# Life in Libya (or the unknow facts about Muammar Gaddafi)\` **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367 "2011-10-21T15:34:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![biddee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@biddee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biddee)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/1 "2011-10-21T15:34:45Z")
This is floating around Facebook and I was wondering if any of it is true? The unknown facts about the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi: 1. There is no electricity bill in Libya; electricity is free for all its citizens. 2. There is no interest on loans, banks in Libya are state-owned and loans given to all its citizens at 0% interest by law. 3. Home considered a human right in Libya – Gaddafi vowed that his parents would not get a house until everyone in Libya had a home. Gaddafi’s father has died while him, his wife and his mother are still living in a tent. 4. All newlyweds in Libya receive $60,000 Dinar (US$50,000) by the government to buy their first apartment so to help start up the family. 5. Education and medical treatments are free in Libya. Before Gaddafi only 25% of Libyans are literate. Today the figure is 83%. 6. Should Libyans want to take up farming career, they would receive farming land, a farming house, equipments, seeds and livestock to kick-start their farms – all for free. 7. If Libyans cannot find the education or medical facilities they need in Libya, the government funds them to go abroad for it – not only free but they get US$2,300/mth accommodation and car allowance. 8. In Libyan, if a Libyan buys a car, the government subsidized 50% of the price. 9. The price of petrol in Libya is $0.14 per liter. 10. Libya has no external debt and its reserves amount to $150 billion – now frozen globally. Great Man-Made River project in Libya… $27 billion 11. If a Libyan is unable to get employment after graduation the state would pay the average salary of the profession as if he or she is employed until employment is found. 12. A portion of Libyan oil sale is, credited directly to the bank accounts of all Libyan citizens. 13. A mother who gave birth to a child receive US$5,000 14. 40 loaves of bread in Libya costs $ 0.15 15. 25% of Libyans have a university degree 16. Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, known as the Great Man-Made River project, to make water readily available throughout the desert country. Which other dictator has done much good to his people besides ---
**Author:** ![biddee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@biddee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biddee)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/2 "2011-10-21T15:36:14Z")
There is another story floating around that every citizen gets $500US in their bank account each month from oil revenue. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/3 "2011-10-21T15:59:01Z")
I doubt it is that generous, but certainly it’s amazng what you can do when the country is floating on oil at $90/barrel. 0% Interest is a tenet of the Qoran, no interest is allowed in the muslim faith. Most Arab countries subsidize food and gas prices because the average (often unemployed) peasant cannot afford to live otherwise. Starvation or cutting subsidies on food is a good way to start riots that topple governments, as many middle-eastern dictators have found. There’s one thing that’s missing from the list - there was an interview with a fellow whose brother worked in a bank in Libya. When someone complained about there being no money in their account, the guy told him “take it up with that stupid Gahddafi”. He was arrested that night for the remark, and a few months later, he and about 2,000 other political prisoners were taken to the prison courtyard and shot point-blank by the secret police. I assume those were subsidized bullets. Of course, Cuba has a very highly educated population too. That would explain why their economy is so strong I assume. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/4 "2011-10-21T16:46:14Z")
> [@biddee](#): > > There is another story floating around that every citizen gets $500US in their bank account each month from oil revenue. This wouldn’t surprise me. Every person in Alaska gets a check every year (this year it’s a bit over $1,000, but has been as high as $2,000), and they have nowhere near the oil that Libya has. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/5 "2011-10-21T17:05:15Z")
> [@biddee](#): > > 1. Education and medical treatments are free in Libya. Before Gaddafi only 25% of Libyans are literate. Today the figure is 83%. This part, at least, seems to be generally accurate. [The New York Times published a long obituary on Gaddafi yesterday](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/world/africa/qaddafi-killed-as-hometown-falls-to-libyan-rebels.html?