Democracy, Libya Style

Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, is championing the rights of African women and is all set to save European women from the oppression they suffer under. As an example of European women's oppression, he mentioned during his visit to Paris that they are forced to do jobs they don't like, such as construction!

But that is the least of it. According to him, the word "democracy" is etymologically Arabic. "Dem" means "nadeem" or general public and "cracy" is, as we all know, "chairs." Therefore, "democracy" is the people sitting on chairs, i.e. people's rule.

This is no joke. I repeat: this is no joke! Those who can read Arabic, can check it here for themselves! He actually said that!!

After you wipe your tears of laughter, you may want to pick up In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar, a young Libyan novelist. I still have a few pages to go but I highly recommend this book! I find it one of the most moving books I've read in a long time. It's told from the point of view of a nine-year old Libyan boy who is trying to make sense of the adult world around him. And what a world it is! Yes, democracy, that Libyan invention, is central to the book, as are themes of love, loss, and betrayal. All kinds of betrayals. Mostly, however, it's about the way our countries can break us, stripping us of our dignity one by one. If you want to know what makes men pee in their pants in front of the whole nation, you must read this book. Women get broken too. It's a democracy after all! Once you finish reading this book, you may still need to wipe your tears, but you won't be laughing!