Are Libya’s Armed Female Killers Empowered Or Brainwashed?

Idol worship can be dangerous. We’ve read the news stories where mobs of Beatles or Justin Bieber fans end up hurting people. Now imagine these crazed fans were trained, given guns and had pledged to die for their idol?

It sounds dangerous, and also a bit frightening. Hundreds of women, from young girls to nannies, have been trained as soldiers and armed in what Libya has revealed as their newest weapon. These women see Muammar Gaddafi as their father, their savior and their hero and have promised him their undying love and protection, according to an article for The Guardian. These women are different from Gaddafi’s famous female bodyguards. They will not be sent to battle and are meant to protect the home, a government spokesman told the paper.

I for one don’t know what to make of these women. Are they brave and empowered women fighting for what they believe in? Or are they being used as pawns, or as a simple publicity stunt? If I agreed with the loyalist ideals of these women, I would probably gush over how strong and admirable they are. The fact that they are fighting for the opposite of what the West wants should not turn these women from empowered heroes to brainwashed maniacs. The issue is complicated by politics and violence, but what these women are doing should not be overlooked.

Contact the author here: jennY@morningquickie.com