My Struggle with Developing a Deep and Certain World View on Human Rights

Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

The Libyan State Police recently launched a controversial campaign arresting young Libyans and suppressing their right to self-expression. They claim that those young Libyans are attempting to spread “false ideas” threatening Libyan social and Islamic values. They described those ideas as “feminism”, “queerness/LGBTQ”, “atheism & secularism”.

They stated they are determined to stop Libyan youth from becoming involved with “foreign organizations” that spread these false ideas in a dire attempt to “rescue” Libyan society.

I could’ve easily been among those arrested since everything I believe in is false and bad according the Libyan State Police, but luckily I am not. This means I get to express myself here on this page. And today, as a Libyan young woman who’s infested with “false ideas”, I’d like to share my complex journey to developing them, which I’d refer to as “progressive”.

First, I want to shed light on a fundamental clash between my world view and the Libyan State Police’s world view.

My world view can be described as progressive embracing diversity in identity, thought, and action. I value religious tolerance, the right to self-expression, and gender equality. I tend to be more secular than religious and I welcome progression in society…