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Religious University Established in Saddam’s Mosque in Hilla
Farqad Al-Qazwini has some new ideas for Islam and Iraq. Housed in a massive mosque built by Saddam, his new school is challenging the Shia status quo. He has established what he calls a religious university in Hilla. A large and personable man with a salt-and-pepper beard, Al-Qazwini does not shy away from criticizing traditional Shia schools of thought, attracting many young Iraqis ready to shun the conventional concepts of Shia Islam. At the same time, Al-Qazwini’s nationalist credentials have put him on good terms with Sunnis in Anbar and Sallahdin....

Al-Qazwini’s pluralistic outlook, however, is not limited to Muslims. "I did not call my university ’Islamic’, merely ’religious’ because it receives Muslim, Christian, and Jewish students without discrimination. The difference between my university and Hawza or others is that we look at the faith and humanity of religions," Al-Qazwini said. "People should not view their beliefs as the best and only way and see all others as immoral; we should respect others’ beliefs."

Outside the palatial mosque that houses Al-Qazwini’s University of Hilla there is a statue with over-sized replications of the Quran, the Bible and the Torah, a monument representing the university’s inclusive view of religions.

"This university will minimize the gulf between Islamic sects," said University of Hilla student Mohamed Al-Naseri. "But we will go beyond this to minimize the gap between Muslim, Christians and Jews, because all of these religions are from the same source." ....
What's the over/under for this guy's life span?
Al-Qazwini has no time for traditional views of Islam, as espoused by such established organizations such as Hawza. "The Islamic people haven’t interpreted Islam to serve modern society. Instead, they have keep people thinking of the problems faced in the age Muhammad," Al-Qazwini said.

"Some of the religious people who represent Islam try to return us to the Middle Ages, but in fact Islam is a religion that can adapt to modern life," said 24-year-old student Mohammed Al-Shueli. "In this university we deal with globalization, democracy and other issues of modern life, and how we can understand them in the light of Islam."

His influence is strongest in the middle Euphrates part of Iraq south of Baghdad, which includes Hilla, Diwaniya, Najaf and Karbala. Al-Qazwini has also established good ties with Sunnis in the area because his religious tolerance is mixed with a sense of Iraqi nationalism usually not found among Shia leaders....

Al-Qazwini is also a bit wary of the American plans for democracy, believing that imposing some form of democracy from the outside will never work. "The democracy must be designed for our society – not designed by the US," Al-Qazwini said. "Democracy is not just about girls having boyfriends," he joked.

"At the same time, the Americans are my friends, and we are just one of many countries to be occupied by foreign forces. We have to focus our attention on freeing ourselves from mental occupation." ....
Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-03-05
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=27462