Royalty of Libya


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Posts reporting the [unconfirmed] death of former Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi have been moved to In The News in Members' Corner.
 
I can understand the Crown Prince wanting to return to his homeland, but I would venture a guess that it won't happen. I don't think a monarchy is what the people now in charge want. The a segment of the general population may want it, but not the people who are now in power, and they call the shots.
 
I think its a possibility that he would be welcomed back but I wouldn't see it as an immediate thing.
 
Does that mean that the Libyan Monarchy may took years to recover?
 
Does that mean that the Libyan Monarchy may took years to recover?
Are you sure Libya will remain united state under al-Senoussi monarchy? Unfortunately, the civil war is not over yet.
The sheikhs of tuareg tribes in Southern Libya claim they will have their own independent state under sharia laws, not al-Senoussi dynasty.
 
Are you sure Libya will remain united state under al-Senoussi monarchy? Unfortunately, the civil war is not over yet.
The sheikhs of tuareg tribes in Southern Libya claim they will have their own independent state under sharia laws, not al-Senoussi dynasty.

I see. Thanks for the trivia.
 
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Libya’s exiled prince’ hails ‘new chapter’ for Libya
20 Oct 2011

Muhammad al-Senussi, the heir apparent in Libya’s overthrown monarchy, said the death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi on Thursday was a victory for peace, freedom and reform in his homeland.

Speaking from exile in London, the crown prince said a new chapter had begun in Libya’s history.

“The flag of freedom is now flying in Sirte and across Libya on this historic day,” he said, hailing the unity that helped “rid the country of evil”.


Full article: Vanguard
 
Yes, very true indeed. Is Muammar Gaddafi the one who abolished the Libyan Monarchy?
 
I'd be rather surprised if the Prince showed much further interest in going back to Libya.
 
HH Princess Alia Idris Al-Senussi (born 1983)

Art lover and exile: Libyan princess Alia al Senussi
HH Princess Alia Idris Al-Senussi was born in Washington DC to a Libyan father and American mother and moved shortly thereafter to Cairo, Egypt. Princess Alia’s father is a member of the Al Senussi family, who were exiled from Libya in 1969 when General Moammar Gaddhafi seized the throne in a coup d’etat and made himself Leader of the Libyan Jamaharriyah.
Princess Alia’s grandfather, HRH Prince Abdallah Abed Al-Senussi, was a political leader in the government under King Idris.

Alia al Senussi – text
Artful Princess Has Plans for Libya | Evening Standard

**Pic** - portrait of Princess Alia
 
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Libyan 'heir to the throne' returns home - Telegraph
A prince who claims to be heir to the throne of Libya has set foot on his country's soil for the first time since the monarchy was overthrown in 1969.
Prince Idris al-Senussi left a “humiliating” existence in Italy and flew home using a passport of royal vintage, issued during the reign of his late relative, King Idris. He landed in a country where the green, red and black national flag dating from the era when Libya was a monarchy is flying once again.
[...]
He spent his first day in Libya visiting the palace where the royal household lived until they were overthrown by Gaddafi and driven out of the country in 1969. Prince Idris, then only 12, eventually became an Italian citizen and a tenacious opponent of Gaddafi’s regime. In 1991, he was accused of organising a failed bid to kill the “Brother Leader”, who retaliated by placing him on a death list.

But Prince Idris said his homecoming had no political significance and he would not be campaigning for the restoration of the monarchy. “I’m not making any political statement. I’m going to visit friends, relatives and to bring my children to see their country,” he said. “I want to participate in building democratic civil society.”
[...]
Unlike King Charles II, who moved into Hampton Court straight after the Restoration of 1660, Prince Idris has nowhere to live in his homeland. The old palace now belongs to the government and he has no intention of asking for it to be given back to the Senussi family. “This is not the time to talk about these things. First we must see a stable Libya,” he said.
Prince Idris, 54, chose to spend his first night in a hotel, accompanied by his daughter, Princess Alia, and son, Prince Khalid.
 
