Did you know William Wallace Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s third son, became the Great Freedom Fighter, Omar al Mukhtar, who fought against the Italian Military Invasion of Libya from 1911 until his arrest and execution in 1931?
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The Full Story
William Wallace Lincoln
William Wallace Lincoln was born on December 21, 1850 in Springfield, Illinois, USA and is the son of Ibrahim Khaleel Kahlooni (Abraham Lincoln) and Mary Todd Lincoln.
He was sent to Libya at the age of 13.
His name and identity were changed to Omar al-Mukhtar and he was raised by the Sanussi Royal Family of Libya.
William lived in Libya for the rest of his life, married and had children.
Lion of the Desert
Omar (William) received his early education at the local mosque, before continuing his studies for eight years at the Senussi university in Jaghbub.
Beginning in 1911, he organized and, for nearly twenty years, led the Libyan resistance movement against the Italian colonial empire during the First and Second Italo-Senussi Wars.
Mukhtar was skilled in the strategies and tactics of desert warfare. He knew local geography well and used that knowledge to advantage in battles against the Italians, who were unaccustomed to desert warfare. Mukhtar repeatedly led his small, highly alert groups in successful attacks against the Italians, after which they would fade back into the desert terrain.
Capture and execution
After many attempts, the Italian Armed Forces managed to capture Al-Mukhtar near Slonta in 1931.
After a three-day trial he was sentenced to death, to which he responded, "From God we came and to God we must return".
Omar Mukhtar was brought to the gallows on September the 16th 1931 and hung in the presence of 20,000 people who had gathered to witness the great leader's death.
In his final moments, as he stood before large multitudes of his people, Sheikh Omar al-Mukhtar recited following verses:
“[And it shall be said onto the righteous soul after death] Oh Tranquil soul, return (home) towards your Lord well-pleased and well-pleasing to Him. Thereafter enter amongst My (righteous) Servants and enter into My Paradise”
[Surah Al-Fajr, Chapter 89, Verses 27-30]
Omar became a prominent figure of the Senussi movement, considered the national hero of Libya and a symbol of resistance against overwhelming odds.
Mass execution of his followers
On September 17, 1931, the day after his execution, the Italians committed one of the greatest crimes against humanity, killing thousands of his followers which equated pure genocide.
William Wallace Lincoln/Omar Mukhtar is considered to this day the father and symbol of all freedom fighters around the world.
William Wallace Lincoln, a.k.a. Omar al-Mukhtar, (c. 1859–1860), son of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln.
Omar al-Mukhtar, a.k.a. William Wallace Lincoln, "the Lion of the Desert", was the leader of native resistance in Cyrenaica, currently Eastern Libya under the Senussids, against the Italian colonization of Libya.
Clearest known (colorized) photo of freedom fighter Omar al-Mukhtar / William Wallace Lincoln.
Omar Mukhtar photographed with Libyan Senussi fighters.
Omar al-Mukhtar being taken away after his arrest by the Italian armed forces in 1931. Mukhtar was executed in a public hanging shortly afterward.
Final Scene from Lion of the Desert starring Anthony Quinn, which depicted the life and death of Omar al-Mukhtar.
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