Jewish-Muslim Relations in Libya · 175Legal discrimination resumed in post-1952 independent Libya when
the legal status of the Jews became de facto inferior to that of the Muslim
majority. Although the Libyan constitution accorded all those born in
Libya, who did not hold foreign citizenship, eligibility for Libyan citizen-
ship, in fact most Jews, contrary to Muslims, did not receive it. Only a
few Jews became Libyan citizens and received Libyan passports; the rest
were deprived of political rights, and when they wanted to travel abroad,
from 1954 they received a one-time laissez passer. Moreover, since 1953,
passports and later also the laissez passer of Jews were marked “YL” and
a sequential number, clearly indicating that their bearers were Libyan
Jews.^6
Administration and Judiciary
Following the nineteenth-century Ottoman reforms, the principle of
equality of all subjects before the law was applied to the Jews as was the
integration of all sectors of the population in the administration and the
judiciary. Council members in Libya were appointed according to a reli-
gious-based scheme, but no elections took place within the Jewish com-
munity or the population at large. Community notables were appointed
to the provincial and regional administrative councils, to the town and
local councils, and to the judicial councils.^7 Jewish representation, how-
ever, did not reflect their relative size within the population. It should be
remembered that only Ottoman Jews, many of whom were the less politi-
cally and economically active members of the community, could be ap-
pointed to these bodies. Moreover, one had to be a male property owner
in order to be eligible for appointment. Still, their opinion was heard and
at times it even influenced the final decision. The councils also took into
consideration the religious restrictions of the Jews, and as a result Jews
did not have to participate in meetings that took place on the Sabbath and
on Jewish holidays. Jews also had some influence on the authorities as
a result of the political inclinations of the governors: occasionally, some
governors who favored liberal reforms used to consult secretly with com-
munal leaders and foreign Jews.^8
The inclusion of Jews in the various administrative and judiciary bod-
ies continued under Italian rule, but they were now subject to Italians and
not to Muslims. One area in which the Muslims had a sizeable represen-
tation from the 1930s was the military, which included many Muslims in