Democratic debate bursting out all over Iraq's university campuses

[Rose Siding]

.......Students and professors alike are still learning what democracy is and debating how to execute it on campuses - or whether universities are ready for such debates at all.

Like American universities, Iraqi campuses provide a haven for open political thought. The discussions are much more progressive than they are off the grounds, in large part because campuses are among the few places that aren't overburdened by security problems.

Students hold protests and sit-ins, sign petitions and go on marches, all new since Saddam Hussein fell. This week, a group of students from al Mustansiriya University protested Iraqi national guard officers using their dormitories, saying that space should be reserved for students.

The debates are steeped in religion. Most universities have only two major political student associations: a Shiite Muslim one and a Sunni Muslim one....
.....
Some at al Mustansiriya are assigning separate staircases for men and women, saying it's a democratic right not to have to share. Others are pushing for separate campuses for men and women.

"Our policy at the university is that there is no political or religious influence," al Moosawi said. "The university is here for teaching."

Sunni students disagree, saying the new rules are in place because the university wants to impose a stricter way of life, one that reflects al Moosawi's Shiite background.

"There are some problems between Sunni and Shiite groups," said Ahmed Nihaad, 21, a third-year computer science student who's Sunni. "They are very sectarian. The nationalistic feeling has disappeared."

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9960893.htm

[knowbody0]

1. that's awesome

[Beetwasher]

2. How, Dare I Say, LIBERAL of Them!

This is such obvious propoganda thought, it's laughable...

[Rose Siding]

3. Even if true, look at how they are lining up

The Shiite majority will leave the Sunni's powerless and they are already slipping in rules that favor them under the guise of "democracy".

"a democratic right not to share" Well lol they have us there! Without a Constitution guaranteeing rights to the minority (or women), they don't even fool around with voting to determine what's "democratic".

Intellectuals are leaving the country and being killed, so the bit about safety on campus is a crock. But true or not, it doesn't look to me like we've made anyone's life any better.