"People of Libya! In response to your own will, fulfilling your most
heartfelt wishes, answering your incessant demands for change and
regeneration and your longing to strive towards these ends;
listening to your incitement to rebel, your armed forces have
undertaken the overthrow of the reactionary
and corrupt regime, the stench of which has sickened and
horrified us all. At a single blow your gallant army has toppled these
idols and has destroyed their images. By a single stroke it has lightened
the long dark night in which the Turkish domination was followed first by
Italian rule, then by this reactionary and decadent regime, which was no
more than a hot-bed of extortion, faction, treachery and treason.
"From this day forward, Libya is a free, self-governing republic. She
will adopt the name of The Libyan Arab Republic and will, by the grace of
God, begin her task. She will advance on the road to freedom, the path of
unity and social justice, guaranteeing equality to all her citizens and
throwing wide in front of them the gates of honest employment, where
injustice and exploitation will be banished, where no one will count himself
master or servant, and where all will be free, brothers within a society in
which, with God's help, prosperity and equality will be seen to rule us all.
"Give us your hands. Open up your hearts to us. Forget past
misfortunes, and, as one people, prepare to face the enemies of Islam, the
enemies of humanity, those who have burned our sanctuaries and mocked at our
honour. Thus shall we re-build our glory, we shall resurrect our heritage,
we shall avenge our wounded dignity, and restore the rights which have been
wrested from us.
"You who have witnessed the sacred struggle of our hero, Omar al-
Mukhtar, for Libya, Arabism and Islam ... You who have fought at the side
of Ahmed al-Sherif for a true ideal; you, sons of the desert and of our
ancient cities, of our green country side, and of our lovely villages, --
onwards! For we have work to do! And the hour is come!
"On this occasion I have pleasure in assuring all our foreign friends
that they need have no fears either for their property or for their safety;
they are under the protection of our armed forces. And I would add,
moreover, that our enterprise is in no sense directed against any state
whatever, nor against international agreements or recognised international
law. This is a purely internal affair concerning Libya and her problems
alone.
"Forward, then, and may peace be with you."
