Image Source: Flickr/Eng Rimawi 

BY NICK ADAMS

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

Libya will join nations like Egypt and Saudi Arabia in imposing Sharia Law as the new source of legislation in their country.  KGW and OPB have the latest.

“...many Libyans are still celebrating their new found freedom Sunday in Benghazi. Interim leader Abdul-Jalil addressed thousands and set out plans for a post-Qaddafi government with an Islamist foundation. We as a Muslim nation take sharia law as the basic source of law.”

It’s important to note that Jalil said Sharia Law would be the basis for the new government, not that it would be the sole form of governance. Like Egypt, Libya could be a secular state.

Still, the Financial Times reports this announcement shocked Libyans.  Abdul-Jalil (Ja-leel) wasn’t thought to have this sort of power as an Interim Leader.  While this could be a way to appease rebel fighters, women activists are not on board with the new legislation.  One activist says...

“Women were arrested, raped, victimised and abused in this war in every sense. They started this revolution. And suddenly they were now limited to wives, mothers and sisters. We thought it was a huge joke.”

Peter Worthington, co-founder of the Toronto Sun, speaks out in the Huffington Post, calling Sharia Law  a ‘new tyranny.’
 
“True democracy and Sharia law are irreconcilable, despite Jalil's assurances that Libya will be a "moderate" Islamic country.”

POLITICO notes, the U.S. government remains quiet on the news of Sharia law being instituted.  State Department Spokesperson, Victoria Nuland was...

“Pressed on whether this meant the administration had no objections to Libya’s new government using the Sharia law as a basis for the country’s legal system, Nuland responded: ‘The term has broad application and is understood differently.’”

But Fox News isn’t surprised. Political Analyst Kirsten Powers says the U.S. should have seen this coming.  

“There were conservatives and liberals along with the administration who were all getting caught up in what was going on and not really asking the questions of who’s going to take over.”