_r=1&hpw) and noted this: > [@](#): > > Life expectancy, which averaged 51 years in 1969, is now over 74. Literacy leapt to 88 percent. I’m not sure you can give all that credit to Gaddafi, but it’s a major improvement. > [@biddee](#): > > 1. Should Libyans want to take up farming career, they would receive farming land, a farming house, equipments, seeds and livestock to kick-start their farms – all for free. And if they don’t want a farming career, well, tough noogies: > [@](#): > > Once he demanded that all Libyans raise chickens to promote self-sufficiency, even deducting the costs of cages from their wages. “It made no sense to raise chickens in apartments,” said Mansour O. El-Kikhia, a Qaddafi biographer at the University of Texas and a member of an opposition family. “People slaughtered the chickens, ate them and used the cages as dish racks.” > [@biddee](#): > > 1. A portion of Libyan oil sale is, credited directly to the bank accounts of all Libyan citizens. And yet: > [@](#): > > Per capita annual income grew to above $12,000 in recent years, though the figure is markedly lower than that found in many oil-rich countries. > [@biddee](#): > > 1. A mother who gave birth to a child receive US$5,000 This bit casts some doubt on that $5,000 figure, and it also illustrates that what Gaddafi giveth, Gaddafi taketh away, and sometimes in a hurry. > [@](#): > > Colonel Qaddafi once declared that any money over $3,000 in anyone’s bank account was excessive and should revert to the state. Another time he lifted a ban on sport utility vehicles, then changed his mind a few months later, forcing everyone who had bought one to hide it. > > Libyans grumbled that they had no idea what had happened to their oil money; the official news agency said the country earned $32 billion in 2010 alone. When prices were low or Libya was under sanctions during most of the 1980s and ’90s, the nearly one million people on the public payroll never got a pay raise; experts calculated that most lived on $300 to $400 per month. > [@biddee](#): > > Which other dictator has done much good to his people besides Indeed. > [@](#): > > At least once a decade, Colonel Qaddafi fomented shocking violence that terrorized Libyans. > > In the late 1970s and early ’80s, he eliminated even mild critics through public trials and executions. Kangaroo courts were staged on soccer fields or basketball courts, where the accused were interrogated, often urinating in fear as they begged for their lives. The events were televised to make sure that no Libyan missed the point. > > The bodies of one group of students hanged in downtown Tripoli’s main square were left there to rot for a week, opposition figures said, and traffic was rerouted to force cars to pass by. > > In the 1990s, faced with growing Islamist opposition, Colonel Qaddafi bombed towns in eastern Libya, and his henchmen were widely believed to have opened fire on prisoners in Tripoli’s Abu Salim prison, killing about 1,200. > […] > His long effort to eliminate the government left Libya in a shambles, its sagging infrastructure belying its oil wealth. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/6 "2011-10-21T17:53:31Z")
In Marley23’s post, he quotes an article from _The New York Times_ which says that the average life expectancy has risen from 51 to over 74 in the last 42 years, while the literacy rate has risen to 88%. Wikipedia says that the present life expectancy is 74.0 years (a tie for 71st in the world) and the literacy rate is 86.8% (112th in the world): > **[List of countries by life expectancy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy)** > > The life expectancy is shown separately for males and for females, as well as a combined figure. Several non-sovereign entities and territories are also included in this list. > The figures reflect the quality of healthcare in the countries listed as well as other factors including HIV infections. > From the beginning of the current century there is a tendency to also estimate Healthy life expectancy (HALE) — the average number of years that a person can expect to live in "full health". > **[List of countries by literacy rate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_literacy_rate)** > > This is a list of countries by literacy rate. > The global literacy rate for all people aged 15 and above is 86.3%. The global literacy rate for all males is 90.0%, and the rate for all females is 82.7%. The rate varies throughout the world, with developed nations having a rate of 99.2% (2013), South and West Asia having 70.2% (2015), and sub-Saharan Africa at 64.0% (2015). Over 75% of the world's 781 million illiterate adults are found in South Asia, West Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, and wome... Let’s just note that most of the countries of the world offer free education up to grade school level and most of the well-off ones offer free medical care: > **[Health system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_system)** > > A health system, health care system or healthcare system is an organization of people, institutions, and resources that delivers health care services to meet the health needs of target populations. > There is a wide variety of health systems around the world, with as many histories and organizational structures as there are nations. Implicitly, nations must design and develop health systems in accordance with their needs and resources, although common elements in virtually all health systems are... > **[State school](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_school_(government_funded))** > > A state school or public school\[note 1\] is a primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. Such schools are funded in whole or in part by taxation.\[citation needed\] > State-funded schools exist in virtually every country of the world,\[citation needed\] though there are significant variations in their structure and educational programmes. Government funded education generally encompasses primary and secondary education (4 years old to 18 years old). > In South Africa, a s... The life expectancy in most countries rose about 8 or 9 years from 1969 to 2011. So what happened in Libya was that some proportion of the oil money was spent on the basic public education and medical care costs that are covered in most countries of the world, particularly the well-off ones. This is a good thing, but it’s about average for what’s expected in the world today. