A group of party girls got more than they bargained for when they were recruited to attend a posh do in Rome on Sunday night.

Instead of canapés and cocktails, the 200 young women found themselves being encouraged to become Muslims.

It turned out the host was Libya’s leader, Col Muammar Gaddafi, in town for the UN food summit.

Col Gaddafi proceeded to preach the benefits of Islam, taking particular pains to assure his guests that it was not misogynistic, and encouraging them to convert.

Two hours later, the women left, looking a touch bemused, 50 euros ($75; £45) better off and clutching a copy of the Koran.

Aljazeera.net

Muammar Gaddafi, Libya’s leader, has made headlines in Rome, Italy, where he is attending a UN global food conference.

But it was his activities away from the summit that grabbed the media’s attention.

The Libyan leader sparked controversy after encouraged a group of 200 young women, who believed they were going to a VIP party, to convert to Islam.

Al Jazeera’s Clayton Swisher reports.