Education in Iraq -- the key to a new democracy?

[MrFun]

I'm a nice enough guy to have stood up for you commies in the other thread about communist education.



back off

[chequita guevara]

I think we might consider taking a look at Afganistan to see what might come out of Iraq.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by MrFun


What are all the different religious sects in Iraq as of now, anyway??

Shia and Sunni Islam, Nestorian Christianity, and Judaism. There are probably more in the Kurdish areas. That region was always a hotbed for weird Islamic sects.

[MrFun]

So to the extent that any worshipping-US propaganda is instilled into Iraqi education system, it will depend on which religious sect or political secular sect becomes predominant after Iraq is reconstructed.

[chequita guevara]

Shia will be predominent in any system except a dictatorship. They are 80% of the population. It would be most undemocratic otherwise.

[MrFun]

Does anyone know the demographics of the Shia group? Are the predominantly affluent? How religiously active are the majority of the Shia?

[GePap]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Shia will be predominent in any system except a dictatorship. They are 80% of the population. It would be most undemocratic otherwise.

60% actually.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Mr. Fun your initial assesment that education molds overall public opinion is questionable. I think it much more likely that general Iraq public opinion will be derived mostly from media sources.

As such public opinion will be largely tied to who is doing the best media coverage both in the short term and long term.

[MrFun]

Ogie -- I think it's a combination of both. Education and the media both play roles in shaping a society's norms and values.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Agreed. I simply believe the effect of media is a more immediate effect and has greater impact due to its large audience whilst education's audience is a much smaller segment.