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/7 "2011-10-21T18:17:34Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > The life expectancy in most countries rose about 8 or 9 years from 1969 to 2011. So what happened in Libya was that some proportion of the oil money was spent on the basic public education and medical care costs that are covered in most countries of the world, particularly the well-off ones. This is a good thing, but it’s about average for what’s expected in the world today. Right. You might say he helped take Libya from an impoverished ex-colony to an impoverished dictatorship. The standard of living seems to have improved, but everybody’s standard of living went up in the last 40 years and many countries must have improved more than Libya did. Some countries saw major improvements without Gaddafi’s signature bloodbaths and corruption. I read another article yesterday where a Libyan said the country has around 10 universities and 120 prisons, in whole or in part because Gaddafi didn’t want an educated populace to overthrow him or didn’t think anybody needed to know anything except what he told them. (His manifesto was, of course, required reading.) I’m sure there were some actual criminals in the prisons, but I’m also sure there were plenty of people Gafaddi just didn’t like. You could say a lot of the same things about Saddam Hussein in Iraq. At one time (before the first Gulf War) it was a pretty modern country with good education and more rights for women than some other countries in the Middle East, for example. If you’re evaluating a dictatorship, you have to do it in context. The list the OP is quoting seems to take a lot of promises at face value and to say the least it fails to mention any downside. Even if they were all true, it doesn’t mean Gadaffi wasn’t a dictator (he indisuptably was) or that he got a bad rap, and it certainly looks like that’s what the author of the list was trying to say. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/8 "2011-10-21T18:50:36Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > If you’re evaluating a dictatorship, you have to do it in context. The list the OP is quoting seems to take a lot of promises at face value and to say the least it fails to mention any downside. Even if they were all true, it doesn’t mean Gadaffi wasn’t a dictator (he indisuptably was) or that he got a bad rap, and it certainly looks like that’s what the author of the list was trying to say. Yes, it’s another ‘Mussolini made the trains run on time’. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/9 "2011-10-21T19:23:55Z")
**Biddee** Dictators, theocracies, and other governments of that type **always** make these sorts of claims. Saudi Arabia is a country I’m familiar with and has a lot of the same kind of things Libya does. The problem is in the details they **don’t** tell you. There are public hospitals that are free. The problem is that many of the docs are Sudani or Pakistani and are more familiar with veterinary work than working on people. Universities are free, but the students graduate with degrees in “Koranic Recitation” and “Islamic Jurisprudence” rather than anything useful. Of course, the other problem is with the wealthier students bribing the profs for a passing grade on the finals. The profs are mostly Palestinian and are desperately poor so bribery is a big issue. Citizens with serious ailments may be sent abroad for specialized treatments. The problem is that this tends to be either members of the royal family or those with access to them. “Abdullah Average” doesn’t have much chance of being sent anywhere. Gasoline is cheap in Saudi and probably Libya as well. After all, they’re practically floating on the stuff so why shouldn’t it be? Another one is the Chinese “barefoot doctors.” A Chinese guy in Saudi was telling me that if the barefoot doctor was your only medical care, you’d better make your will. Little to no medicines and basic training at best. All those governments make these kinds of claims but the truth on the ground is usually something **VERY** different. Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/10 "2011-10-21T20:37:25Z")
> [@Testy](#): > > Universities are free, but the students graduate with degrees in “Koranic Recitation” and “Islamic Jurisprudence” rather than anything useful. Of course, the other problem is with the wealthier students bribing the profs for a passing grade on the finals. The profs are mostly Palestinian and are desperately poor so bribery is a big issue. useless college studies are not unique to oil-rich Arabs. At least those koranic grads don’t end up with big student debts, not like the holders of degrees in “English”, “psychology” and similar that mostly prepare people to “occupy wall street”. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/11 "2011-10-21T21:59:14Z")
> [@code\_grey](#): > > useless college studies are not unique to oil-rich Arabs. At least those koranic grads don’t end up with big student debts, not like the holders of degrees in “English”, “psychology” and similar that mostly prepare people to “occupy wall street”. **Moderator Warning** **code\_grey** , you’ve received several previous moderator notes to keep political jabs out of General Questions. Since you haven’t responded to repeated reminders regarding the rules of this forum, I’m making this one an Official Warning. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/12 "2011-10-21T22:37:26Z")
