Speaking at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the self-proclaimed King of Kings, who has ruled Libya for almost 40 years, spoke for around 100 minutes. Topics he covered ranged from criticising the UN structure to providing his take on the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan to discussing swine flu to hoping that US President Barack Obama would remain president forever… to calling for an investigation into the assassination of JFK.

Gaddafi, whose travels abroad attract a lot of media coverage because of his eccentric mannerism and his insistence to live in a tent, made a wave on Twitter. In New York, he pitched his tent on property which belongs to real estate tycoon Donald Trump - a plan which was aborted after neighbours complained. Reactions to this address ranged from calling the Libyan strongman a ‘fruitcake' to sympathising with his stance on a number of international issues.

Many Twitter users gave Gaddafi high points for entertainment.

ThomasRon notes:

New Yorker Kalimark is amused with the media attention:

Laura Quinny found the speech entertaining:

Bobonbusiness is confused about the way Gaddafi spells his name and wonders:

And Matt Cundill adds:

Meanwhile Zuzf wants more:

And Chickyog is hoping for Libyan oil:

Meanwhile, @bigajm notes how we have all become conditioned by mainstream media. He quips:

Photo credit: Wikipedia

There is currently a huge amount of over-heated rhetoric on the airwaves and in the blogosphere, in reaction to the Scottish court’s decision to release convicted Libyan mass-bomber Abdel-Basset al-Megrahi before the end of his sentence, on compassionate/health grounds.

Whether viewed as over-heated or otherwise, there is certainly a huge amount of debate taking place in both the mainstream media and the blogosphere regarding the release of the only man ever convicted over the bombing of Pam Am flight 103, Libyan Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi.

The “Lockerbie bomber” was sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the 1988 bombing of the plane over Lockerbie, Scotland, in which 270 people died. He is suffering from terminal prostrate cancer, and with less than three months to live, the Scottish Government released him on compassionate grounds.

His release has been met with controversy and strong reactions, and has brought up a number of related issues and debates.

What has been called in the mainstream press the “hero's welcome” that Megrahi received upon his return to Libya has been met with particular criticism in the US and UK press. But what of the reactions on the web?

rfitzgibbon, tweeting from the US, displays a sentiment echoed by many US citizens active online:

Though he remains non-committal regarding the guilt of Megrahi, Anglo-Libyan writing on his blog of the same name was also less than pleased with Megrahi's airport reception. He states:

Al-Megrahi returned … to Libya, I too was hoping his return to Libya would be a low key even but he was received as a hero!
I do not know if he is guilty of this horrible crime but this man was convicted of killing 270 innocent civilians yet the Libyan authorities showed how distasteful they are at a time when the victim's families were watching in pain, to most of them this is not acceptable.

He commends the decision taken by the Scottish government (though, like many, is suspicious of the reasons behind it), and is critical of the behaviour of the Libyan authorities in handling the issue:

The Scottish government did take a courageous step by releasing Al-Megrahi to spend his last days with his family, whether they did it for compassionate reasons or purely for business is for you to decide.
[however]
If he was innocent, he should have stayed and died fighting to clear his name and the Libyan authorities have embarrassed themselves yet again

Adam White, tweeting from the UK suggests the gathered crowd may not be quite the “hero's welcome” it is presumed to be:

And Syrianews echoes this sentiment in justifying the welcome received:

Megrahi's conviction was controversial from the start, and the question of his guilt has been brought up anew since his release. Some see the abandonment of his appeal - a presumed condition of his release by many,- as a means of concealing his wrongful conviction.

Ibn Kafka, commenting on this post, is not keen on the idea of a convicted man being released, but highlights the doubts over Megrahi's guilt :

if indeed he’s guilty of the Lockerbie bombing, he should die in prison or on the gallows. I’m am more worried at the soundness of his conviction in the first place, what with the persisting rumors on Syrian involvement.

