Donate A Book; Seize An Opportunity

It’s an initiative that’s been tugging at my conscience to write about for some time now, yet one that’s unfulfilled as of yet. While the appeal for donations to the promising American University in Iraq (Sulaimani) has been ongoing and relatively well-publicized, I figured I’d throw in my two cents on the matter, and perhaps add a perspective to the existing appeals of someone who has studied at an American University in the Middle East (the majority of my time in Egypt was spent lounging, smoking cigarettes and being an isolated nuisance in the shade of AUC’s library, on the adjacent steps of its cluttered and chaotic ‘Greek’ campus. More on that in a bit.)

The university’s appeal has received some attention; notably, Christopher Hitchens penned a piece on the pages of Slate back in June (the university has a note up thanking his help in publicizing the effort), noting that he believes “many people wish they could do something positive and make a contribution, however small, to the effort to build democracy in Iraq.” In similar vein, I’d like to encourage readers on this site, many of whom have already contributed their fair share to the development of the Middle East, to consider sending in a book or two in an effort to educate the next generation of Iraqi professionals and academics. The correlative nature of an inclusive, expanding and enriching base of education with the goals of development should seem an obvious point in itself. However it is only when these opportunities to contribute to that base of learning are seized that the notion’s premise is fulfilled.

It would seem unnecessary to remind people about the history that the lands of Mesopotamia have enriched our world’s civilization with; this, after all, was the land of knowledge transmission, the enrichment of the Arabic language, and the world’s center for translation. It was the scholarly home of Al-Khwarizmi and Ibn Sina, the poetic haven of ibn Burd and Abu Nawas. Yet today’s Iraq is void of many of its characteristics under Abbasid rule. Today’s Iraq suffers from the demons of political instability and the perils of economic development. This is not the place of enrichment and learning it once was; after the shadow of Saddam was dispelled, a wave of academic assassins targeted the country’s most prominent scholars. As early as 2004, over 1000 professionals and intellectuals had been killed, and the country’s schools no longer provided comfort in the safety of knowledge. Several thousand more had fled to safer horizons, and reports of this nature have not received respite in recent years. In a tragic occurrence of cultural significance symbolic of the dialectical tension between Iraq’s past and present, the nation’s national library was looted and set on fire in April of 2003, setting aflame centuries of history and culture.

One can, nonetheless, provide both hope and opportunity to Iraq’s future, even in a manner as miniscule as this. The American University of Iraq first opened its doors in 2007; its enrollment numbers, while initially humbling, are projected to reach over 1,000 students in 2011. Located in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, the university provides a safe environment for students and their studies. AUI-S currently offers three undergraduate majors and a graduate MBA in international management and leadership. Its library is looking for an all-encompassing collection of material for students motivated to gain the knowledge of generations past and present.

While only connected in name, the American University in Cairo provided my life with an experience as formative as it was at times frustrating. From 2004 to 2006, I lived the AUC life; I was taught by distinguished professors under a system of liberal arts dedicated to expanding the intellectual ability of its students. I also experienced the follies of bureaucracy and Egyptian work-ethic, which rendered the completion of a simple administrative task nearly impossible. In Sulaimani however, there is a fresh opportunity to build on both the stimulating and grating qualities of Cairo’s educational haven. An environment of internationalism and of certain enlightenment is a precious, if not necessary tool in a productive society. And while AUI-S, much like AUC, will be largely open to the privileged (tuition ranges between $8000 and $10,000) students of Iraqi society, their education will serve the country’s development meaningfully, preparing the leaders of a reintegrated nation on the global stage.

My hope is that one or two readers will feel the same empathy toward the creation of a distinguished liberal arts college in Iraq, and will perhaps part with a book or two from their undergraduate years. Listed below is the address to utilize. Donations can span any discipline that would be of interest to a young generation of knowledge seekers. If there are any questions, send an email to the address listed below with your inquiries. Here is a small opportunity to contribute to the building blocks of the next great Iraqi society. I, for one, will seize it.

In order to donate books to the AUI-S library please ship them via Fed Ex, DHL, or Post Office to the following address:

Nathan Musselman
The American University of Iraq – Sulaimani
Building No. 7, Street 10
Quarter 410
Ablakh Area
Sulaimani, Iraq
+964 (0)770-461-5099
+964 (0)53-313-4612

info@auis.org

Please be sure to list both of the above phone numbers with the address.

-By Karim El Assir

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