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In The Green Book, Part III: The Social
Basis of the Third Universal Theory, published in 1980,
Colonel Muammar Al Qathafi reiterates and elaborates his view of
nationalism and briefly discusses a few other subjects. He
argues that whereas Marx maintained that class struggle is the
crucial variable accounting for change, it is nationalism that
is "the real constant dynamic force of history." He draws a
sharp distinction between a state and a nation or nation-state.
A state "embraces several nationalisms," and sooner or later
will disintegrate as various national movements clamor for
independence or self-determination. A nation-state consists of a
group of people with a prolonged shared history, a common
heritage, and "a sense of belonging to a common destiny."
Ideally, "Each nation should have one religion," The leader of
the revolution writes, to avoid the potential for conflicts. He
believes that national unity is threatened by the resurgence of
tribal or sectarian identities. The leader of the revolution
points to the Lebanese civil war as an illustration of the
triumph of sectarianism over nationalism.
Part III of The Green Book also contains a
discussion of such topics as the role of women, minorities, and
education. "There is no difference in human rights between men
and women," The leader of the revolution declares. But a woman
has "a natural role" that is different from the male's, namely
motherhood. Children should be raised by their mothers, not sent
to nurseries. Furthermore, a woman, who "is created beautiful
and gentle," should not be forced by economic necessity or by a
misguided call for equality to do a man's work, such as
"carrying heavy weights."
With regard to minorities, the leader of the
revolution distinguishes between two types; One type belongs to
a nation that provides it with a social framework, but also
threatens to encroach on its social rights; the other type has
no nation, forms its own social framework, and is destined
eventually to constitute a nation by virtue of a sense of
solidarity.
The leader of the revolution also gives his
radical views of education. The leader of the revolution
condemns formal education as "an act of dictatorship destructive
to freedom because it deprives people of their free choice,
creativity, and brilliance." He proposes that "all methods of
education prevailing in the world should be destroyed" and
replaced with a system where "knowledge about everything is
available to each person in the manner that suits them." |