Muammar Gaddafi was born in Libya, in Sirte in 1942 and was known to be one of the worst dictators in the world alongside with Saddam Hussein. His life was full of criminal, political issues and troubles.  He was also a desperate Arab nationalist and he run a very nationalistic policy. For that reason during the first stage of his activities he was respected and approved by the Libyan population. However, his military interference into Africa and a number of violations of human rights, the corruption and the human rights abuses made him a harsh dictator in the public eye, and the Libyan population stated to dislike him. During the first stage of his activities he ousted the king Idris, and he was also accused of supporting terrorism.

Gaddafi was born in a tribal family and lived in a tent in Libyan Desert. At the time of his birth Libya was an Italian colony but under the king Idris it gained independence and young Gaddafi was very much influenced by nationalistic movement.  In 1961 he enrolled at military college and continued his military practice in United Kingdom for a few months.  After graduating, there was a movement to overthrow the king Idris, while he was in Turkey, so Gaddafi joint the movement and soon he become the leader among these young people. He took control of military forces and became the leader of Libya in 1961, as the king Idris was overthrown.

When he came to power, he immediately changed the calendar from Gregorian into the Islamic one and forbade the sale of alcohol. He also ordered to remove British and American military bases from Libya.

He ordered to assassinate those Libyan in exile, and he also made the group of his people smaller and smaller. He made the political dissent legally criminalized. He voiced dislike towards Jewish and Israel, and exiled Jewish community from Libya. He also thought his mission was to push Arab nationalism against the Western Imperialism.  At this stage of his government, he shift Libya away from Western world, and pushed to Middle East and Africa. During this period Libya was involved in several military operations, such as in Egypt, Sudan and harsh civil of Chad. Soon he publishes a book, which was to explain the policy he was undertaking. The book is called Green book and is comprised of three volumes, where he describes the problems of democracy and he states that is regime is like a remedy that must cure.

However, Gaddafi stated that Libya was a state which shared the wealth, however in reality, those close to him, his friends and relatives had all the highest positions, they took all the money from oil, while those who were opposite this corrupted regime, were punished and poor.

Gaddafi’s ruling style was more than weird. He often would show up with female bodyguards in heels and he would often dress in an old style costume or outfit, he even earned the nickname of being the dog mad Middle East.  Gaddafi was criticized by the majority of international community for being sponsored and taking aids from some anti-western organizations, including terroristic organizations.

Gaddafi had also relations with Irish terroristic group and for that reason the United Kingdom had ceased the relations with Libya.

Soon Libyan terrorists were suspected to have been behind the bombing of a Berlin club as a result of which three people died. In response to this the US and Ronald Reagan bombed some particular targets in Libya and Gaddafi’s residence.

In 1988 a plane which carried 259 people blew up near Scotland, as a result of which everyone died, including civilians, and Libya was suspected to have taken part in this terrorism. The same happened with French passenger jet, where all 170 people were killed.

By 1990s Islamists began to go opposite to Gaddafi regime and he had no other chance but to negotiate with the West. He started to share information with the officials of United Kingdom and US, and soon, Nelson Mandela convinced him to hand them over those who were suspected to have taken part in terror of plane.  Gaddafi started close relations with the West. Berlusconi, the prime minister of Italy of that time, was regarding him as one of his closest friends. Gaddafi’s son was mixed with United Kingdom’s highest society and the public believed that this newly made friendship was based on business, money and oil. The United Nations cut the sanctions against Libya out and more states started to buy oil from Libya, which made Gaddafi and his family richer, and the abuses of human right in his country became worse and worse, his dictatorship only rose up.

However, after a year, the Arab spring began. The powers in Egypt and in Tunisia were replaced and it was the time for Libya also.  Gaddafi opposed severely, foreign mercenaries, police was trying to calm the opposition down in harsh means, helicopters were shooting people from air. As the number of casualties was getting higher and higher, the opposition was becoming more aggressive and determined to oust Gaddafi from power. Gaddafi was making some public speeches to state that the demonstrations were held by foreigners and were sponsored by al-Qaeda. He wanted his people to fight for him and to stay strong and loyal.

Soon, in June of 2011, opposition has won much of the country and has formed a new government called National Transitional Council. Most of the international community supported the new government and went against Gaddafi. Nato coalition started to support the NTC and by July of the same year, more than 30 countries recognized the NTC as the legitimate government of Libya and Gaddafi finally lost his power. In June 2011 The International Criminal Court was in search of Gaddafi to arrest him, his son and brother-in –law for a number of crimes against humanity.

