Muammar Gaddafi encouraged a policy.
Muammar Gaddafi . An Islamic modernist , he introduced sharia as the basis for the legal system and promoted `` Islamic socialism '' . In 1973 , he initiated a `` Popular Revolution '' with the formation of General People 's Committees , purported to be a system of direct democracy , but retained personal control over major decisions . In 1977 , Gaddafi transformed Libya into a new socialist state called the Jamahiriya ( `` state of the masses '' ) .