I think the very recent autonomy announced in Benghazi for Cyrenaica in the east of Libya is extremely interesting, and worth watching closely for Monarchists interested in The al-Senussi Dynasty and Libyan Monarchy.
It is worth noting that The Libyan Royal Family were originally Emirs in Cyrenaica!
When the Libyan anti-Gaddafi demos and uprising started in places like Benghazi and Al-Badya in Cyrenaica, many pictures of King Muhammad Idris al-Senussi were seen being held up by people in the crowds, along with the flags of the Kingdom and Monarchy!

The leader of Benghazi NTC National Transitional Council, and now new Cyrenaica Autonomy Council leader is Ahmed Al-Zubair El-Sharif (Prince) al-Senussi,a Great-nephew of HM King Idris and a cousin or 2nd cousin to the Crown Prince, Muhammad al-Hasan al-Rida al-Senussi. His Grand-Father was a leading al-Senussi Sheikh (Ahmed al-Senussi) in Cyrenaica and the father of HM Queen Fatima al-Senussi, the wife of King Idris.

Ahmed Al-Zubair was imprisoned (tortured and held for many years in solitary confinement) by Gaddafi regime for 31yrs, only released in 2001, making him the longest serving political and Royal prisoner in Libya under Gaddafi.

This is a very interesting development, and makes Cyrenaica and Libya a very fluid situation and extremely interesting place for Monarchists and Royal watchers alike! Could this be a sign of the return of Emirs of Cyrenaica, or even the Monarchy and King?
 
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Cyrenaica and al-Senussi Dynasty.

There are some interesting very up-to-date recent News articles on the ongoing situation of recent autonomy declaration in Cyrenaica (Eastern Libya region), and the new autonomy council"s leader HH Ahmed Al-Zubair El-Sharif (Prince) al-Senussi, and general background on The Emirate of Cyrenaica, United Kingdom of Libya, and The al-Senussi Dynasty.

News articles on Al-Jazeera News website, and BBC News website.

Wikipedia also have some very interesting links and pages on The al-Senussi Dynasty, HM King Idris, and other al-Senussi relatives - including the Crown Prince HRH Muhammad al-Hasan al-Rida al-Senussi, and Cyrenaica Autonomy Council leader Ahmed Al-Zubair al-Senussi.
 
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Mohammed v. Idris

It seems there are deliberate moves being made now by at least three members of the Senussi dynasty to achieve a royal restoration.

1) Mohammed al-Rida bin Sayyid Hassan (b.1962) - the legitimate pretender - remains in Mayfair (London) is exercising great restraint about what he says in public regarding political developments in his homeland, is paying for the best advice money can buy (Bell Pottinger) and seems to be playing the dignified long game by presenting himself as someone suitable to be a constitutional monarch.

2) Idris bin Abdullah (b.1957) - the usurper - evidently believes (a) that if you keep repeating a lie people will start believing it and (b) possession is nine-tenths of the law. With those two basic principles in mind he has appeared on as many television programmes as possible and in December flew from Italy to Tripoli with his children and upon arrival immediately attempted to take possession of the former royal palace. The authorities did not allow it and forced him to stay at a local hotel instead. He may still be in Libya, he may not.

3) Ahmad al-Zubayr - the long sufferer - poor old Ahmad (b.1934 or 1933) is the only one of the three not to have lived most of his life in exile but remained in Libya throughout the Gadaffi regime and spent much of it in prison where he was horribly tortured. He is the only one of the three Senussi's to occupy any executive office and command any loyalty among soldiers on the ground - in his case Ahmad is the Chairman of the Cyrenaica Transitional Council.

The key question is this - is Ahmad al-Zubayr (3) preparing the ground in Benghazi for a restoration of Mohammed al-Rida (1) or for Idris bin Abdullah (2) or for himself?

