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28 Mar 2006 09:59:22
A leading national journalist and a British army general were among a number of high-profile speakers who attended a recent panel discussion at the University of Luton about the Iraqi war.
Patrick Cockburn of The Independent; Major General Andrew Stewart, former commander of multi-national forces in South East Iraq; Dr Daud Abdullah, international chair of the Muslim Council of Britain; and Faud Nahdi, publisher of the independent Muslim magazine Q-News, made up a panel of experts who came to the Park Square campus to discuss ‘Iraq and the Future’.
More than 80 students and staff members attended the discussion, which was sponsored by the University’s Chaplaincy.
University Chaplain and event organiser, Reverend Howard Thornton, said: “We want both staff and students to look more closely at the issues of justice, conflict and humanity and open discussion is a great way to explore these issues.
“The war in Iraq is a very important topic and many people have great concerns about what the future holds for its people. This was echoed by our panel which we were delighted to welcome to Luton.”
Addressing the 80-strong audience, General Andrew Stewart said that the Iraqi people were not happy under Saddam Hussein, but they had grown impatient with the coalition forces who have struggled to repair the country’s infrastructure including running water and electricity. He also reminded the audience that there are certain groups who don’t want peace in Iraq and predicted that they will continue in their efforts to destabilise the country.
Faud Nahdi spoke of how the Iraqi people had lost their humanity through the conflict and how a lack of trust in their own politicians and the coalition forces left them uncertain about the future. He reminded the audience that Saddam Hussein had also caused a great deal of harm to his own people.
Patrick Cockburn, who has reported from Iraq for 26 years, said that recent suicide attacks and bombings in Iraq are pushing it to the “verge of a bloody sectarian war”.
Dr Daud Abdullah said that the coalition forces should be replaced by a monitoring force of the Arab league or of the country’s Islamic neighbours.
Howard added: “Both the audience and the panel were unanimous in their concern for Iraq’s future. The students were delighted to be able to discuss their thoughts on the subject with such a high-profile panel and the speakers were equally impressed with the input from our audience.
“It was particularly encouraging that many people from different backgrounds and age groups contributed to the evening.”
Other discussions are planned later in the year. To find out more about the University of Luton Chaplaincy, e-mail Howard Thornton at howard.thornton@luton.ac.uk.
Photos courtesy of Ian Nancollas. Panellists from left to right: Major General Andrew Stewart, Patrick Cockburn, The Rev. Howard Thornton University Chaplain, Dr Daud Abdullah, Faud Nahdi
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Latest news» 2006» Mar» Iraq and the future – experts discuss the way forward
