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Libya
Women in the Armed Forces
Qadhafi has persistently
sought to usher in a policy of direct participation by women in
national defense. His efforts, which have been resisted by conservative
elements of Libyan society and apparently by most young women
as well, derived from his argument that women of the Arab world
live in a subjugated state and must be liberated from oppression
and feudalism. Qadhafi viewed practices governing a woman's role
in society and her legal rights as disrespectful, reactionary,
and contrary to the Quran (see The Traditional View of Men and
Women , ch. 2).
Speaking at a rally in Tripoli in 1978, Qadhafi said that the
goal of a totally armed people would be fully realized "when all
Libyans--men and women--have been trained in an organized, modern
fashion." Addressing in the same speech the political and religious
problems that a full-fledged military role for women presented
in Islamic Libya, Qadhafi declared that this "is not against religion,
not against marriage, not against ethics."
Shortly thereafter, it was announced that women were to be conscripted
along with men, but this plan apparently was not fully implemented.
A women's army college opened in Tripoli in 1979, training volunteers
aged thirteen to seventeen in basic military subjects and the
use of various weapons. A total of 7,000 students had passed through
the academy by 1983. Some female pilots and naval recruits had
reportedly also been enlisted. Nevertheless, the notion of women
as soldiers remained unpopular. Some observers believed that many
of the students had been coerced into entering the academy. The
institution was closed in November 1983, reportedly after students
ripped down fences to escape and return to their homes.
Nonetheless, the new legislation introduced in February 1984
covering universal military service specifically included women.
When the GPC took the almost unprecedented step of rejecting the
proposal, Qadhafi saw this as evidence of lingering reactionary
attitudes in a society that had not whole heartedly accepted the
revolution. "Spontaneous demonstrations" of young women demanding
the right to engage in military service were organized. In a speech
on March 12, 1984, Qadhafi announced that popular demand made
it necessary to introduce compulsory military service for all
in spite of the CPC's action. After the Libyan retreat from Chad
in March 1987, there were indications that women had served there
in administrative positions.
The women's military academy was not reopened, however, and no
immediate steps were taken to institute full-time military service
for women. Training was apparently to remain an adjunct to high
school and university studies. Even so, there was evidence that
the program was not being resolutely enforced. As late as April
1986, the Libyan press mentioned complaints over the delays and
haphazard nature of the training programs at the Zlitan Women
Teachers' Institute, apparently owing to the indifference of local
military authorities.
Data as of 1987
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