ND Expert: Let’s not become as dehumanized as Gaddafi | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › ND Expert: Let’s not become as dehumanized as Gaddafi ND Expert: Let’s not become as dehumanized as Gaddafi Published: October 21, 2011 Author: Shannon Roddel As the people of Libya celebrate their liberation from four decades of dictatorship, oppression and killings at the hands of Muammar Gaddafi, Rashied Omar, research scholar of Islamic studies and peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, advises, “Let us not become as dehumanized as Gaddafi.” “It is understandable that four decades of oppression and the killings of innocents have generated mass rage and hatred for Gaddafi, but there is a clear Islamic ethic of dealing with one’s enemies,” Omar says. “The Qur’an teaches us that we should not allow our enmity or hatred for others to make us swerve away from justice. The exact circumstances of the killing of Gaddafi are still unclear with conflicting accounts of his death emerging. However, no matter how atrocious Gaddafi’s actions were and the decades of suffering he caused his own people, we should not condone acts of revenge, especially when motivated by anger and rage. We must always be cautious not to become as dehumanized as those we accuse of committing atrocities against us. “When the great Libyan anti-colonial liberation fighter, Omar Mukhtar, protected two surviving Italian prisoners, saying ‘We do not kill prisoners,’" Omar continues, “his fellow warrior said ‘They do it to us.’ Omar Mukhtar responded with these majestic words: ‘They are not our teachers.’” Omar’s research and teaching focus on religion, violence and peacebuilding, especially the Islamic ethics of war and peace and inter-religious dialogue. He spends half of each year at Notre Dame and the other half serving as the coordinating imam at the Claremont Main Road Mosque in Cape Town, South Africa. He also is an international trustee emeritus of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions. As a young man, Omar was jailed as a student activist against apartheid. Since then, he says, “My struggle has been how to build a bridge between my faith commitment and my participation in protest against racism and apartheid.” As an imam in Cape Town, before and after the transition to democracy, he has insisted on being part of civil society, separate from the state, and on speaking truth to power and not being part of any political party. Omar is featured in Notre Dame’s current “What Would You Fight For?” ad, “Fighting for Peace Among Religions.” Posted In: International Faith Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related September 14, 2022 Apostolic nuncio to Great Britain to deliver the 2022 Keeley Vatican Lecture July 14, 2022 Law School hosts second annual Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit in Rome July 13, 2022 Catholic peacebuilders bring hope amid the world’s crises June 01, 2022 University of Notre Dame to establish consortium of Catholic universities to study Muslim-Christian relations January 31, 2022 New book explores the role of Catholic peacebuilders in addressing global mining issues For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn