Libya is seeking to reintroduce the morality police to the streets of its capital, Tripoli, to reinforce its "society's traditions,” along with a rollout of a massive crackdown on individual freedoms and women’s rights, sparking criticisms and concerns among human rights advocates and ordinary Libyans.
A new "morality police" will start operating in Libya next month as authorities step up efforts to fend off foreign influence and protect Islamic values.
Observers fear the stricter rules for girls and women signal a return to authoritarian policies. https://t.co/OHO3k01BZo— DW News (@dwnews) November 16, 2024
Emad al-Trabelsi, Libya’s Interior Minister, ignited outrage and condemnation after his announcement on November 6th, where he said the country’s Government of National Unity (GNU) would resume morality police patrols in December, adding that the morality police would be given the authority to enforce the government’s new mandates and threatening arrests or even expulsion to those who resist.
The morality police will also be given the power to shut down establishments such as barber shops and shisha bars that do not comply with the new regulations.
Al-Trabelsi also announced that the GNU will implement a series of new measures aimed at limiting personal freedoms in Libya, which includes imposing mandatory hijabs for women as well as girls from the age of nine, restricting women’s travel without a male guardian, prohibiting the mixing of genders in public spaces, and clamping down on “strange” haircuts.
Cults that treat women like possessions attract violent men
— larry (@larrylarry1962) November 16, 2024
The minister said the morality police would ensure strict adherence to Islamic “social value,” adding that “personal freedom does not exist here in Libya,” and those who seek it “should go to Europe.”
Human rights advocates and organizations condemned the minister’s remarks, with Amnesty International criticizing al-Trabelsi’s statements as a "threat to fundamental freedoms" under the guise of enforcing moral rules, while Human Rights Watch called them an infringement on personal rights.
Experts said the GNU is seeking to reintroduce the morality police and crackdown on personal freedoms and human rights to tighten its grip on the country, while human rights activists in Libya are concerned that the new policies could only intensify social divisions and entrench oppressive practices, especially as the country is facing political turmoil and division.
after the americans set foot somewhere islamism is born, weird
— FlintEastwood (@R59436Razvan) November 10, 2024
Many Libyans are divided by the GNU’s new policies. Some, like Libyan journalist Wafaa Boujouari, support the measures, saying they “are actively protecting our society” and “helping to preserve cultural norms and Islamic principles.”
Other Libyans are opposed to the new measures, arguing that they will do little to solve the country’s more pressing and important issues and believe the government’s resources would be better allocated to stabilizing the country, improving social services, and addressing crime.
Libya has struggled with deep instability since a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 occurred during the Arab Spring, where various Arab countries experienced revolutions against rulers such as Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The country’s long-time dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, was deposed and killed by rebel forces in October 2011, and Libya was subsequently divided into Western and Eastern factions.
It’s telling of how captured the UN is by Islamic countries that this is the government they support out of the two options.
— Hyun Jun (@hyunjunra) November 13, 2024
The UN-backed and internationally recognized GNU, which Tarabulsi is a part of, is based in the Western city of Tripoli. Meanwhile, a rival government based in Benghazi refused to recognize Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the Prime Minister of the GNU appointed through a UN-backed process in 2021.
