Students reflect on Gadhafi’s death

Pitt freshman Ali Aneizi’s parents fell victim to Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s oppression 30 years… Pitt freshman Ali Aneizi’s parents fell victim to Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s oppression 30 years ago when his followers confiscated their houses and belongings.

To escape the oppressive regime, Aneizi’s parents separately emigrated from Libya to the United States and later met and married on U.S. soil.

The whole family let out a huge sigh of relief on Oct. 20 when the Libyan government declared Gadhafi dead.

Upon hearing the news of Gadhafi’s and his son Moatassim’s deaths, many of Pitt’s Libyan students expressed hope. After a 42-year dictatorship, they are eager to watch their home country enter a new era. Students with other connections to the Middle East are also watching in anticipation as the revolution’s impact expands into nearby countries.

But students have mixed feelings about how Gadhafi was killed in Sirte, Libya.

A controversial video surfaced depicting a conscious Gadhafi wiping blood from the left side of his face, with no indication having been shot. Later videos show Gadhafi dead with a bullet hole in the same spot and a Libyan rebel shouting that he had killed Gadhafi. The conflicting videos created skepticism about the Libyan interim government’s announcement that Gadhafi had died accidentally during a shootout.

Aneizi and Pitt freshman Zakariyya Elarbi said Gadhafi’s death is a reflection of the harsh treatment of the Libyan people.

“Once I saw the videos, I was happy. A lot of people died at his hands,” Elarbi said.

Most of Elarbi’s family lives in Libya. One of his uncles fled Libya because he was wanted by Gadhafi. His father and another uncle left because they were forced to fight in the army for a government they did not support.

Senior Louie Al-Hashimi, who is the president of the Muslim Student Association and of Syrian descent, said that the videos were unsettling to watch.

“It was brutal, to say the least,” he said. “In Islam, we’re taught to hate what people do, not people themselves.”

Al-Hashimi would have liked to see the Libyan dictatorship collapse the same way as Egypt’s. In February, Egyptian officials announced that President Hosni Mubarak had resigned. He’s currently facing trial for allegations of being involved in the killing of protesters.

The Libyan rebels’ capture of Tripoli on Aug. 21 was part of the dramatic revolutionary movement in the Middle East known as the “Arab Spring.” Al-Hashimi said the revolution in Libya sends an ominous sign to Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad.

“[Gadhafi’s death] will serve to inspire the young people who are still fighting against oppressive governments,” Al-Hashimi said.

But because Syria has a more adept military that can offset regional conflict, Al-Hashimi said that he is worried about the lives of the Syrians opposed to al-Assad.

As the Middle East faces historic change, Elarbi is eager to experience it first-hand. He is visiting his family this summer in Libya.

“I hope by the time I go this summer, it will be safe,” Elarbi said. “No one will be scared to go out on the streets and say whatever they want.”