INDEPENDENT ISLAMIC STATES

Libya

Official Name: Libyan Arab Republic (LY)

Capital city   : Tripoli (West Tripoli) Tripoli

Important Cities: Benghazi, Misrate, Fizan. Tobruk, Sirte, Zawiyah, Sebha

Area: 1.759.540 km2

Population        : 6,710,000 (2021). 65 per cent of the population lives in cities.[1]

Average Human Lifespan: 62

Ethnicity: Arabs make up 92 per cent of Libya's population. More than 99 per cent of Arabs are Muslims. After the Arabs come the Berbers, who have 3%.  All Berbers are Muslims.

Language: The official language is Arabic. The majority of the population also speaks Arabic. In addition, some ethnic languages, especially Berber, are spoken.

Religion: The official religion is Islam. 99 per cent of the population is Muslim. The majority of Muslims are Sunnites. The majority of Sunnis are Maliki. There are also a small number of Hanafi and Shafi'i.

Geographical Situation: Libya, one of the North African countries, is surrounded by the Mediterranean from the north, Egypt from the east, Sudan from the south-east, Chad and Niger from the south, Algeria and Tunisia from the west. 1% of its territory is agricultural land, 8% is grassland and the rest is desert. Some trees specialised to the Mediterranean climate grow in the coastal areas. There are not many trees in the inland areas, most of which are desert. Mediterranean climate prevails in the coastal areas and desert climate in the interior. In West Tripoli, the capital city located on the Mediterranean coast, the average annual temperature is 19.4 degrees and the average annual precipitation is 400 mm. In Benghazi, which is also on the Mediterranean coast and further east, this ratio is 20 degrees/267 mm.

Mode of Government: In 2011, after a popular revolution, leader Gaddafi was killed and elections were held after the work of the elected Constituent Assembly.

Following Libya's announcement in 2003 that it had cancelled its armament programme, which drew the reaction of the West, Libya's international relations improved and the US removed Libya from the List of States Supporting Terrorism on 30 June 2006.

Following this decision, diplomatic relations between the US and Libya resumed,                   Secretary of State Rice visited the country on 5 September 2008, and the first ambassador appointed by the US to Libya after 36 years took office in December 2008.

Political Parties: No political parties have been active in Libya under Gaddafi.

History: Except for some small emirates, no special state was established in Libya until the 20th century. Libyan lands were conquered during the reign of Hz. Osman (r.a.) and joined the lands of the Islamic state and were connected to the province of Ifrikiyye. Until 800, Libya remained under the Caliphate. In the early 16th century, the Benghazi region fell to the Ottomans. In 1551, the Ottoman pasha Turgut Reis captured the Tripoli region and put an end to the oppression. Thus, the entire Libyan territory came under the Ottomans. The Ottomans gave Libya the status of a separate province and this status of Libya continued until the Italian occupation. The Italians invaded Libya on 4 October 1911. However, although the Italian invaders captured the coastal regions, they could not advance in the inland regions as they encountered fierce resistance. The Senussis, who were widespread in Libya at that time, played an important role in this resistance. The members of the Senussi sect collaborated with the Ottoman pasha Fuad Pasha and resisted against the occupying forces. Fuad Pasha, who was not defeated by the Italians, had to withdraw from Libya by order of the Porte Ali in 1919 in accordance with the Mondros Agreement. However, Senussi sheikhs continued their struggle for independence. The struggle of the Senussis lasted for thirty years. The whole of Libya could only be annexed to Italy during the Mussolini period and at the end of long military operations. After that, Tripolitania and Benghazi regions came under British rule and Fezzan region came under French rule. On the other hand, Idris al-Senussi, one of the Senussi emirs, called the Libyan people to struggle for independence again and started to organise this struggle. On 24 December 1951, he declared the independence of Libya. The UN also accepted the independence of Libya as of 1 January 1952. Idris al-Senussi was declared king. Idris al-Senussi's rule lasted until 1 September 1969, when a military coup led by Muammar Gaddafi ended al-Senussi's rule. Gaddafi initially presented himself as a good defender of Islam and often spoke of the role of Islam in his personal development. However, he soon revealed his true identity. He started by declaring the Senussi sect, which was widespread among Libyans, as irreligious and wiped out its prominent members one by one. He disbanded the members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya, accusing them of counter-revolutionism. He accused the scholars of reactionism and silenced them all. He argued that people should learn Islam directly from the Qur'an and claimed that strictly following the hadiths could even lead one to shirk. He claimed that the works written by past scholars prevented people from learning Islam from the original source and destroyed a large amount of scholarly works. In 1984 Ramadan, he executed many members of the Islamic movement in front of the eyes of the people. The executions were carried out at iftar time and were shown live on television. In 1986, he launched a campaign to arrest a large number of religious youth, accusing them of anti-revolutionary activities. When he saw that the number of women wearing headscarves was increasing in the country, he introduced the idea of equality between men and women and made it compulsory for women to serve in the military. He also forced women enlisted in the army to uncover their heads and wear military uniforms.

