young. He pointed out — clearly to counter conservative Muslims — that women had actually played roles in war throughout Libya's historical tradition. (He also, perhaps even more convincingly, pointed out that Israel's army had women and Libya, with its similar population, would need a similar number of bodies in uniform.) Graeff-Wassink sees "feminist" motive, or at least result, in the conscription of young women: "Girls at puberty, instead of remaining shut up in the home stuffing themselves with sweetmeats, were to put on uniforms to do the physical exercises of military training."

    

But apparently, the plan for universal conscription
of women was never fully carried out. A women's military academy opened in Tripoli
in 1979 for "volunteers" (rumor has it that some were coerced) aged thirteen
to seventeen. Qaddafi announced, "Women will not be free or respected or
exercise their rights until they are strong and have taken possession of all
the weapons: firearms just like the weapons of science, knowledge, culture, and
revolution." By some counts, about 7,000 women had graduated from the academy
by 1983 (it's not clear what they "did" with their degrees), but
West
Point
it
never
was. The school closed that year after students
ripped
down fences
to
escape.
Subsequent
attempts to require women's military service never quite took hold.



In any case, Qaddafi has clearly stated that he's determined
his nation — whether through military service or otherwise — be a
society "where there is total equality between men and women." He
must be
at least partly sincere about all this, as that "feminist" position is not necessarily
one that will get him votes. (Not that he needs them. According to the CIA factbook,
Libya is "in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact,
a military dictatorship.)

    

But in large part, Qaddafi's talking smack. According
to his proposition, there would have to
be "total equality" among his elite bodyguards — half of those ladies would
be out of a job. Then there's the matter of the beauty pageant. In 2002, evidently
not that busy with the UN human rights thing, Libya rounded up contestants via
the Internet and hosted the international "Miss @ Net World" pageant. During
most of the event, the leggy ladies traipsed around Tripoli in matching (and
modest) Qaddafi t-shirts. "Miss @ Net World USA" Tecca Zendik, in Qaddafi's tent
for a photo op, evidently wept at the description of U.S. forces bombing Qaddafi's
home. The Colonel himself comforted her by groping her knee and neck, and later
rewarding her with honorary Libyan citizenship.

    

Also, did you know about Qaddafi and Princess Diana?
He's obsessed with her. Or, at least, Brother Leader is a sucker for a good love
story. According to the London Sunday Telegraph, he tried to acquire
the collection of Diana's intimate letters to suitor James Hewitt.

    

Libya does appear prepared to sign the UN's Optional
Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination
against Women, and has indicated some compliance with other protocols from the
2000 Women's Conference in Beijing. But otherwise, for better or for worse, women's
rights are not mentioned specifically in Amnesty's most recent reports (they're
a little busy with
torture, unfair trials, and so forth). Still, responses to
queries posted at libyana.org suggest that if Qaddafi meant all this stuff about
women, perhaps he'd dispatch the bodyguards to set some civilians straight. Of
one type of Libyan husband, "shiafti" writes: "He is cool about her driving a
car and going shopping by herself but how can he be assured of her safety when
it is difficult for her to go past the building door without being harassed and
hit on." Another writes: "What amazes me the most is that Libyan men, even after
being educated, living abroad, they still look at the Libyan woman as if she
is an inferior human being, she is an item of pleasure, a cook and a housecleaner." Not
blaming the guys, or saying these opinions are anything but generalizations,
but: it's still pretty clear that in practice, women's rights don't trickle down
into the culture from the pedestal Qaddafi puts them on. (Or, of course, that
as a role model, no one really takes him seriously.)

   


So, yes, Qaddafi loves the ladies. He digs his Moammar-sketeers.
He thinks they're hot and that they should have power and rights — especially
if
they're protecting him. In other words, "Q" is for Women.
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