Iraq's National Library Endangered

One of the many casualties of the current disorder in central Iraq is that country's national library. The Iraq National Library and Archive was forced to close in early December after the violent activities of Islamist insurgents and militias, both Sunni and Shia, seriously threatened the safety of the staff. While the institution has since reopened, the ongoing violence remains a major concern.

The harrowing situation facing the Iraq National Library is described in this diary by library director Dr. Saad Eskander. Posted on the British Library web site, Dr. Eskander's diary provides a sobering first person account of the horrific nature of the radical Islamist assault on the new Iraq, and the devastating impact this has had on daily life in Baghdad. Please give it a read.


(Link via Martin Kramer. Stephen Denney also has a post on this topic.)