IRAQ

Religious leader resists segregation of students
The Iraqi religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr has said that it is better to educate university students with “religion and good morals” instead of segregating the sexes, writes Dina al-Shibeeb for Al Arabiya.Al Sumaria News TV reported last Wednesday that the Shiite leader who is the head of the Sadr political bloc, has rejected calls made by conservative leaders demanding the segregation of sexes, saying it is “not so welcome” for society. He said “society currently [can]not accept such change with an open heart” and that forcing students “won’t be in their good interest”.
Last year in December, a reverent Shiite cleric in the holy city of Najaf, Bashir al-Najafi, called on Iraqi Education Minister Ali al-Adeeb “to stop mixing and halt ‘cheekiness’” at educational institutes.
Full report on the Al Arabiya site