Blogged news from Iraq, from one end to the other

No one seems to have reported the latest events in Basrah. Not any of the news services or the blogs.

Students of the Basrah and Shatt Al-Arab universities in Basrah city have been on strike for the last three days as a reaction to the attack last week by Sadrists and Mahdi Army militiamen on tens of students organising a field trip or a picnic at Al-Andalus park, downtown Basrah.

Hooded men assaulted the students with rubber cables and truncheons which resulted in the death of a Christian girl, Zahra Ashour, and another student who came to her rescue after militiamen had tore off her clothes and were beating her to death. He was shot in the head.

Students say that their belongings, such as mobile phones, cameras, stereo players and loudspeakers, were stolen or smashed to pieces by the militiamen. Girl students not wearing headscarves, most of them Christian, were severely beaten and at least 20 students were kidnapped and taken to Sadr's office in Al-Tuwaisa for 'interrogation' and were only released late at night.

Students also say the police and British soldiers were nearby but did not intervene.

A Sheikh As'ad Al-Basri, one of Sadr's aides in Basrah, stated that the "believers" of the Mahdi Army did what they did in an act of 'divine intervention' in order to punish the students for their "immoral and outrageous behaviour" during the "holy month of Muharram, while the blood of Imam Hussein is yet to dry." He added that he had sent the "group of believers" to observe and photograph the students, and on witnessing them playing loud music, "the kind they play in bars and discos", and openly talking to female students, the "believers had to straighten things out".


The report is from Zeyad's blog Healing Iraq, and continues with more details.
What I find interesting is that I found the link from Najma, who pointed it out in her blog from Mosul, on the other end of Iraq. She has an interesting take, the title of her post being I demonstrate from my place..

I heard about this from my aunt on the phone yesterday, but I didn't post about it since she had no enough information about it, and I waited for the media to give me more info.

It seems that the media isn't intending to talk about it, and it's the bloggers' job to inform you of it..

You go, girl!