Parliamentary committee calls to reopen al-Mustansiriya University

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Parliament’s higher education committee called on the government on Thursday to re-open al-Mustansiriya University. “We want al-Mustansiriya University to stay away from politics,” Lawmaker Alaa Makee, the committee’s head, said in a press conference in Baghdad. He said that the University’s problem lies in the selection of its dean. The Iraqi government’s official spokesperson said on Oct. 14, 2009, that classes have been canceled for one week at the al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad after riots on campus. Dr. Ali al-Dabbagh said that the acts were committed by gangs and undisciplined individuals at al-Mustansiriya University. He said that in addition to canceling classes for one week, the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also ordered to ban all political activities within the University’s campus. MH (P)/SR 1