Libyan Leader Mu’ammar Al-Qadhafi To Write Screenplay

Libyan leader Colonel Mu’ammar Al-Qadhafi has written the screenplay for a new Syrian television drama set to air next Ramadan. The series, which is said to provide a response to “media attacks on the Arab and Muslim worlds” was written by the ostentatious leader and adapted by a Syrian writer.

Syrian media sources say the series depicts a journey through the Mediterranean Sea, Europe, Iran and parts of Asia and addresses matters such as tyranny, dictatorship, the relationship between citizens and ruling institutions, and the strong ties between Muslims and Christians in the Arab world.

Dr. Aijaz Ilmi, a media analyst and owner of the Urdu daily Siyassat Jadid, said Qadhafi’s personal venture into show business was rare among regional leaders.

“A lot of key countries have invested in satellite channels, television and media news networks,” he told The Media Line. “But to be part of a system when you actually write something – this is the first of its kind.”

“Mu’ammar Al-Qadhafi is obviously preparing to hand over the reins of the system to his son and he needs to do something else,” Ilmi said. “This is something that people do post-retirement so this seems to be a signal that he’s getting out of the system.”

Al-Qadhafi has been in power since a 1969 coup, making him the longest standing leader in the Arab world.

Libya drew considerable international criticism in August when convicted terrorist Abd Al-Baset Megrahi, who was released from a Scottish prison on humanitarian grounds because of a terminal illness, received a huge welcome party in Libya.

Megrahi was convicted for involvement in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in which 270 people were killed.

Ilmi said he did not believe the timing of the television series was deliberate.

“I think [Qadhafi] got onto the media bandwagon much earlier, and Megrahi happened in the middle,” he noted. “This has been in the offing for more than 12-18 months, his pursuit of being a media persona or contributor to the media world.”

The new script is being adapted into a drama by Syrian writer Fadel Affash and will be produced by Syrian producer Ziyyad A-Rees.

There are plans to air it next Ramadan, around the summer of 2010. It has become customary to air new television shows during this month, when families set into their living rooms at the end of the day to break the traditional fast.

The media section at the Libyan embassy in London had no knowledge of the initiative.

Al-Qadhafi’s foray into television screenwriting is the first of its kind for an Arab leader but it is not the Libyan leader’s first attempt at writing.

He has written a compilation of stories, and his most well known treatise is the famous Green Book, first published in 1975, which outlines his political philosophy.

In the past he wrote a draft script entitled “Oppression: The Years of Torment” as the basis for a movie. The film is about a Libyan national hero, Omar Al-Mukhtar, and the suffering of the Libyan people during the Italian occupation.

Syrian producer Najdat Anzour began working on it in 2008 but it appears the project has been halted. There was speculation the movie might attract Hollywood stars such as Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Spacey, Ben Kingsley and Omar Sharif and would be filmed with a budget of more than $50 million, funded by the Libyan government.