Just how serious is Derna’s “Islamist problem”?
You can get a good signal from 100.2 Malta XFM on the approach to Derna, and on clear nights, the lights of nearby Crete can be seen twinkling in the distance.
But if some recent reports are to be believed, the extent of Europe’s influence on this small eastern Libyan town ends there. Derna, it is said, has an Islamist problem.
Upon arrival, there are few tangible signs of an Islamist presence. Many, if not the majority of men are clean-shaven or sporting designer beards, and clad in Western clothing. Amongst women, the burqa is almost nowhere to be seen. On the contrary, shop-window after shop-window is filled with the kind of slinky female attire that would have the hair of any good Salafist standing on end.
On the walls next to one of the main roundabouts into the town, a series of messages have been painted in English: “Yes to Pluralism”, one reads; “No to Extremism”, says another. “Libya is a Democracy”, shouts a third.
http://www.libyaherald.com/just-how-serious-is-dernas-islamist-problem/
