Iraq: January 29, 2004

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Baghdad's universities have reopened, and a free exchange of ideas has revealed a desire for domination and revenge. In one university (Mustansirya), four faculty members have been shot dead. It's not clear who did it, or why. The reason is believed to be politics, as all four victims had been members of the Baath party. Pro-Saddam students openly profess their desire for a return to Sunni Arab domination. In the universities, Sunni Arabs are present as students and faculty in far greater numbers (over half) than they are in the general population (20 percent). Many Sunni Arabs fear that once elections are held, a Shia dominated government will "reform" the universities and toss out most of the Sunni faculty and students.