When I read your book, I felt the hardships that you suffered the struggle that you continued and the walk that you marched all the way to freedom. We, the Libyan people are walking the same march to end our struggle against a tyrant, a cold-blooded murderer, and an oppressor. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go on ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind. Now that you made the trip, I have nothing to say to you except, May GOD forgive you. Yes the Ghadaffi regime, and most importantly the Libyan people did lend us their support during the times of our own struggles when few, especially the US and UK wanted nothing to do with condemning apartheid and the previous regime.
Nobody disputes that fact.
That however does not give Mr. Mandela reason enough to be visting the country of a man who is responsible for bringing so much misery to so many people in his country for speaking their minds and trying to enjoy their human rights. With all due respect, I find it unbelievable that a man held so highly in the eyes of freedom lovers everywhere is risking his credibility as a humanitarian on a matter of principle in his eyes. I watched the BBC World news yesterday and watched my hero turn into someone far less than that, embracing a man so many people shiver when they hear his name mentioned. They have totally different motives for trying to have discouraged Mr. Mandela from undertaking this trip than the countless of suffering Libyans who have experienced injustices. The moving letters written by some of those Libyans living in exile, plus critism by several of my aquaintances here in Norway have prompted me into writing this letter.