By Steve Weissman, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

A frightening tale from Iraq shows how Mr. Bush's call to "democratize" the Middle East has already bogged down in the graveyard of impossible choices. The story first appeared in the Arab language press, then in the Times of London in a powerful article by Catherine Philp.

As Ms. Philp tells it, some university students in the southern Iraqi city of Basra were having a picnic at a local park, when dozens of armed men came running at them. The men were members of the Mehdi Army, the private militia loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

"They started shouting at us that we were immoral, that we were meeting boys and girls together and playing music and that this was against Islam," recalled Ali, an engineering student.

"They began shooting in the air and people screamed. Then, with one order, they began beating us with their sticks and rifle butts."

A Shiite cleric in a black turban stood over the students giving the orders, and one of the militia recorded the beatings on video. The militia later released some of the footage to the public as a warning to others.

According to reporter Philp, the video added to the terror:

It showed images of one girl struggling as a gunman ripped her blouse off, leaving her half-naked. "We will send these pictures to your parents so they can see how you were dancing naked with men," a gunman told her. Two students who went to her aid were shot - one in the leg, the other twice in the stomach. The latter was said to have died of his injuries. Fellow students say that the girl later committed suicide. Another girl who was severely beaten around the head lost her sight.

"We beat them because we are authorized by Allah to do so and that is our duty," Sheik Ahmed al-Basri said after the attack. "It is we who should deal with such disobedience and not the police."…

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