Internal Problems: At the end of Gaddafi's oppressive policies, the wind of the Arab Spring enabled the people to pass the administration to the people in Libya, where the people reached the explosion point. However, the struggle among the tribes to have a say in the administration continues. Benghazi region in the east wants to separate from Tripolitania and remain independent.

External Problems: The refusal of the Libyan government to surrender two Libyans accused of shooting down a PAN AM Airlines plane in 1988 to the United States or Britain led to an international pressure led by the United States against this country. Some Arab countries did not comply with the UN embargo resolution, but most European countries largely complied. At a later date, the Libyan government announced that it would hand over the two accused Libyans on condition that they be tried in a fair and impartial court. However, this statement did not soften the US, Britain and the UN under their control. Today, the embargo imposed on Libya continues and the Libyan economy has suffered greatly from the embargo. There have been various problems between Libya and the USA and Western countries in the past years. In August 1981, US aircraft shot down two Libyan aircraft in the Gulf of Sirte.

Islamism in the country: The Senussi sect is the oldest of the Islamic communities in Libya. However, Gaddafi declared this sect un-Islamic and stopped all its activities. Before Gaddafi's dictatorship took over Libya, the Muslim Brotherhood was one of the leading Islamic communities trying to give the state a truly Islamic identity. This Brotherhood criticised King Idris al-Senoussi for not implementing the principles advocated by the Brotherhood in the real sense of the word, for not fully implementing Islamic laws, and for continuing to implement some laws imported from the West. Gaddafi declared the Muslim Brotherhood counter-revolutionary and banned it. Today, the activities of this organisation are still banned in Libya. With the Cultural Revolution he launched in 1973, Gaddafi liquidated the Muslim Brotherhood as well as other Islamic organisations such as Hizb al-Tahrir and Islamic Jihad. These organisations then continued their activities in secret. Gaddafi claims that people should understand the Qur'an directly, without the need for any imam's interpretation, and that every person can make ijtihad based on the Qur'an. Today, there is no openly active Islamic community in Libya. Islamic activities within Libya are carried out in the strictest secrecy. In addition, some Libyans who had to leave their country are organised in various foreign countries and carry out Islamic activities for their country. Since the current administration in Libya wants to keep religion under its monopoly, it has established a number of organisations such as the 'Society for the Call to Islam'. However, what these organisations do is to publish books containing Gaddafi's speeches and his views on Islam, as well as religious books and periodicals with content that does not contradict his views, and to organise symposiums for show from time to time.[2]

Omar Mukhtar: Omar Mukhtar, the leader of the Libyan independence struggle, studied at the madrasahs in Jaghbub and the Institute of Islamic Sciences. He fought his first jihad against French imperialism. On 29 September 1911, he joined the jihad led by Sayyid Ahmad Sharif against the Italian occupation. With his successful actions, he moved to the forefront of the jihad and in 1922 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the mujahideen forces. After the fascist Mussolini took power in Italy in 1922, reinforcements were sent to take control of the whole of Libya. In response, Omar Mukhtar reorganised his own troops. He continued the jihad with determination until 1931. In 1931, Italian forces captured Omar Mukhtar and executed him on 15 September 1931 after a trial before a martial law court.

