Help Wanted: Bodyguard

Another "help wanted" post seemed fitting right before Labor Day weekend; this one instigated by Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi's return to the headlines. Besides the many horrid things one inevitably associates with such a despot, his return to the spotlight also brings to mind his elite female corps of bodyguards.

I do not regard the man they protect, but I do admire these women greatly. Anyone thinking his female bodyguards are mere ornaments for the dictator thinks incorrectly. They have saved their charge's paltry hide more than once, sometimes sacrificing their life to do so.

I haven't yet seen Rania Ajami's documentary Shadows of a Leader: Qaddafi's Female Bodyguards, but I plan to do so soon. Meanwhile, we can expect glimpses of these exceptional women when they accompany Qaddafi on his trip to New York later this month.