Kadafi: Foe of Israel and ‘Imperialism’

Despite his reputation as an erratic leader, Moammar Kadafi has consistently steered his nation of nearly 4 million by a philosophy of Arab unity marked by hostility to Israel and to “imperialism.”

Kadafi, Libya’s messianic leader for nearly 17 years, sees himself as the guardian of the pan-Arab, socialist ideals of the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

As an opponent of “imperialism,” Kadafi has championed such diverse groups as U.S. Indians, Philippine Muslim rebels and the Irish Republican Army.

Pushing pan-Arabism, he has sought mergers with Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

Few leaders since World War II have attracted such verbal abuse. President Reagan called him a terrorist, and Vice President George Bush said he was “an egomaniac who would trigger World War III just to make headlines.”

Egypt’s late President Anwar Sadat described Kadafi as “100% mad,” and Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres called him “one of the most awful phenomena of our times.”

He has also earned enemies at home.

In May, 1984, unidentified commandos attacked his fortress home on the outskirts of Tripoli. Most of the attackers were killed. Kadafi immediately accused Britain, Sudan and the United States of conspiring to overthrow him.

Born to a Bedouin family, Kadafi attended a military school, where his political views quickly made him a standout. On Sept. 1, 1969, he led a bloodless coup that deposed Libya’s King Idris I, whom Kadafi despised as corrupt and subservient to the United States and Britain. Twelve days later he became president of the Revolutionary Command Council.

Although he is clearly Libya’s strongman, Kadafi shuns formal titles and holds no office beyond “guide of the revolution.” He calls his country “the Socialist Peoples’ Libyan Arab Jamahariya,” roughly translated from Arabic as “state of the masses.”

A strict observer of the Koran, Kadafi outlawed drinking, brothels and gambling casinos in an effort to “Arabize” Libya and rid it of Western influences.

Kadafi’s political and social philosophy centers on the belief that Arab countries must purge themselves of Western and Marxist cultural influences and build a popular society based on principles of the Muslim holy book Koran.

Kadafi believes in women’s emancipation--to the horror of some Libyan elders--and sometimes appears in public surrounded by women bodyguards in green fatigues.

He has married at least three times. His present wife is said to be involved with the revolutionary committees, watchdog bodies that ensure the continuity of his revolution.