Women in Muslim countries are no better off than a piece of furniture that can be discarded at will, Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi told an audience of Italian women on Friday.
''In Arab and Muslim countries women are like pieces of furniture that can be discarded at will and no one will ask for explanations,'' Gaddafi said in his address to 1,000 women from all walks of Italian life and led by Equal Rights Minister Mara Carfagna.
The Libyan leader, who is on the last day of a three-day visit to Italy, said ''the world needs a female revolution that will emerge from a cultural revolution''.
He urged the audience to read 20th century writer Matilde Serao, saying she was ''one of the really great Italian women who left us more than 40 books''.
Serao (1856 - 1927) was a Greek-born Italian journalist and novelist who founded. She was the founder and editor of two newspapers Il Mattino, which is still one of the most widely read dailies in southern Italy.
Gaddafi also listed Tunisian-born Italian actress Claudia Cardinale as another example of inspiring women.
He urged Italians to return to family values, saying that if the current trend of opting for fewer children continues the Italian family might disappear by 2050.
He then invited Italian women to visit his country, saying: ''you will always be welcomed''.