this being the GQ, I think that **Testy** really has to give a cite for his claim that Koranic recitation and Islamic jurisprudence do not prepare students for anything useful. Otherwise this sounds like an undue political jab aimed at the research-based policies of the Ministry of Education of King Abdullah, the Guardian of the Two Holy Mosques. Solid, standards-based Islamic education implemented by the proven, experienced, monarchically-funded educators prepares students to be responsible citizens of 21st century theocracy, criticism from various disaffected nutjobs notwithstanding. And college is not supposed to be a vocational school since it’s really all about… you know the drill. BTW, why is this thread not in GD already? ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/13 "2011-10-22T02:04:16Z")
> [@code\_grey](#): > > this being the GQ, I think that **Testy** really has to give a cite for his claim that Koranic recitation and Islamic jurisprudence do not prepare students for anything useful. Otherwise this sounds like an undue political jab aimed at the research-based policies of the Ministry of Education of King Abdullah, the Guardian of the Two Holy Mosques. Solid, standards-based Islamic education implemented by the proven, experienced, monarchically-funded educators prepares students to be responsible citizens of 21st century theocracy, criticism from various disaffected nutjobs notwithstanding. And college is not supposed to be a vocational school since it’s really all about… you know the drill. > > BTW, why is this thread not in GD already? **Code Grey** I’m honestly not sure whether you’re being snarky or just what. I lived and worked in SA for almost 3 decades. During that time I was the general manager of a medium sized IT company. Saudis were constantly being sent in by the government labor office or sometimes coming in on their own looking for a job. As we were an IT company, I was usually looking for coders, technicians, DBAs and the like. A degree in Koranic recitation or Islamic Jurisprudence was **VERY** common and to me, the guy that did most of the hiring, it indicated that the man didn’t have a lot on the ball except an ability to parrot religious doctrine. The guys coming in with this were out of a job at the time and were still out of a job when they left the office. We just didn’t need those skills. If you are actually looking for a cite that a degree in Koranic Recitation or Islamic law doesn’t generally lead to a high paying job, I’m sorry but I can’t help you. To me, it seems obvious. Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/14 "2011-10-22T21:02:23Z")
And to think that all those people people that wanted him dead for no reason. Generous or not, he was a terrorist and all around bad guy. Got what he deserved. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/15 "2011-10-22T21:11:57Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Yes, it’s another ‘Mussolini made the trains run on time’. Except he didn’t, really. But under Mussolini’s rule, it was bad for your health to complain about trains being late. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/16 "2011-10-22T21:18:38Z")
The more I have had time to think about it the more the OP’s fact set makes sense. If you are a dictator and a brutal one at that wouldn’t it make sense to take care of most of the population to ensure that you stay in power? Even if you are a complete douche, people will tolerate you if it benefits them enough. ---
**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/17 "2011-10-22T21:30:33Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Except he didn’t, really. But under Mussolini’s rule, it was bad for your health to complain about trains being late. under Mussolini it was also bad for your health to do the large scale Marxist labor strikes which were not healthy either for the train schedules or for economy in general. Which is why, surprise-surprise, Italian business and political class supported the fascists as a cure to the chaos induced by socialist and anarchist activity in post-WW1 Italy. While in early postwar Italy, Germany, Finland, Estonia and a few other countries the commie subversives were violently crushed in the bud, Hungary was [not so lucky](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Soviet_Republic) until finally liberated by a [Romanian invasion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian%E2%80%93Romanian_War_of_1919) 6 months later. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/18 "2011-10-23T01:08:25Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > And to think that all those people people that wanted him dead for no reason. Generous or not, he was a terrorist and all around bad guy. Got what he deserved. And it only took 40 years. The guy was a survivor of the first order; sort of a middle eastern Castro who somehow always seemed to avoid being killed. Even at the end he survived a drone attack when most of his caravan was killed. I was actually surprised (and doubtful) when I read about his death. ---
**Author:** ![biddee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@biddee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biddee)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/19 "2011-10-23T01:25:12Z")
Thanks for all the answers. I was pretty dubious about the claims (it sounds very much like a propaganda government piece) but I had nothing to really back up my theory except anecdotal (and not very objective) evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367/20 "2011-10-23T14:13:59Z")
