Noman Benotman

Who is Noman Benotman?

Noman Benotman former head of the Libyan militant organization known as the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. Benotman has been active in reforming his former terrorist comrades in prison, attempting to persuade them to renounce violence. He wrote an open letter to Osama bin Laden in 2010 repudiating al-Qaeda's use of violence, and calling on bin Laden to unilaterally halt all attacks. He is also a Senior Analyst at Quilliam, a British-government-funded Middle East focused think tank.

Noman Benotman has lived a hard life living in exile overseas during the Qaddafi‘s regime of 42 years of power hold on Libya. Noman comes from a wealthy Tripolitania family that suffered under the past regime, Qaddafi confiscated many properties like land, houses, factories and buildings belonging to Noman’s father and many other well known Libyan families that also lived a harsh life under the Qaddafi regime.

During the 80’s the beginning of Gaddafi’s oppression on many Libyans, Noman fled Libya and decided to join the Jihad call to take up arms during the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan, he fought for an Islamic cause and made many friends in his teenaged life. After several years of fighting Communists Russia that invaded Afghanistan the Jihad was a victory to all Muslims, Russia withdraws its troops from Afghanistan.