Colonel Gaddafi preaches Islam to 200 glamour girls
The Libyan leader paid the women to attend the bizarre meeting on the fringes of a global food summit in Rome where he subjected them to a solemn discourse on the role of Muslim women.
The models, who had been told they were attending a party, were recruited from an agency which hires out pretty young women to act as "hostesses" for conferences and conventions.
An advertisement placed by the Hostessweb agency read: "
Seeking attractive girls between 18 and 35 years old, at least 1.7 metres (5 foot, 7 inches) tall, well-dressed but not in miniskirts or low cut dresses." High heels and fur coats were allowed, but plunging necklines were out, the agency said.
The women were taken by buses to the Libyan ambassador's residence in a plush residential corner of the Italian capital
to await President Gaddafi, who arrived an hour late in a white stretch limousine.
They were security scanned and shown into a reception room where they were left waiting for the arrival of the Colonel, who sat on a sofa flanked by interpreters and a pair of his "Amazonian" female body guards.
Col Gaddafi then proceeded to preach the merits of Islam and encouraged them to convert.
Some were offended by what they considered anti-Christian aspects of his lecture, including a claim that Christ was not crucified but that "someone who looked like him" was substituted and put to death in his place.
"It was anything but the VIP party we were expecting, they didn't even give us a glass of water," one girl said.
At the end of the evening, they were each sent home with a tip of £53, a copy of the Koran and a booklet entitled "How to be a Muslim".
Col Gaddafi will invite another 200 young women to a similar encounter on Tuesday and a further 200 to a gathering on Wednesday said Libya's ambassador to Italy, Hafed Gaddur.
The Libyan leader often makes odd demands on his trips abroad – most commonly to pitch his Bedouin tent in a park in whichever city he is visiting.
He caused bemusement during a trip to Rome in June when he asked for, and was granted, a reception with 700 Italian women from the worlds of business, politics and the media.
The sober tone of the evening was in contrast to parties thrown by Mr Gaddafi's friend Silvio Berlusconi.
Prosecutors are investigating claims that at least 30 actresses and showgirls were paid around £900 each to attend the prime minister's soirées over a five month period last year, including a professional call girl.
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