Episode 2: A Filmmaker, a Pastor and an Egyptian TV Host . . .

Two days before the attack on the Benghazi Mission, Ambassador Stevens met with leaders of Libya’s most significant militia leaders. In this exchange, Mohamed al-Gharabi, leader of the Rafallah al-Sehati Brigade advised Stevens that Benghazi was not safe for Americans, and later recalled, “I specifically told the Americans myself that we hoped that they would leave Benghazi as soon as possible.” This seemed contrary to some other sentiments expressed in the meeting, however, as the militiamen expressed their desires to create a relationship with the United States, more specifically, they asked for local additions of McDonald’s and KFC.

In order to fully grasp the climate in Libya surrounding the Benghazi attack, we also need to consider the after-effects of the Arab Spring uprisings in 2010-2011. Over the course of this very short period, there were widespread anti-government and pro-democracy movements, resulting in the unseating of autocratic leaders in some cases and bloody conflict in others. In the wake of the Arab Spring, fledgling democracies are unstable and their people are restless. In many places, it has resulted in economic collapse, dysfunctional politics, and the rise of political Islam. In the wake of the Arab Spring, countries like Egypt and Libya are experiencing deep-seated unrest and political powers such as al-Qaeda are vying for control.

Enter Innocence of Muslims, an inflammatory film which crudely depicts the life of the Prophet Muhammed, painting the prophet as a killer, liar, and child-molesting pervert. The video is also offensive to many because it depicts Muhammad; Islamic traditions forbid depictions of the prophet. Created by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula who goes by the pseudonym Sam Bacile, the film gained very little attention after Bacile first posted it on YouTube in July 2012, until it caught the interest of Egyptian-American Coptic Christian Morris Sadek and pastor Terry Jones in Gainesville, FL, both of whom are known for their fiery anti-Islamic sentiments. Jones boosted the video online, adding his own inflammatory videos alongside it. It wasn’t long before the film became the focus of TV host Sheik Khaled Abdallah of the Islamist satellite-TV station al-Nas in Egypt who is known to be extremely hateful and critical, especially of Coptic Christians.

Abdallah featured clips of Innocence of Muslims on his show, catching the attention of fundamentalist Islamic Salafists. The Salafists, a strong parliamentary power in Egypt, had already been protesting outside of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, demanding the release of a sheik imprisoned in North Carolina for plotting a number of assassinations and bombings in the 1990’s. Inflamed by the video clips shown on Abdallah’s show, the protests increased in size and veracity. A CNN producer who was present at the embassy on September 11, 2012 witnessed several men from the crowd scaling the walls of the U.S. embassy and remove the American flag.

Not far away, in Benghazi, many news outlets reported that the video had sparked protests outside of the U.S. consulate, though not directly outside because the roads had been blocked off. Many sources speculated that the crowds had been infiltrated by a number of al-Qaeda and jihadist groups, but would later come to learn that the attack on Benghazi was a little more organized and premeditated.

The American forces in Libya are not unfamiliar with protest, however. U.S. intervention in Libya began during the Arab Spring when Libyans were demanding the resignation of Muammar Qadhafi in January of 2011. Ambassador Stevens arrived in Libya in April of that year and would stay to see the civil war end four months later in August. His sole purpose was to establish a connection with the oppositional forces seeking to overthrow Qadhafi’s government. Because of an Obama administration policy which required “no boots on the ground,” Stevens was provided with no military support and no clear protocol or security plan.

After assisting the oppositional forces in successfully ousting Qadhafi, Stevens and Secretary Clinton discussed a plan to establish the Benghazi Mission as a permanent post in Libya, which became Stevens’ primary goal in Libya at the time of the September 11 attack.

Works Cited

Ghosh, Bobby, et al. “Flash Point. (Cover Story).” Time, vol. 180, no. 13, 24 Sept. 2012, pp. 28-34. EBSCOhost, 0-search.ebscohost.com.sophia.agnesscott.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=fth&AN=80126806&site=eds-live.

Hudson, John. “The Egyptian Outrage Peddler Who Sent an Anti-Islam Youtube Clip Viral.” The Atlantic. Sep 13, 2012, https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/09/egyptian-outrage-peddler-who-sent-anti-islam-youtube-clip-viral/323660/.

“Report of the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi.” U.S. House of Representatives. Select Committee on Benghazi. Dec 7, 2016, http://benghazi.house.gov/NewInfo.

Staff, CNN Wire. “Protester attack U.S. diplomatic compounds in Egypt, Libya.” CNN. Sept 12, 2012, http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/11/world/meast/egpyt-us-embassy-protests/.

“The Arab Spring, five years on.” The Economist. n.d. http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2016/01/daily-chart-8.