Omar Mukhtar
Omar Mukhtar ( Arabic عمر المختار Umar al-Muchtar , DMG ʿUmar al-Muḫtār ; * 1862 ; † September 16, 1931 in the concentration camp Soluch ) was a Libyan Koran teacher and freedom fighter . During the Italian " reconquest of Libya " from 1923 to 1932 he was the leader of the Libyan resistance in Cyrenaica . In 1931 he was captured by the Italian fascists and hanged in the Soluch concentration camp. The nickname Muchtar means "the chosen one" and denotes an elected village chief.
Italian occupation
After the Italians occupied the coasts of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica in the Italo-Turkish War in 1911 after defeating the previous Turkish rulers , Omar Mukhtar organized the resistance of the Senussi Order and waged a stubborn guerrilla war against the occupiers. In the mountainous region of Jabal al-Achdar in the Cyrenaica, he involved Italian troops in over 260 casualties.
Sham surrender, arrest, execution
June 1929 took a singular position in this war: The Rome correspondent for the Times reported that on June 20, 1929 in Barca the Sanussiya under the leadership of Omar Mukhtar (in the English spelling Omar el Muktar ) waged war against the Italian occupiers tasks. According to the report, Omar Mukhtar had already met the Deputy Governor Dominico Siciliani a week earlier and announced the surrender - which never took place: “An amusing incident is now being reported on the meeting between Colonel Siciliani and Omar el Muktar. When asked by Colonel Sicilianis whether he had any claims to make, the old man replied that he had lived all his life on donations from his loyal followers and that he wanted to keep it that way. When Colonel Siciliani found nothing else in his pockets, he handed Omar his gold watch. The latter accepted the gift and said it was the first and only gift he had ever accepted from the Italian government. "
The war went on anyway. In September 1931, Omar Mukhtar was taken prisoner by the Italians during a battle and was sentenced to death by a military tribunal on the 15th of the same month in the Soluch concentration camp near Benghazi . The next day, the public execution by the rope took place .
The death of Omar Mukhtar marked the end of the Libyan military resistance. After the Kufra oases , one of the last centers of resistance, had been conquered by the Italian troops in January 1931 , the whole country was now under the control of the Italians.
Afterlife
In Libya, Omar Mukhtar is considered a national hero. He is depicted on one of the most highly valued Libyan banknotes (10 Libyan dinars ) and streets have been named after him in many Arab cities.
In 1980 the film Omar Mukhtar - Lion of the Desert by Moustapha Akkad was made , which depicts the life and struggle of Omar Mukhtar. The role of Omar was played by Anthony Quinn .
When Muammar al-Gaddafi made his first official visit to Italy on June 10, 2009, he was demonstratively wearing the photo of the captured Omar Mukhtar on his uniform.
The Libyan National Liberation Army , which successfully fought against Gaddafi's rule in 2011, named a brigade after Omar Mukhtar, and his portrait kept appearing on insurgent logos and posters.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Times , June 21, 1929, p. 14: The Senussi Surrender. Picturesque scene.
- ↑ http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/04/201141942947854663.html
literature
- Joachim Willeitner: Libya, Syrtebogen, Fezzan and the Cyrenaica. DuMont, Cologne 2001, ISBN 3-7701-4876-2 ( DuMont art travel guide ).
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Omar Mukhtar |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Umar al-Muchtar; عمر المختار (Arabic) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Libyan Koran teacher and freedom fighter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1862 |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 16, 1931 |
| Place of death | Soluch concentration camp |