Economy: Libya's economy is based on oil, but due to the embargo   had to reduce its production. Natural gas also makes a significant contribution to the country's economy. The share of revenues from oil and natural gas in the gross domestic product is 28 per cent. Oil revenues also helped Libya to develop its agriculture and other sectors. Before the discovery of oil, Libya's economy was based on agriculture and animal husbandry. However, the population density was much less at that time. Land suitable for agriculture is generally located in coastal areas. The share of income from agricultural products in the gross domestic product is 5%. 19% of the working population is employed in agriculture. The most produced agricultural products are olives, citrus fruits, dates, grapes, various vegetables, peanuts and cereals. In this country where 8% of the land is grazing land, animal husbandry also makes an important contribution to the economy. Especially the families living in the rural areas of the inland areas make a living with animal husbandry.

Currency: Libyan Dinar.

National Income per Capita: 4,069 USD[3]

Foreign Trade: The main exports are crude oil, natural gas, petroleum products, chemicals and some industrial products. The main imports are machinery, transport vehicles, electrical and electronic equipment, construction materials, textile products, foodstuffs and live animals. Before the embargo, the USA ranked first in exports and Italy ranked first in imports. These countries were followed by Spain, the UK, Japan, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Industry: Libya's industrial facilities are mainly oil refining plants. Apart from these, the remaining industrial establishments are textile, apparel, production of various foodstuffs and soft drinks, especially olive oil, leather production, cigarette production, furniture. paper, chemical production, cement and other construction materials, plastics, metal and earthenware production. The share of industrial income in gross domestic product is 8 per cent. 15% of the working population is employed in the industrial sector.

Energy: All of the electrical energy is obtained from thermal power plants. The average annual electricity consumption per capita is 4.142 kw/hour.

Transportation: Tripoli and Benghazi have one airport open to international traffic, and there are 9 civil airports used for domestic transport. There are harbours in most of the cities on the coastline. Among these, exports and imports are made from Tripolitania, Misrata and Benghazi ports. Libya has 150 ships that can carry cargo over 100 gph. 19.500 km. has a motorway. There is one motorised transport vehicle for 5.3 people on average in Libya.

Health: Libya has 70 hospitals, 6.630 doctors, 500 dentists, 7.450 nurses. There is one doctor for 690 people.

Education: Education in Libya is free of charge and state monopoly. Education outside the state control is not allowed. Primary school lasts 6 years, starting at the age of 6. Secondary education (middle and high school) also lasts 6 years. There are 3,000 primary schools, 1,600 general secondary schools and 200 vocational secondary schools. Libya has 6 universities, 7 colleges, 2 research institutes. There are also many vocational colleges. Ten per cent of young people of university age are enrolled. The literacy rate is 64%.

The scholars among the Muslims who migrated to Libya after the fall of Andalusia contributed greatly to the region becoming a centre of knowledge. In addition to Tripoli, many scholars were trained in madrasas and zawiyas, especially in the city of Misrâte. When Tripoli was directly connected to Istanbul again in 1835, more attention was paid to educational activities. 

The Senussi Zawiyah in Beydâ in Benghazi was converted into an Institute of Religious Studies in 1952.

Administrative Division: Libya consists of 24 municipalities (local government areas) and 1500 local units.

International Organisations: Libya is a member of international organisations such as the UN, the OIC[4] (OIC), the League of Arab States, the Organisation of African Unity, OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Islamic Development Bank.

[1]   www.ticaret.gov.tr(October-2021 Access)

[2]   Encyclopaedia of Islam, TDV.

[3]   www.ticaret.gov.tr(October-2021 Access)

[4]   www.oic-oci.org