Years ago Dr. Jaballa Hasan and his family were just subjects to the powerful reign of Gadhafi, but after escaping his power with his family, and rebuilding a better life for them, Dr. Hasan has hopeful possibilities about the future of his country and the release of friends and relatives from a corrupt leader.Moammar Gadhafi, the leader of Libya, has been earning respect through fear and has ruled as a temperamental leader for almost 42 years. Eliminating anyone who objects to his word , he is one of the longest serving rulers in history.
“The people have been conditioned to a state of fear” said Hasan. Now , the Libyan people have decided to conquer that fear by using all man power to overturn Gadhafi.
Known for oppressing his own people and state sponsored terrorism, Gadhafi has once again resulted to killing his own. Today Libyan residents are calling on the U.S to save them from his way of governing.
As an activist for his country, Hasan spends significant time searching the internet for updates and was among over 200 participants in a Houston protest for Libya sparked by the want for freedom from this terror.
“I called 10 days ago and things are turning in their favor… it’s just a matter of time.” said Hasan.
Born and raised in Libya, Hasan was once amongst the ruling of Gadhafi and a victim of his ways. Seeking answers to Gaddafi’s questionable ruling and what built his hatred toward his people , Hasan studied other countries governing and began teaching in 1989.
As a professor at the University of Benghazi, he refused to teach the lessons of the Greenbook which held ideologies based on Gaddafi’s socialist and nationalist philosophies.
Earning several degrees including a Ph.D in Rhetorical Criticism and Political Communication Hasan found himself being watched by Gadhafi’s men and warned by his family.
“My family told me if I want to stay in this place .. I must keep my mouth shut.” said Hasan.
Under complete surveillance , Dr. Jaballa stopped teaching in 1990 and tried to maintain a low profile. After four years of being watched, Gaddafi’s tolerance ended and was seeking punishment for a potential threat to his power.
“April 7, 1996, I was arrested and put in solitary confinement for 5 days.” Hasan said.
Hasan was forced to stay in complete darkness and silence for he described as an eternity. Under no circumstance was he allowed to leave confinement and after Gadhafi felt he had enough he released Hasan from the mental anguish.
“No one can understand the psychological torture I endured every day, I was just lucky to get out,” said Hasan.
Soon after his release Hasan had to find a way to provide for his family. He opened a small store selling gum and tomato paste to make money . Even though they maintained for a while, Hasan grew weary of his family’s safety.
With the help of some relatives, the Hasan family escaped to Egypt.
Today, Dr. Hasan teaches Speech Communications at Texas Southern Univerisity and is very active in protecting, protesting, and preaching about his country and the help Libya needs from Gadhafi.
“This is the first time the United Nations and an Arab country have come under the UN umbrella to carry out the mission of the United Nations.” Hasan said. “Libya has been defended and freed by the UN before and history always repeats itself.”
