Tobruk , Libya ( CNN ) -- Like everyone else , Aisha Ahmad watched the riveting drama unfold in a Tripoli hotel as a desperate woman burst into a dining room filled with journalists , sobbing , screaming , wanting the world to know she had been raped by 15 of Moammar Gadhafi 's militia men . The arresting images of how swiftly the woman , Eman al-Obeidy , 29 , and the journalists were stifled stirred viewers around the world . But perhaps none more so than Ahmad . This was her daughter . And she was enraged . Just weeks before , Ahmad might have wept in silence . But now , with war engulfing Libya and its future hanging in the balance , Ahmad feared Gadhafi no more . `` If I were to see his face , I would strangle him , '' she told CNN in an interview at her modest home in the eastern coastal city of Tobruk . This is where she raised her 10 children with her husband , a retired customs agent . As a little girl , al-Obeidy looked out over the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean , calling on the oil tankers to carry her away to France . She loved languages , most of all French . Ahmad recalled her daughter wanting always to be a journalist , but , discouraged by the lack of press freedoms under Gadhafi , she opted instead to study law in Tripoli and make a better life . She was living with her sister when she was , as she claimed , held against her will for two days , beaten and raped . Ahmad said she believes her daughter 's every word , despite attempts by the Gadhafi regime to discredit her . The Libyan government first said al-Obeidy was mentally ill and drunk . They called her a prostitute . Later , it changed its story and said al-Obeidy was sane enough to withstand legal proceedings . Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said the men accused of raping al-Obeidy are being investigated , but the suspects , in turn , have filed counter-charges for slander . The attempt to discredit al-Obeidy as a promiscuous , un-Islamic woman ties into the idea of sexual shaming in a conservative Muslim society where it 's commonly believed that a woman who has been raped has lost her honor , said Mona Eltahawy , a columnist on Arab and Muslim issues . For a woman in such a society to come forward to claim she has been raped is no small thing . `` No one would do that unless they were raped , and especially in a conservative society , '' Eltawhy told CNN . Al-Obeidy 's act ended up being as significant as the discontented fruit vendor in Tunisia who set himself afire and sparked revolt in the entire region , Eltawhy said . The way al-Obeidy spoke out was unprecedented and she has already been hailed a hero on social networking sites . Ahmad said she received a call Sunday from a man who offered her a bribe to reject al-Obeidy 's claims and persuade her daughter to change her tale . Ahmad refused . She stands by her daughter , she said . So does her entire family and tribe . To show their support , the family held an in-absentia engagement ceremony for al-Obeidy at a mosque in Tobruk Monday . No one here thinks she has lost her honor . The government said al-Obeidy was freed but she has not been seen publicly since she was dragged away by security men and bundled into a waiting white car outside the Rixos Hotel Saturday . Ahmad has not heard from her daughter and challenged Gadhafi to air video of her on state television as proof of her well-being . Ahmad said she was also worried about her other daughter . No one has apparently seen her either since Saturday . A group of lawyers and human rights activists tried to approach al-Obeidy 's sister 's house Monday , but were blocked by security forces . The sister 's mobile phone has apparently been turned off , a source with the opposition in Tripoli told CNN . Al-Obeidy 's story raced around the world after she stormed into the Rixos Hotel as international journalists were having breakfast Saturday morning . Her face was bruised . So were her legs . She showed reporters blood on her right inner thigh . She said she had been held against her will for two days and raped by 15 men . Her visible injuries appeared to support her claims , but CNN could not independently verify al-Obeidy 's story . `` Look at what Gadhafi 's brigades did to me , '' she said . `` My honor was violated by them . '' Al-Obeidy displayed what appeared to be rope burns on her wrists and ankles . Government officials tried to subdue her , but she persisted . Even a member of the hotel 's kitchen staff drew a knife . `` Traitor ! '' he shouted . Another staffer tried to throw a dark tablecloth over her head . One government official , who was there to facilitate access for journalists , pulled a pistol from his belt . Others scuffled with reporters and wrestled them to the ground in an attempt to take away their equipment . Some journalists were beaten and kicked . CNN 's camera was confiscated and smashed beyond repair . As security forces dragged her away , al-Obeidy warned : `` If you do n't see me tomorrow , then that 's it . '' Ahmad said she has not been able to stop crying . She has n't slept or eaten . She sees only her daughter 's distress shared so publicly at a pivotal moment of her nation 's history . CNN 's Nic Robertson and Khalil Abdallah contributed to this report .
Eman al-Obeidy 's mother says she could strangle Gadhafi for her daughter 's mistreatment . The Libyan government tries to discredit her as un-Islamic . Score: 7 It 's no small thing for a woman to claim rape in a conservative Muslim society , analyst says .