While people are watching the implosion of the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) here, something ominous is taking place in Libya. The Libyan General National Congress has had legislation introduced to “reform” all existing laws to come into conformity with sharia (Islamic religious) law. All laws that had been passed under former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddhafi will be done away with or changed to be in conformity with sharia law. All courts in Libya will be sharia courts, and a grand Mufti (religious leader) will preside over all laws made in the country. The chances are high that all laws to come into conformity with sharia law will occur. The powers-that-be in Libya have been consolidating their grip on the country since Gaddhafi was overthrown over two years ago. Since Gaddhafi was overthrown, Libya has descended into anarchy and chaos. Those ruling Libya hope that by establishing sharia law all through the country they will succeed in appealing to the deep religious and cultural roots of the people and pull the country back together.

                                    They might succeed, but all of this will come at a price. Women will no longer have equality. Under sharia law, a woman will become a second-class citizen in her own country. Under sharia law, physical evidence to a crime will no longer be necessary—only testimony from ‘reliable” witnesses will be allowed, and women will most likely not be allowed to testify even when a woman has been the victim of a crime. Under sharia law, torture will most certainly be used and fully sanctioned. Just as equally terrible will be how Libya’s Christian minority will be affected. Libya has 60,000 Coptic Christians—mostly Egyptians who had settled in Libya over the centuries. Some Libyans are also Coptic Christians. How will they be affected by courts being run under Islamic religious law? What rights and protections will they have? Could we also see these Christians being persecuted and murdered because of their faith just as we are seeing in Egypt and so many other Arab countries in what has been called the “Arab Spring?”

                                     I have to ask myself the question why the United States, Great Britain and France intervened in the Libyan civil war to bring down Gaddhafi? Granted he was a tyrant, and he certainly ruled and murdered his own people with a iron fist. But what sense did it ever make to help rebels whose mind sets are in the 18th Century? Has this helped Libya become a prosperous and better place for its people? I feel now as I felt then that the U.S., British and French government will have a lot to answer for about the debacle that Libya is today.