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http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Kadhafi_France/2007/12/13/56700.html
French Women Warned: Rise, Don't Upset Kadhafi
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Moamer Kadhafi held a debate in Paris with 1,000 specially invited women on
feminist issues - but the audience was warned in advance not to "upset" the
Libyan leader.
"Mr Kadhafi would like the women of France to rise when he arrives,"
Khadidja Khali, head of the French Union of Muslim Women, announced to the
gathering late Wednesday at a reception hall just off the Champs Elysees.
"Welcome your excellency," the women chanted as Kadhafi entered the hall,
which is near the tent he has made his headquarters while on a five day trip
to the French capital.
The Arabic music blared out, Libya's spiritual leader was given a standing
ovation and then Kadhafi staked his claim to be a defender of the feminist
cause and opponent of terrorism, flanked by his unit of women-only
bodyguards.
Clad in green fatigues, their dark hair pinned under army caps, half a dozen
of Kadhafi's "Amazon" guards, all highly-trained recruits from an elite
Libyan officers' academy, scanned the crowd from the edge of the stage.
Most of the women in the audience were of African origin but came to Paris
from across France. Most had veils, many wore elegant African-style evening
gowns.
The debate on "the situation of women around the world" was carefully
organised. Khali, who also heads a pro-Libyan organisation, warned the
audience "you must not upset him".
In their comments to Kadhafi, some women asked for financial support for
their groups and even for air tickets so they could take children from
France's troubled suburbs on holidays to Libya.
But they gave several standing ovations as the Libyan leader spoke of the
plight of women on his home continent. "Women in Africa are the victims of
injustice," he said. "They raise children. Men marry several times and
abandon their children."
Kadhafi is known for taking powerful steps in favour of women's rights in
Libya, banning polygamy and reforming divorce laws to guarantee women
custody of their children and force absent fathers to pay alimony.
There was less applause however when he criticised "the tragic conditions
for women in Europe, sometimes forced to do work that they do not want to
do." Kadhafi went on to quote jobs such as mechanics and builders.
"I want to save European women," he said.
"I really appreciated his speech on women in Africa but it was a bit more
vague on Europe," said Zahra Boughaz, a 24-year-old, who came to the meeting
with 200 others from a woman's association in the northern town of Maubeuge.
"He doesn't seem to really know Europe because here we have choices. Or
maybe he was trying to be provocative."
"I think he is a good man, he has done a lot for women and always defended
them," said Nicole Sahart, president of the Club of Friends of the United
States of Africa, a relatively new pro-Libyan organisation.
But there has been a storm of political controversy over Kadhafi's presence
in France - strict security has been imposed for all of his trips around
Paris - and not everyone in the audience appreciated the Kadhafi stance.
"How can he say he has done a lot for women in the world when he tortured
the Bulgarian nurses," said Catherine Chastenet, head of the Women and
Freedom association.
"But I am leaving with some hope. He gave guarantees on terrorism."
Kadhafi condemned two car bomb attacks in Algiers this week, which killed
dozens, as "reprehensible acts" and said the Al-Qaeda members behind them
were "criminals".
The Libyan leader, whose country was involved in the 1988 bombing of a PanAm
airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie and of a French passenger jet
over Niger, has patched up relations with the West after renouncing
terrorism.
French Women Warned: Rise, Don't Upset Kadhafi
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Moamer Kadhafi held a debate in Paris with 1,000 specially invited women on
feminist issues - but the audience was warned in advance not to "upset" the
Libyan leader.
"Mr Kadhafi would like the women of France to rise when he arrives,"
Khadidja Khali, head of the French Union of Muslim Women, announced to the
gathering late Wednesday at a reception hall just off the Champs Elysees.
"Welcome your excellency," the women chanted as Kadhafi entered the hall,
which is near the tent he has made his headquarters while on a five day trip
to the French capital.
The Arabic music blared out, Libya's spiritual leader was given a standing
ovation and then Kadhafi staked his claim to be a defender of the feminist
cause and opponent of terrorism, flanked by his unit of women-only
bodyguards.
Clad in green fatigues, their dark hair pinned under army caps, half a dozen
of Kadhafi's "Amazon" guards, all highly-trained recruits from an elite
Libyan officers' academy, scanned the crowd from the edge of the stage.
Most of the women in the audience were of African origin but came to Paris
from across France. Most had veils, many wore elegant African-style evening
gowns.
The debate on "the situation of women around the world" was carefully
organised. Khali, who also heads a pro-Libyan organisation, warned the
audience "you must not upset him".
In their comments to Kadhafi, some women asked for financial support for
their groups and even for air tickets so they could take children from
France's troubled suburbs on holidays to Libya.
But they gave several standing ovations as the Libyan leader spoke of the
plight of women on his home continent. "Women in Africa are the victims of
injustice," he said. "They raise children. Men marry several times and
abandon their children."
Kadhafi is known for taking powerful steps in favour of women's rights in
Libya, banning polygamy and reforming divorce laws to guarantee women
custody of their children and force absent fathers to pay alimony.
There was less applause however when he criticised "the tragic conditions
for women in Europe, sometimes forced to do work that they do not want to
do." Kadhafi went on to quote jobs such as mechanics and builders.
"I want to save European women," he said.
"I really appreciated his speech on women in Africa but it was a bit more
vague on Europe," said Zahra Boughaz, a 24-year-old, who came to the meeting
with 200 others from a woman's association in the northern town of Maubeuge.
"He doesn't seem to really know Europe because here we have choices. Or
maybe he was trying to be provocative."
"I think he is a good man, he has done a lot for women and always defended
them," said Nicole Sahart, president of the Club of Friends of the United
States of Africa, a relatively new pro-Libyan organisation.
But there has been a storm of political controversy over Kadhafi's presence
in France - strict security has been imposed for all of his trips around
Paris - and not everyone in the audience appreciated the Kadhafi stance.
"How can he say he has done a lot for women in the world when he tortured
the Bulgarian nurses," said Catherine Chastenet, head of the Women and
Freedom association.
"But I am leaving with some hope. He gave guarantees on terrorism."
Kadhafi condemned two car bomb attacks in Algiers this week, which killed
dozens, as "reprehensible acts" and said the Al-Qaeda members behind them
were "criminals".
The Libyan leader, whose country was involved in the 1988 bombing of a PanAm
airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie and of a French passenger jet
over Niger, has patched up relations with the West after renouncing
terrorism.
