Op ed

Gabriela A. Vázquez

To: 1311 English Students

Prof. Gilden

May 4, 2011

Scared Libyans

For many years, but especially in 2011, Libyans look around their shoulders all the time, everywhere; when they go shopping, when they go to the airport, when they go to a park trying to find some peace and even when they are in their home.   They are scared.   They are waiting for an attack to come.   Libyans don’t live a happy life.   They are scared all the time, scared of death, scared of their own death, scared of one of their family members death, scared of their friends or neighbor’s death.    Libyans are scared of talking or expressing themselves.   They are scared of their neighbor’s death but they are more scared about what their neighbor’s may say.   But of all their fears, the worst one is the fear caused by the person that is supposed to take care of all Libyans, their president Muammar al-Qaddafi.

Muammar Al-Qaddafi has controlled Libya for more than thirty years.   He has ruled his country with an “iron fist”.   Instead of admiration or love he kept Libyans controlled by the use of the force.   Instead of using their petroleum for the people’s good, he used it for his own.

After all this years, Libyans finally decided to take the abuse to an end.   They have learned through the Internet that there is a different world.   A world of liberties and freedom.   They compared what they have with this world and then decided to claim for a change.   They want a change of their president but also they want freedom and peace.   They don’t want to be scared anymore.

They don’t want to be a target that can be attacked or shot at any time.   They don’t want to be scared of their neighbor anymore.    With this in mind, Libyans began to protest against Qaddafi.   Up to this point, it was a national problem.   However, although his people don’t want him anymore, Qaddafi decided to keep power at any cost.   He decided to keep power even if he has to kill all the people that oppose him and bring Libya to the ruin.   He decided to use his armed forces to harm the people that were claiming for a change.   This action changed the problem from a national one to an international affair.   The rest of the world cannot allow this criminal action.    The United States, France and Great Britain united, attacked.   They were trying to help the people that don’t want Qaddafi anymore, the people that don’t want to be scared never again.   They are trying to save innocent people lives that only want to have what we enjoyed all the time (freedom and peace), and convince this cruel ruler to resign.