Libya violence: Activists beheaded in Derna

(BBC) Three young activists have been found beheaded in Derna, in eastern Libya.

The three, who had relayed information about the city through social media, had been kidnapped earlier this month.

Several Islamist groups are competing for control of the city, with some militants recently declaring allegiance to Islamic State.

Libya has been in a state of flux since Col Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011, with disparate tribes, militias and political factions fighting for power.

'We reject IS'

The BBC's Rana Jawad, in the capital, Tripoli, says that in the immediate aftermath of the revolution that ousted Gaddafi, many rebel fighters left to fight with militant groups opposing the rule of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30011640


-- BBC 2014-11-12

Eastern Libya looks like another ISIS candidate.

Those muslims sure like beheadings...atleast thats what it appears if one were to rely on news media headlines.

It here may be those in Libya who reject IS, but it is unrelated to their core beliefs rather it's because of power and influence. Libya is another example in a string of actions which have ousted secular leaders in exchange for islam. I haven't used the words "radical Islam" because the distinction hardly applies any longer. When removed from the individual choices a Muslim might make and elevated to community or national level, all Islam increasingly appears radical- at the group level certainly. Libya is no exception. The only issue here is who will be in local power.

It was known many, many years ago that Arab strongmen were the only means by which populations would refrain from dangerous theocracies arising. The musing that was an option to be presented to the people instead of strongmen the population would choose democracy is pure fantasy. The mechanics of democracy are anathema to Islam. Thus it can not be surprising that when the secular leaders were removed religious despots would arise. One must ask if it is really possible a Western policy of facilitating democracy-the Arab Spring- could really have been so very wrong in every single place where the US NED and NGOs agitated to unseat leaders? It is beyond credulity that no one saw religious theocracies taking control. The conclusions are nearly as frightening as the results of this policy.

Reading stories like this I sometimes think the Middle East is still entrenched in the dark ages.

It here may be those in Libya who reject IS, but it is unrelated to their core beliefs rather it's because of power and influence. Libya is another example in a string of actions which have ousted secular leaders in exchange for islam. I haven't used the words "radical Islam" because the distinction hardly applies any longer. When removed from the individual choices a Muslim might make and elevated to community or national level, all Islam increasingly appears radical- at the group level certainly. Libya is no exception. The only issue here is who will be in local power.

It was known many, many years ago that Arab strongmen were the only means by which populations would refrain from dangerous theocracies arising. The musing that was an option to be presented to the people instead of strongmen the population would choose democracy is pure fantasy. The mechanics of democracy are anathema to Islam. Thus it can not be surprising that when the secular leaders were removed religious despots would arise. One must ask if it is really possible a Western policy of facilitating democracy-the Arab Spring- could really have been so very wrong in every single place where the US NED and NGOs agitated to unseat leaders? It is beyond credulity that no one saw religious theocracies taking control. The conclusions are nearly as frightening as the results of this policy.

Another way to look at it - the previous generation of strongmen lived up their usefulness, and started getting out of control.

Being a successful strongmen usually implies weeding out potential competition from within, and so, there was a shortage

of candidates for replacement.

Adhering to less than optimal diplomatic policies (it can be applied to other fields as well), is nothing new. Ignoring realities

is not a rarity as well, so are wishful thinking and miscalculations. It seems what's hard on people is to believe that many

leaderships exhibit normal human behavior.

It is indeed a frightening thought, that those who hold the fate of millions in their hands are not always much different than

Joe poster or Somchai from the bank. One common reaction is to deny this possibility and postulate the existence of some

hidden pattern, plan or whatever.

Stupidity, shortsightedness and making mistakes usually make for a more reasonable explanations, but granted they lack

the sex appeal.

Edit - Barbara Tuchman's The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam makes for some easy and interesting read on that.

What kind (colour, shade) of Activists? Or are they just beheading any Active Protoplasm?

Sign of our times: Iraq is missing Saddam, Iran is missing Reza, Libya is missing Gaddafi, Russia is missing Stalin, Germany... and so on...

XXI Century - the age of discontent and degradation?...

I'm afraid if things are going as they are we will get to stage of missing Osama bin Laden.

Let me guess, Christians did the be heading. Correct?

History started only now. There have been no beheading before....

Not true, Petchou. There were beheadings before. Look up in the Koran.

F430murci, - no beheadings by Christians. Auto-da-fe (the Act of Faith) was usually a bon-fire.

Jay Sata, - your feeling is right. We've made a full circle of spiral - Islam Intifada by consent.

See you all 5 times a day in a Mosque "Notre Dam de Paris"... Soon.

Reading stories like this I sometimes think the Middle East is still entrenched in the dark ages.

There is a reason that some ideologies are 1000 years behind others.

The howls of condemnation from the usual TV mouthpieces is absolutely deafening.