Poll seeks ways to understand zealots

Arabstoday conducted a poll in Libya regarding anti- partisan and anti- democratic slogans that call for applying Sharea Law. The streets of Benghazi saw black flags lifted with printed messages saying There Is No God But Allah and Mohamed Is His Prophet, similar to those of al Qaeda. The poll also asked about the posters found in the city in public as well as private spaces saying "No Partisan, No  Tribal Zeal, No  Democracy, We Want to Apply the Rules of Allah". Arabstoday asked how these people should be addressed, especially taking into account that most of them were in the front lines of the revolutionary armed resistance Malak Mohamed  said: "The conditions in New Libya are in the throes of development. sadly, we haven't seen universal improvement yet, neither political nor medical." She also referred to the necessity of establishing an armed force ready to deal with security matters until conditions improve and an official government is formed, after which fair voting processes will form the rest. Meanwhile, Rania Adam stressed that there is no place, time nor fear for any new developments in Libya as those people had to be dealt with as soon as possible. She added: "We want a free Libya with full democracy," explaining, "There are several categories of extremists who repeat slogans without understanding or reasonable justifications. They want to push us back to the era of darkness. At the same time, we can't afford any delay as we know well the damage to the country caused by Colonel Gaddafi."     Nour Salim illustrated that people carrying black flags belong to the Salafi Jihadist saying: "Oh, black flags, we've just got rid of green flags to find the black in front of us. Allah is our only haven." Anas Gawad suggested that Islam, by no means, contradicts with democracy "Shura", while Nisreen El Gannaf said it is necessary to conduct a dialogue with such people. Ali Bar, on the other hand, condemned them retroactively, saying: "They remind me of the Abbasids who were called People of Black Flags as they used to lift such flags during their war with the Umayyads, but there is no chance for retraction as they won't take us backwards. The black flag was the symbol used by Abu Muslim Khorasani, the child of tailors…the Abbasids only sought power under the cover of religion. And I see it is the same case we are facing now and there is no reason for panic," said Ali Bar. Mohamed El Garoushy agreed with saying that the Muslim Brotherhood are planning to take control over Libya denoting that the Salfi movement  can't be accused of such practices. In the meantime, Osama Shaba'n endorsed the slogan of "dialogue is the solution" saying: "There is a must to start dialogue as soon as possible relying upon the most dignified Sheiks (religious figures) in the country such as Sheikh Sadek El Gheryani, Mufti of Libya, and Sheik Salim El Sheiky among others of good religious symbolism in the country. We may also seek help from Saudi sheikhs respected all over the Islamic world."          On the other hand, Ali Al Maghraby opined differently, supporting the idea of lifting the black flag as the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) lifted it after achieving victory in war. He added that this was the flag of Islam that of which people are supposed to be proud, not criticise bitterly. He said men of black flags were in the frontline of the war, and should be respected and appreciated.    Soad Khalifa supported the view of el Maghraby saying that the flag was one of the things which they need to be proud as it was lifted by the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) in war, so it was not an extremist symbol. "The Prophet had a flag lifted in wars, which was just like the one lifted by the Libyan Armed  Opposition and another flag used in peaceful times which was white printed with black letters of Shiahda. We can seek assistance from Sheiks of Libya and respected Authority of Islamic Scholars and scholars in the Ministry of Endowments such as Sheik Salim Gaber, Yousry El Haddar, and Naser El Orfy and ask them to work on developing an explanation as to how Islam is not against democracy. She added "They should also warn those people of the danger of the language of violence and marginalisation that they use, and make them understand that the peaceful approach is the best one to reach their destination." In the same regard, Adel Abu Lifa saw their demands as legal and an Islamic governed state is better than a secular one. Islamic rule has no contradiction with the state of freedom, institutions, and law. He also added that it is the exact time to apply Islamic rules and getting together under the umbrella of Islam.   The writer and the famous opposition figures to the ousted regime of Gadhafi , Laila El Hony participated in the poll saying "I'm a religion follower, but in accordance with the demands of life. I encourage the moderate religious approach without extremism."