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Libyan Christian leaders stress reconciliation

ENInews--In Tripoli, fireworks were ignited, guns fired in
the air and chants sounded on 17 February in celebrations marking the first
anniversary of the Libyan uprising that ended Colonel Moammar Gadhafi's
42-year rule.

But amid the fanfare, Christian leaders emphasized the need for
comprehensive reconciliation and sustained peace efforts to end instability in the
North African country.

"The people seem much happier as from last October (when Gadhafi was
captured). They are more spontaneous, happy and relieved. They are joyful, not
withstanding the security situations they are facing, but we still have to
keep praying and stressing peace and reconciliation," the Rev. Daniel
Farrugia, the vicar general of the Vicariate of Tripoli, told ENInews in a
telephone interview.

The first major uprising against Gadhafi's rule started in the town of
Benghazi in February last year. The revolt later spread to other parts of the
country with the NATO Alliance joining to back rebel fighters grouped
under the National Transitional Council.

The alliance conducted airstrikes to implement a U.N.-sanctioned no-fly
zone and protect civilians. The action was approved by the U.N. Security
Council after Gadhafi's forces attacked civilians protesting his brutal rule.

With the death of the leader on 20 October, global Christian leaders had
raised concerns that an Islamist takeover would badly affect Christianity as
it had been witnessed in other North African countries and the Middle East.

But Farrugia explained that the Church had survived the war and continues
with its work and mission. "It was not very much affected and its members
are now returning, especially the Filipinos and African. But the families
are yet to return," he said.

According to the Rev. Kosti Ketola, an Anglican leader at the Christ the
King Church in Tripoli, church leaders were backing the celebrations in
their individual capacities. "The situation is changing and people are slowly
coming back to church … the guns have disappeared from the streets, but the
challenge is to minister to the people," said Ketola whose church had been
serving an international congregation of Indians, Pakistanis, Egyptians and
Nigerians.

Before the war, members of Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and some
Pentecostal churches accounted for three per cent of the population. The
Libyan people, who are mainly moderate Muslims, remained tolerant to the groups
during the revolution. The denominations were never asked to close down or
evacuate, according to the leaders.

The leaders say they are keen to continue with interfaith dialogue, which
is largely credited for the safety of Christian leaders and churches during
the war. Under the past regime, an active discussion between the faiths
thrived.

The leaders express optimism that the new authority will respect religious
freedom. The authority has been trying to establish control of the
country, where many small arms and light weapons are still in the hands of
militias and the public.

Dr. Nagi Giumma Baraka, a former Minister of Health in the transitional
council, said there are more than 200,000 registered fighters and many
weapons circulating among them and the public. "For those reasons, no one is
obeying the law and the country is lawless for the time being," he said in an
opinion in The Tripoli Post on 7 February.

Meanwhile, thousands of people remain in detention, individual lives and
communities continued to be threatened by unexploded devices, and many
families are still trying to find missing relatives, according to the
International Committee of the Red Cross.

Fredrick Nzwili

Fredrick Nzwili is a journalist and media consultant based in Nairobi, Kenya.

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