Baby Snatchers

It wasn’t long after Emma was born that I realized life with a child was going to be a lot easier in Libya than it would have been in the UK.


I think this realization came on the first day Sue and I went shopping with Emma in a stroller. Mustafa was with us and was pushing the stroller. When we decided to go into one of the shops, Mustafa parked the stroller outside and started to come into the store with us.

“You can’t leave the baby outside in the stroller,” Sue said.

Mustafa looked puzzled. “Why not?”

“Someone might steal her.”

Mustafa couldn't stop laughing. “Steal a baby? Who would steal a baby?”

We explained that people often steal babies in western countries.

Mustafa replied, “But this is Libya. Everyone has lots of children here. Too many children. So nobody is going to steal the baby. In fact, the only danger is that when we come out of the store, there will be two babies in the stroller.”