On October of 2011, the newly made government of Libya announced that Gaddafi was found dead near his hometown of Sirte. Some stated he was killed by Nato forced, some said he died during the gun battle. There was even a video of his blooded body spread all over the Internet.  After Gaddafi though, Libya did not enjoy democracy, still there was a violation of human rights and corruption.

When it comes to his personal life, he had 2 wives. First one was Fatiha al-Nouri. Gaddafi did not really love her and divorced from her after a six months of marriage, when meeting the second wife, Safia, who was a nurse.

He had one son from Fatiha, and seven other children from Saifa.

As every dictator he was also killed violently because of the crimes against humanity. He was punished for the crimes and terrors he has committed and still the world knows him for being one of the world’s worst dictators. People were afraid of him. He did not really understand that to keep the power you do not need only money. The most important thing is to be loved by your nation. Only in that case you can succeed as a ruler. The love of people and nation, that is the most important weapon for the ruler, not the hate, assassination, corruption and death.

He was a dictator by his nature, and his mistake was that he  did not realize that in order to be powerful you must be loved , you need people to love you and to follow you by their wish, not to fear from you  and sadly come after you. However this was the life of Muammar Gaddafi, whose mistakes not only destroyed his own life, but also his family’s life.

12 Facts on Libya’s Leader and Terrorizer Muammar Gaddafi

Rising to lead Libya at 27, Muammar Gaddafi’s reign lasted several decades with him dying at the helm itself. The man who committed countless human rights violations against fellow Arabs had an eccentric side. Taking cues from American film characters, Gaddafi had his clothes designed to imbibe his eccentricities. Take a look at some sensational facts about the man who outlawed gay sex in the country.

1. Muammar the Homophobe

This man is known far and wide for being a homophobe. However, he pronounced certain thoughts that further ostracized him from the straight as well as the gay community. He mentioned that AIDS was something that would never affect heterosexuals. He believed that meant solely to infect the gays, the HIV virus was what straight individuals did not need to fear.

2. Strictly Virgin Women Bodyguards

This fearsome leader mandated virgin females as his bodyguards that he as well as his sons later raped. Exclusively chosen by the dictator, these bodyguards were made to don heeled boots and make-up on duty.

3. He was dubbed as the ‘king of the kings’

Although he was a feared leader in his own land, he wished to unify African nations to a similar league as the European Union. For this purpose he held conferences of African politicians where he was honored with the label ‘the king of the kings’ by the attendees.

4. The King of Wrinkle-Lifts

Obsessed with looking youthful, this man got extensive plastic surgery from a renowned doctor called Liacyr Riberio. Invited especially from Brazil the professional helped Muammar gain a youthful appearance with wrinkle-lifts.

5. Fathered Seven Sons and a Daughter

The man who was married twice had seven boys and a biological daughter. Muammar went on to adopt another little girl, who later died in US assaults, which further antagonized the Libyan leader against American President Reagan.

6. Two Wives and a Nurse Love Interest

His eccentric fancies led him to many whimsies in his opulent lifestyle. This meant that apart from two wives, he even had many nurses catering to him. A beautiful blonde nurse Halyna Kolotnytska was his rumoured love who he always declined to journey without.

7. Influenza was a foreign conspiracy to Muammar

The man who believed in paranoia rather than investigate facts deemed the H1N1 influenza sedition by external armies rather than a disease with natural causes.

8. American President called him Mad Dog

The then US president Ronald Reagan branded the Libyan politician as a ‘mad dog’. This was following his suspected hand in several brutal bombings.

9. A Quirky Fashion sense that would rival Lady Gaga

While other heads of state and global leaders opted for respectable clothing at world summits and meetings, Gaddafi chose to stand out. His quirky fashion sense was laughed at by peers and his clothing was deemed inappropriate for most formal gatherings, as garish hues, excessive finery and odd combinations defined his closet.

• Harboured Dreams of a Gaddafi Fashion Showcase

The leader had an aide allegedly write to the New York Times requesting the institution to protect and showcase Gaddafi’s wardrobe at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

• He Deemed mosquitoes God’s angels

The Libyan leader had lofty ideals and strange beliefs that had him state that mosquitoes were sent by God to protect Libya. He further mentioned that foreign invaders would be infected with Malaria by mosquitos’ to diminish their strength.

• Fear of Heights and Long Flights

Muammar may have terrorized scores of Libyans, but he himself feared heights and long flights. Whenever he undertook a journey to America, he opted for stopovers in Portugal choosing to restrict each flight to 8 hours. What was suggested as severe claustrophobia also stopped the dictator from taking elevators.

Gaddafi certainly preferred living in luxury, but the severe crimes he committed against his people always ensured that he was known for his atrocities rather than his eccentricities.