The genealogical tables at Royal Ark show all three of the aforementioned Senussi's to be THIRD COUSINS. Mohammed al-Rida is the great nephew of the last king of Libya (being the grandson of the last king's younger brother) while Idris and Ahmad are the late king's first cousins twice removed. Using patrilinear succession principles Mohammed al-Rida is the most senior claimant, followed by Ahmad al-Zubayr (3) and lastly by Idris bin Abdullah (2) who has the weakest claim (but is making the most noise).

To try to resolve some of the confusion about who is who in the Libyan Royal Family it is important to know that all Libyan royals are descended from Sayyid Muhammad bin 'Ali al-Sanussi al-Khattabi al-Mujahiri al-Idrisi al-Hasani, 1st Grand Senussi (1787-1859).

Both the late King Idris (deposed by Gadaffi in 1969) and the legitimate pretender Crown Prince Mohammed (1) are both descended from the 1st Grand Senussi's second son - Mohammed al-Mahdi.

Ahmad al-Zubayr (3) and Idris bin Abdullah (2) are both descended from the third son of the 1st Grand Senussi - Mohammed as-Sharif.

Ahmad al-Zubayr (3) is descended from the eldest son of Mohammed as-Sharif while Idris bin Abdullah (2) is descended from his second son.

What could happen next?

There is chatter on pro-Gadaffi websites which report "gun battles" recently (March 2012) in Benghazi - the capital of Cyrenaica - between "separatists" supporting Ahmad al-Zubayr (2) and "tribal fighters supporting Libyan unity." The same websites allege that Ahmad al-Zubayr is a "western puppet"... if such websites are correct and given the weakness of the Libyan state it is possible that a scenario could occur whereby Cyrenaica expels pro-unity fighters and then unilaterally declares independence before inviting Crown Prince Mohammed to return and rule as the Emir. I would, however, be surprised if Crown Prince Mohammed accepted such an offer (a new country here is unlikely to be given diplomatic recognition) and am inclined to the view that these moves led by a Ahmad al-Zubayr are designed to pressurise the central authorities and compel the Transitional National Council in Tripoli to propose another Senussi (perhaps Crown Prince Mohammed) as a compromise Libyan head of state to placate Cyrenaica and thereby maintain Libyan national unity.
 
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Cyrenaica and Libyan Royalty.

Does anyone know any update news or the current situation re the Autonomy of Cyrenaica and Prince Ahmed Zubair al-Senussi, and the official position of the Crown Prince on this situation?
 
Zeidan calls on Congress to rehabilitate the royal family | Libya Herald

"The Prime Minister has asked the General National Congress pass a law recognising the historic role King Idris played in the creation of Libya and to repeal Qaddafi’s laws against the royal family. These, said Ali Zeidan in a letter to the GNC President Nuri Abu Sahmain, included death sentences against members of the family as well the confiscation of their property and stripping them of Libyan nationality.

It was time, Zeidan said, that Libyans recognised, and let the world know, the wrongs done to the royal family by Qaddafi as well as that King Idris had been the leader of the struggle for Libyan independence. He had been eager to build a modern state, Zeidan said. He should be recognised by Libya as its founder.

The proposed law to Congress submitted by the Prime Minister contains three clauses. The first states that the role and positions of the late king, Queen Fatima, Crown Prince Hassan and his family are of historic value. The second states that “all wrongs created by the tyrant Qaddafi” against the king and the royal family be declared “null and void”; the third, that Congress ensures the above decisions are implemented.

King Idris, born in 1889 at Jaghbub in south eastern Libya, was head of the Senussi movement and family that led the opposition to the Italians during the colonial period. His abdication announcement in August 1969 in favour of his nephew, the Crown Prince, due to have come into effect on 2 September, prompted Qaddafi’s coup a day earlier. A frugal man, he died in Cairo in 1983 and was buried at Medina in Saudi Arabia. Queen Fatima died in 2009 and was likewise buried in Medina.

Qaddafi’s hatred of the Senussis was such that the Crown Prince and his family were forced to live in a Tripoli beach cabin for four years before finally being allowed to go for medical treatment in 1988 to London where he died in 1992. Crown Prince Hassan’s eldest son is Prince Mohamed Al-Rida.