> [@biddee](#): > > This is floating around Facebook and I was wondering if any of it is true? > > The unknown facts about the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi: > > … > 16. Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, known as the Great Man-Made River project, to make water readily available throughout the desert country. > Which other dictator has done much good to his people besides for this last one it is not a very good idea, because the waters are fossil waters from the age when the Sahara was a sea, and when they are gone there is no more. I have seen writings that say because of the wasting involved this will not last more than a few generations. I forget where I saw this, but like the health care - which everyone in Lybia knows is very bad - it is more on the surface a good thing than really good. Libians go to Tunisia, a poorer country, by thousands for health care. This tells you what his gains there were like. And also the bulgarian nurses incident. > [@md2000](#): > > I… 0% Interest is a tenet of the Qoran, no interest is allowed in the muslim faith. This is not true. No usury is allowed. The Wahhabi view which is being very strongly promoted by them is that this is same as interest. Many others say it is usury, excessive interest like mafia loans. There is nothing written clearly in Quran about 0 percent interest, only usury (riba) - where interest is faida. Unlike alcohol this is a real difference. > [@](#): > > There’s one thing that’s missing from the list - there was an interview with a fellow whose brother worked in a bank in Libya. When someone complained about there being no money in their account, the guy told him “take it up with that stupid Gahddafi”. He was arrested that night for the remark, and a few months later, he and about 2,000 other political prisoners were taken to the prison courtyard and shot point-blank by the secret police. I assume those were subsidized bullets. Sadly this was very frequently happening in Lybia, it is not for no reason there was such a mass revolt against him. > [@Testy](#): > > Universities are free, but the students graduate with degrees in “Koranic Recitation” and “Islamic Jurisprudence” rather than anything useful. Of course, the other problem is with the wealthier students bribing the profs for a passing grade on the finals. The profs are mostly Palestinian and are desperately poor so bribery is a big issue. Although in Lybia it was not like Saudia where Quran studies so dominate because of the Wahhabites, Lybian universities have a very bad reputation. People pay for grades, yes, and there is also much suffering from political interferences and where you have to teach and watch out for your political relations more than your teaching. And i you give a bad grade to an idiot who is also close to the Qaddafi or someone close to him, you will be told to reconsider or you would go away. > [@](#): > > Citizens with serious ailments may be sent abroad for specialized treatments. The problem is that this tends to be either members of the royal family or those with access to them. “Abdullah Average” doesn’t have much chance of being sent anywhere. In Lybia it was not that hard to get to go to Tunisia which though only half as rich as Lybia has very good hospitals compared to them. But that was just disgusting and sad, since there was no very good reason why Lybian hospitals had to be so bad and dangerous. > [@](#): > > Gasoline is cheap in Saudi and probably Libya as well. After all, they’re practically floating on the stuff so why shouldn’t it be? It leads to stupid wasting of it, of course. > [@Testy](#): > > **Code Grey** > > I’m honestly not sure whether you’re being snarky or just what. I lived and worked in SA for almost 3 decades. During that time I was the general manager of a medium sized IT company. Saudis were constantly being sent in by the government labor office or sometimes coming in on their own looking for a job. > > As we were an IT company, I was usually looking for coders, technicians, DBAs and the like. A degree in Koranic recitation or Islamic Jurisprudence was **VERY** common and to me, the guy that did most of the hiring, it indicated that the man didn’t have a lot on the ball except an ability to parrot religious doctrine. The guys coming in with this were out of a job at the time and were still out of a job when they left the office. We just didn’t need those skills. > > If you are actually looking for a cite that a degree in Koranic Recitation or Islamic law doesn’t generally lead to a high paying job, I’m sorry but I can’t help you. To me, it seems obvious. > > Regards > > Testy I agree with Testy although that is more something that is true of the Saudis. Still the public universities in the Maghreb turn out many graduates with no useful education at all. It is not in Quran recitation, but it might be in History or in Social Sciences, but taught only as memorisation without any writing or any analysis or disputing ideas. So of course in private sector such people are considered totally without use, as if they had no degree. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-libya-or-the-unknow-facts-about-muammar-gaddafi/600367.md?page=2)