Tuesday, November 13, 2007

I stumbled upon a great blog by an Iraqi journalist. The blog is titled,"Inside Iraq", and the journalist works for McClatchy Newspapers. The stories are based in Baghdad and provinces that outline it. The blog entries are firsthand looks into a day in the life of an Iraqi. It really helps to paint a picture of what it is like for the Iraqi people. The blog that really stood out to me was one about the journalist's daughter who is attending a university in Iraq. He explained that he reluctantly lets her attend classes because many students are being abducted, shot when leaving the school buildings, and raped. One story that really touched me was one about a student that had been captured and handcuffed. They let him out right in front of a university as bait. When the unsuspecting students went out to help him they were all shot and killed on the spot. This story really made me think about college students in America and how much most of us take for granted. Here, where education is greatly looked upon, and knowledge is power, in Iraq it could cost a young person their life. I really implore all young people and students to appreciate the fact that we can go to college and not be fearful for our lives. I really recommend this blog entry to everyone. Please take time to read it.

2 comments:

Nicholas Collard said...

This is a great blog. Thank you for bringing it to our attention. I will be reading it regularly for a very long time.

What you write about is also compelling and it make me wonder, as I so often do, why? Why kill college students? Is the enemy so desperate to strike fear into the hearts of their own people? Or is this just thuggery and murder we're fighting?

Paul Williams said...

I agree with Nick...really good blog post Elise. This is a really good story and it hits close to home for all of us because we are all college students. Good work!