Points of View
Taking Action for Iraqi Academics
Véronique Bonnet, Senior Lecturer at the Paris XIII University
Mr Hasni Abidi and Mr Kais Jewad Al- Azawi have taken the initiative to create an International Committee of solidarity with Iraqi Academics. Being a senior lecturer in literature at the Paris XIII University, I give great importance to the international exchanges without which the universal value of a university would be meaningless. Which is why solidarity towards colleagues threatened with death, unable to travel freely, daily having to face extreme situations where the passing on of knowledge seems nearly impossible; is a necessity. I do not support Iraqi academics because they are Iraqi, but because without professors and researchers, a large part of the youth of a country is deprived of an indispensable academic knowledge. Hasni Abidi is aware of the tragic years during which many of his Algerian fellow country men were assassinated. We have been conversing for the past ten years. I hold on to our moments of anger, of discouragement, but also this “force de vivre” that Hasni knows how to transmit. After having stayed in Iraq a few times (in 2004, 2005, and 2006), he came back to Geneva, resolved on alerting the “International Community” on the tragedies that Iraqi Academics are living. Having made the sinister assessment that the US led war in Iraq is only reinforcing ethnicity, clans and accelerating the brutality in social interactions; what can we do?
In April 2006, Dr Al-Sadi, Dr Abbas Al-Husseini and myself were received by the Iraqi Ambassador to the UNESCO, and then by the President of the UNESCO Koitchiro Matsuura. We asked that the UNESCO do all in its power to put in place and maintain the means to assure the protection of Iraqi academics. Concrete suggestions were proposed: construction of securitised housing for those living in the areas that are the most exposed to terrorism, often the targets of murders perpetrated in their own homes. It was suggested that Academics desiring to leave Iraq should be allowed to, be it just temporarily, in order to escape the terror. The majority of them do not intend to live their whole lives abroad. They need to stay away from their war-torn country for a few months, so that they can continue forming themselves to later on assume their educational functions.
Mr Abbas Al-Husseini underlined that the religious practice and discourse, from whichever background, should remain outside the walls of the university. Even though the security in Iraq does not fall under the mandate of this International Organisation, the political situation nevertheless continues to degrade which is increasingly worrisome. According to the official statistics emitted by the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education, more then two hundred and sixty Iraqi academics have been assassinated since the beginning of the war, eighty were kidnapped and we remain without news from them, finally thirty academics have been imprisoned by the Iraqi Government and/or the Occupying Forces.
In July 2006, a delegation led by Kais Jewad Al-Azawi went to Qatar, who has given 15 Million dollars to the Higher Education section of the UNESCO, We were received by the President of the University of Qatar, Dr Sheikha Abdulla Al-Misnad, who allowed us to meet and discuss with a few Iraqi academics, refugees in Qatar. The Qatar Foundation had given indemnities to the families of assassinated Iraqi academics. Facing the weak mobilisation of Arab countries, facing the superfluous expenses taken from budgets which are officially destined to materially support out Iraqi colleagues, we feel a profound distress. The situation of the Iraqi people is deteriorating the violence is amplifying.
On May 1st 2006, Hasni Abidi, the Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, the political expert Luis Martinez, the drawer Dilem, amongst others, met up at the Geneva “Salon du Livre”. The theme was “Dessine–moi l’Algérie” (draw Algeria for me). The meeting was profitable; the debates were lively yet remained respectful of the feelings of others. Would it be possible in a near future, to “draw Iraq” other then under the strokes of violent death?
Translated by Ines Ward, research assistant trainee at CERMAM
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- Origin CERMAM
- http://www.cermam.org/en/logs/vue/taking_action_for_iraqi_academ/
- Publié le 12 November 2007