Others see Megrahi as a scapegoat offered by Libya. The Angry Arab, in response to Hillary Clinton's condemnation of the Scottish decision, accuses the US of “feigning mild outrage” :

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had worked strongly against the decision, saying it would be “absolutely wrong” to release Mr. Megrahi.” Oh, please spare me your fake sense of moral uprightness. Your government has been cuddling the real master-terrorist Qadhdhafi, who ordered the terrorist bombing of Pan Am 103.

Indeed the media coverage of this case is getting bigger and bigger and more issues are being uprooted than might have been initially anticipated. Many are beginning to call for a fresh inquiry into the whole affair, amidst accusations of hidden agendas and secret deals.

On The Lockerbie Case blog, which has been posting updates regarding the case since its beginning, a reader comments in response to this post:

If things carry on as they have done for the past few days, al-Megrahi/Lockerbie will soon become such a cause celebre that it will be essential reading for students of politics and or history even at secondary level. The fig leaves in Westminster, and elsewhere, are beginning to look distinctly diseased. Thank you also to Saif al-Islam for your timely contribution on this subject today - perhaps dreams of an enquiry might not be as fantastical as I had previously thought after all.

While reader Nennt mich einfach Adam! states

Whatever the intentions of the various players are or were - the only answer can be an inquiry into the whole Lockerbie affair.

Mohaly kicked off the discussion with a broad question: “Why is it hard to be clean?” In this post he says:

I realized that all the precautions to avoid Swine Flu are simply about “BEING CLEAN” and I also realized that the danger in Egypt is not because of the flu itself as much as not having the “being clean” culture.. I kept on thinking and I wondered Why aren't the majority of the Egyptian people in the 21st century clean? what have led to this? If the religions tell us to be clean, and all creatures care about being clean, so why aren't we?

In an attempt to raise awareness among the public, pharmacies have started putting out signs calling upon people to take all the required precautions, reports Abul Ma3aly Fa2ek in his blog:

Swine Flu mania has gripped Egypt, which is still suffering from an increasing death toll from the avian or bird flu, which is considered by health authorities even more dangerous than swine flu. And just as you would think that we have had our fill of diseases, the deadly Plague has been reported in neighbouring Libya, poising a valid threat to the Egyptian western borders.

On the Pandemic Information News blog, blogger Common Ground describes a “Triangle of Death” poised by “triple catastrophic diseases.”

On the plague threat in nearby Libya, the blogger reports:

He then notes:

Writing at Egyptian Chronicles, Zeinobia too discusses the plague threat on her country:

Forget about H1N1 and H5N1 ,now we are having in Egypt even much more dangerous deadly catastrophe knocking on our Western doors : The Plague , the black death that can't be comprised.

After exploring several Libyan blogs, Highlander who was
posting about Arab/Libyan writers and bloggers thinks that with
regards to writing it is preferable to use the blogosphere as a practicing space. There was no need to inform all to avoid trouble with the male half.

“I don't think that the Libyan males are against their sisters, mothers, wives etc. writing but more as social pressure and the 3ayb [ shame - dishonour] part - as in what cannot be seen then does not exist… or that the precious females maybe recognised and their ideas misinterpreted and God forbid their reputation ruined because Libyan dudes would be trolling their website/blog .[ref]

An oft forgotten aspect is that living outside Libya is not a guarantee of a different or similar attitude for that matter. Check what happened at the same event in London and Washington DC. Anglo Libyan who attended the London one is so frustrated he asks men to respect women.

