Thursday, September 09, 2004
Baathification of Iraq
Over two decades, there was a systematic and concerted effort to turn all Iraqis into Baathists! Some examples:
• All entrants into colleges of education had to be Baathists. Education, it was said, was a “closed” field to non-Baathists. All teachers had to be Baathists.
• All secondary school graduates (at 18+) who wanted a military career had to enroll into the Baath Party.
• Anybody who wanted to go on a scholarship abroad had to be a party member (from about 1976).
All others were subjected to extreme pressures to become Baathists. Those who did not succumb to that pressure were openly by-passed in promotions, etc.
My Boy!
My youngest son was 12 when he went to intermediate school. It was decided by someone that that particular school was to be "closed". He was put under considerable pressure to become a Baathist. He was forced to attend party meetings to get him accustomed to the idea. We did not interfere with his decision.
At the end of the campaign, he was one of only two students in a class of 35 who did not join the party! The party comrade in charge told him that his father must be a traitor!
• All entrants into colleges of education had to be Baathists. Education, it was said, was a “closed” field to non-Baathists. All teachers had to be Baathists.
• All secondary school graduates (at 18+) who wanted a military career had to enroll into the Baath Party.
• Anybody who wanted to go on a scholarship abroad had to be a party member (from about 1976).
All others were subjected to extreme pressures to become Baathists. Those who did not succumb to that pressure were openly by-passed in promotions, etc.
***
My Boy!
My youngest son was 12 when he went to intermediate school. It was decided by someone that that particular school was to be "closed". He was put under considerable pressure to become a Baathist. He was forced to attend party meetings to get him accustomed to the idea. We did not interfere with his decision.
At the end of the campaign, he was one of only two students in a class of 35 who did not join the party! The party comrade in charge told him that his father must be a traitor!
# posted by Abu Khaleel @ 1:27 PM 
