Monday, February 27, 2023

Baghdad’s Mobile Library

A modern Sindbad the Sailor! Entrepreneurs of liberty!

"The Bookish mobile library is a familiar sight in the streets of Baghdad. Several times a month, the rickety old van heads out, its trunk lined with shelves carrying works ranging from novels and poetry to political and scientific texts. When it turns into The University of Baghdad, hundreds of students are already waiting, eager to browse the latest titles and borrow or buy whatever takes their fancy. ...
While the Iraqi government does not ban books, influential groups enforce de facto censorship on volumes deemed irreligious or incompatible with their line of thought.  Al Musawi has often come up against these groups, suffering harassment and several arrests for refusing to meet their demands. ..."

Driving Back the Dogma: Baghdad’s Mobile Library Ali Al Musawi refuses to be a mouthpiece for Iraq’s politicians. His organization Bookish is standing firm as censors close in from all sides.



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