“as I walked in the hotel I found most of the invited people standing outside the hall where the film was going to be screened as the doors were still closed, I noticed very few ladies there, they were standing with their partners, about 20 minutes later I saw a member of staff open one of the hall's doors slightly then suddenly from no where I saw a group of Libyan ladies, about 15 or 20 run past us and straight into the hall, it really was like a flash then the member of staff closed the door, obviously they were hidden somewhere out of sight until some body asked the organisers to open the door for them to keep them away from prying male Libyan eyes!!!! after the doors were open for the rest of us to go in the event hall, the first thing I noticed was how all the ladies were seated right at the back all in one group in a segregated section, I immediately looked at the few ladies I saw in the beginning who were standing with their partners, they all looked puzzled and confused, I am sure they wanted to sit with their families but eventually decided to segregate from their families and sat at back with the other ladies and they really did not look very happy” [source]

On the edge had a very controversial post about foreign women who marry Libyans and how some of them have unfortunately been treated. She says:

” I am constantly reading Libyan bloggers writing about how EASY my life as a foreigner married to a Libyan is here in Libya . […] What I do know for a fact is this …. our lives are dam hard . Real hard , harder than you can imagine at times . We don't have our mothers and fathers to protect us when our husbands and/ or their families decide to mistreat us like a Libyan woman would . Nor do we have a safe harbor to run to when things get bad or ugly . No place or no one there for us to go to , to listen to us and our problems . No helping hand to reach out in love , like a Libyan woman does . No , we just tough it out .We stick to it . We don't run away . We stand and fight for ourselves and our children for all we are worth , in whatever manner we have to defend ourselves by .
We do this because of love . Love , yes love . We love our husbands , even when we want to kill him . We love our kids , even when they disrespect us or are ashamed of us because we aren't Libyans , because we are different .Yes that happens to some of us . Love of our adopted home , Libya and all Her crazy , strange ,beautiful, wondrous , people , places ,and things .”

Needless to say this topic created such a hot debate that it prompted a follow up post.

On the other hand and on the topic of Libyan writers, Ghazi from Imtidad constantly astonishes us with translations of short stories by Libyan writers ( male and female). A published writer himself I think that Ghazi has good future before him. His latest translation is Omar Kikli's ” While drinking tea” which sent chills down my spine.

Shahrazad always the one to plug interesting Libyan things has put up a number of photos of paintings by a budding Libyan female artist.

” Here are a few paintings my sister took at a friends house. The painter is still in her beginning and has never had an exhibition. So I told her Id blog her paintings and see what the feedback would be.”

Personally I would buy one of the paintings if she can arrange a vernissage.

I'll conclude by posting Lostdubliner's experience as an Irish expat female in Libya. She has been here for about two months.

“armed with my camera I leave the hotel room in the hope of catching a bit of the local culture – this however turns from a fantastic idea to a disappointing reality. Practically every car that comes by with men in it horns or stops! I have numerous offers of a lift, phone numbers and friendship! Nervous and frustrated, halfway down the road I quickly turn on my heels and head straight back to the hotel.[…] Back at the hotel the staff are all extremely friendly and hospitable, everyone either knows my name or calls me “sister”. In general the Libyan people come across as a lot more warmer than in the West - they eminate a strong element of goodness and kindness which is very refreshing!” [source]

The above just shows that some Libyan lads are total losers and that others are lovely gentlemen.

Women in Libyan society are loved, respected and cared for as mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters and wives. The state guarantees freedom and equality between men and women but it still runs across cultural norms and traditions and here I don't mean religion. This post is not about feminism, it's just observations about anomalies plaguing our society and a reflection on how to deal with them.

This is because many of the more known bloggers have been on a bit of Winter hiatus. However, the good thing about the Libyan blogs is despite its relevant modesty, there is always a new crop coming out. As a reader, it takes me a bit of time to adjust but then I learn to appreciate the new blogs and the fresh perspectives.

In this regard, I've been touring the Libyan blogs for the last couple of weeks hunting for those voices and stories of interest. The only common line sometimes would be that the author is Libyan or lives in Libya.

American (living in Libya) blogger On the Edge recently wrote about miscellaneous events but the most heart wrenching part from her post was the passing away of the family cousin as a result of medical malpractice in Libya.

“The second funeral was for a well loved cousin .This was over the week end and up until today it continues .She had asthma and was ill with it off and on but we all knew this . Sometimes she would have to be hospitalized for treatment but never for long .On days like we had last week when it was so dusty , it was hard for her to breath. Sometimes this lead to a chest infection , which is what had happened to her last week .
She was feeling bad and having breathing difficulty's and felt the need to go see the doctor . She did and he told her she had a chest infection that needed a injection of anti biotic”s to give her immediate relief , along with a breathing treatment . She said ok , but I can't have penicillin . I am allergic to it . When the injection came she asked what the medicine was and was told it was penicillin . She told them not to give it to her because of her allergies and they told her not to worry about it . She argued with them over it but they gave it to her anyway .[sic]”

Khadijateri, another American blogger married to a Libyan, is asking for feedback on the newly released WiMax internet service. She received a lot of tips in the comment section.

“I ‘ve been watching the news about Libya's Wimax Internet. It opened to the general public a few months ago but I only know one person that paid for a subscription and modem only to find that there was no reception where they lived (not far from Tripoli's city centre).”

It is worth noting Libya is another country which has taken the step to deploy WiMax to provide internet users with another choice and bypass infrastructure difficulties.

Shahrazad is a new female Libyan blogger, who has been working as a tour guide but is looking into changing her profession. Shahrazad has two blogs Shahrazad's Blahs and Shahrazad's secret recipes, which is self explanatory.

In her latest post Shahrazad takes us on a tour of the souk [market] in Tripoli and we are regaled by her photos, which trigger a trip down memory lane for her readers.

“The souk is a favourite place of mine and I enjoy shopping for old Libyan and Italian silver things-from trays to jewelery. “

Anglolibyan has been invited to a screening of a documentary Autumn Thunder about Libya by Prince Mohammed Alsenussi, a son of the nephew of the deposed late King Idris of Libya. During the event which took place in London he managed to meet up not only with the dashing prince and some friends but also with another Libyan blogger going by the name of Braveheart.

Though Autumn Thunder as described deals with the usual issues presented by exiled monarchies it made a good launchpad for discussion about the various merits of changes undertaken in Libya since independence.

The recent celebration of Mother's Day ( March 21) in the MENA region and especially in the Arab speaking world has brought its spate of posts for the occasion. This is especially true for Libya since we celebrate Children's Day on March 20 and so the two events are always linked.

While there were numerous posts for the occasion the most touching is again by one new member of the Libyan blogosphere. Lolita from Lolita's Corner writes:

” The mother in me
Tried all I could
But to no avail
To hear little footsteps
Running and giggling away
Dreams and wishes are just that
But reality is a different showcase
Which I have to face and hopefully accept”

Lolita's melancholic poetry style goes straight to the heart and seems to be a coping mechanism to help with the loss of her parents and also to exorcise lost love. Additionally we learn that she is unable to have children, which is of course doubly sad on mother's day.

Safia's latest reincarnation on the blogs goes by the name of LadyCroc's Lounge. Her posts on any topic, including the latest one, are always questioning, quasi metaphysical with a sprinkling of sufism denote an inner search for the truth and for peace.

“There are indeed moments of bliss. During such moments I can truly feel the rainbow touching my heart. Those are the moments of mercy.
A few days ago I felt such a moment. My biggest wish in such a moment is to have the ability to kill time instantly, or just to freeze everything, continuing forever and ever in that short moment. These are moments of strenght for me, reviving my soul like hot spring rain reviving frozen buds buried in the cold soil of winter.
Allahs mercy, even if just short of an eyedrop, is truly eternal!”

Luna also is a recent addition to the Libyan family, she is giving away her two daughters in marriage very soon and has stepped into a hornet nest recently with her topic on relationships between Libyan men and educated smart Libyan women.

“When discussing this issue with my girlfriends many which are multicultural ,some married to Libyans others divorced, we came to a conclusion that men in general , but especially Libyan men, seem to thoughroghly enjoy the intelligence of women ,in everyday co working relationships, while discussing current or past issues- but at the end of the day, that they settle for the stupid ones when marrying , to make them feel grand machos! [sic]”.

This were just a few of the varied topics being discussed in the Libyan space.