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Who Are We? Iraq Struggles With Its National Identity

Iraq is struggling to establish a modernized national identity, a problem which is most readily apparent in debates over public school and university curricula.
Students walk to class on the first day of the new school term in Baghdad's Sadr City September 23, 2012. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: SOCIETY EDUCATION) - RTR38B41
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Iraqi Minister of Higher Education Ali al-Adeeb, who's also a leading member of the Islamic Dawa Party, took part in a frank television interview with the Al Baghdadia channel Aug. 4.

Among the questions asked of him pertained to the lack of focus on Iraq’s pre-Muslim history in school and university curricula. It's interesting because this time period is not the subject of dispute. It reflects Iraq’s unique civilization and identity, and may, in fact, be an adequate substitute for the subject of the country’s Muslim history, which is rife with sectarian and religious divisions and disagreements. In his answer, Adeeb did not seem enthused by the proposition, affirming instead that the correct alternative lay in teaching Islam in an open and unprejudiced manner that accepts not one but all interpretations of Islam and Muslim history. The minister’s answer did not come as a surprise considering his Islamic background as one of the few Iraqi politicians who has given the issue personal attention. He even published a book this year about humanities curricula in schools and universities.

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