Libyans in Middle Tennessee React to Gadhafi’s Death

For Libyans in Middle Tennessee, the death of Muammar Gadhafi marks a seismic change. Some Libyans here are glad to see the dictator gone, but nervous about what will come after.

Ali Omer and his wife left Libya three years ago on scholarships to work on masters degrees at Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro. Omer says since the news broke he’s been on the phone with others who left Libya, in places like New Orleans and Arizona.

“A friend of mine in Ohio, I talked with him and he said ‘Congratulations, we’ve got him. And I said ‘Congratulations to you,’ because this one of my friends, he has been in the United States about 30 years now.”

Omer is 37, and says the only Libya he’s known until now was Gadhafi’s. When the rebellion began he didn’t believe Gadhafi would wage war on his own people. It wasn’t until Omer’s brother got out of the country and felt safe telling him about it on the phone that Omer says he understood.

Now he wants the rebels to draft a constitution. But Omer says that may prove harder than catching Gadhafi, in a country that’s a stranger to democracy.

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Omer says he’s grateful to the United States and allies for backing the rebellion that toppled Gadhafi.

Omer’s friend Hasan Karayam is graduate student from Libya as well. He’s working on a dissertation about the history of Libyan-U.S. relations. He says setting up a democracy in Libya could be tough because the country is complicated and tribal:

“Libya doesn’t have any political experience in terms of democracy. All the people before – they don’t know how to create parties or how to play the game of democracy.”

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