The properties owned by the royal family were not many, and were mainly in Tobruk, although the British Residence near the Foreign Ministry in Tripoli’s Zawiat Al-Dahmani was owned by Queen Fatima. The King’s Palace in Tripoli along with the Crown Prince’s Palace, now the Egyptian Ambassador’s residence, and the royal farm at Swani were state property rather than privately owned.
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The Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdelaziz speaks about a possible restoration of Monarchy as a solution for the nowadays situation:

Osservatorio Italiano - Libia - Abdelaziz: Ritorno della monarchia in Libia come soluzione al caos

'' The return of the monarchy al-Senoussi is on its way. This is one of the alternatives currently presented with great conviction on the scene in Libya. This return is a solution to restore security and stability,'' said Mohamed Abdelaziz, the Libyan Foreign Minister..."
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It needs to be remembered also that, in a wave of Arab nationalism, as well as King Idris in Libya in 1969, other North African monarchies were swept away also within a few years: Habib Bourguiba overthrew the King of Tunisia in the 50s and - the most famous example of all - King Farouk of Egypt was overthrown and replaced as titular King by infant son Fuad at the instigation of the military in 1952 and subsequently Fuad was replaced by a Presidency, with Nasser - Colonel Khaddafi's mentor.
 
Libyans debate monarchy return | Magharebia

Libya “rehabilitates” royal family overthrown by Gaddafi « ASHARQ AL-AWSAT
6 March 2014
Libya “rehabilitates” royal family overthrown by Gaddafi

The Libyan Transitional Government announced on Wednesday its decision to officially “rehabilitate” the family of Libya’s last monarch, the late King Idris Al-Senussi.

The Libyan government’s decree restores the citizenship of Senussi’s relatives and paves the way for the return of his confiscated property to his family. The decision comes after Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan submitted a draft law to the General National Congress one month ago repealing the Gaddafi-era law that officially exiled the royal family.
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Post WWII Overthrown Arab Monarchies

Egypt - 1952 (King Farouk) and 1953 (King Fuad II)
Tunisia - 1957 (Muhammad VIII al-Amin, Bey of Tunis, King of Tunisia)
Iraq - 1958 (King Faisal II assassinated)
Yemen - 1962 (King Muhammad XI)
Zanzibar - 1964 (Sultan Sir Jamshid bin Abdullah)
South Yemen - 1967 (13 Sultanates, 11 Sheikhdoms and 2 Emirates incorporated into the People's Republic)
Socotra - 1967 (Sultan Issa of the Mahra Sultanate)
Libya - 1969 (King Idris)
 
From the NY Times - A Radical Idea to Rebuild a Shattered Libya: Restore the Monarchy

The deserted royal palace here, hidden behind locked gates and an overgrown garden, stands as a monument to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s virulent rejection of Libya’s monarchy.

Colonel Qaddafi overthrew King Idris, the country’s founding leader, in a 1969 coup, but that was not all. He also abolished the monarchy; scrapped the royal flag; banished or jailed the king’s relatives; and turned the gold-domed palace into office space, a library, and after 2009, a lavish private museum for classical antiquities.

Yet the popular memory of King Idris, who died in Cairo in 1983, has quietly endured in Libya. And now, after Colonel Qaddafi’s own fall and the years of violent turmoil that have followed, the country’s closet royalists have emerged with a radical suggestion: Restore a form of monarchy, at least temporarily, to let Libyans rally behind a respected father figure and begin to rebuild their splintered nation.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/25/w...hattered-libya-restore-the-monarchy.html?_r=0
 
But can they sell the US government on it? Many of these Arab spring countries see returning the monarchy positively. The have never had US democracy and often envision a more democratic version of what they had before as the alternative to what replaced it. Constitutional monarchies were successful in Spain and Cambodia after dictatorships ended and could work in these places too.
 
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