JANUARY 2022

CULTURE & HISTORY
Jesuits in Iraq: The Expulsion
BY ADHID MIRI, PHD
Part III
Because of their successful efforts
in secondary education, the
Jesuits had long considered an
extension to the inviting field of higher
education. Their motive was not to
compete with the very competent and
modern existing colleges in Iraq, but
rather to encourage their Baghdad
College alumni to remain in Iraq.
The attempt to provide higher
education by sending the undergraduate
abroad was not an adequate substitute
for undergraduate education
at home. Iraqi parents objected to
uprooting a young person from their
environment and planting them
in the strange environment of an
American or other foreign college,
only to have them uprooted again
upon return to their native land.
Permission granted
The Jesuits at Baghdad College were
often encouraged by Muslim and
Christian Iraqis to open an institution
of higher learning. AI-Hikma
University was not immediately
approved by all Jesuits in the New
England province because of the
concerns of over-extension. The majority,
however, regarded the foundation
of AI-Hikma University as one
of the most significant and far-reaching
steps ever taken by the New England
province; its existence was seen
as tremendously important.
It was decided then to approach
the Iraqi government on this matter,
requesting permission to start a university
and requesting land to build upon.
Without objections, on May 5, 1955,
the Ministry of Education gave permission
for the opening of AI-Hikma University
offering two four-year courses
- one in Engineering Physics, and the
other in Business Administration.
These two courses were chosen
due to Iraq’s urgent need of engineers
and administrators. Using two separate
decrees, in 1955 and in 1956,
the government of Iraq gifted the
University 272 donums (about 168
acres) of land in Za’afarania, a suburb
in the southernmost part of Baghdad.
This land was about 14 miles by road
from Baghdad College, which was
in the northernmost part of the city.
This gift was a striking testimony to
the high esteem in which the Jesuit
work at Baghdad College was held.
The confidence which the Iraqi
government had in the Baghdad College
Jesuits is dramatically shown in
a sequence of efforts supporting them
in their new venture. Fr. Hussey requested
land, and without delay a
544 donum piece of government land
(one donum is 2,500 square meters)
in Za’afarania was designated and divided.
It was on the Diyala River, 2.4
miles east of the Tigris, 3 miles north
of the confluence of the Tigris and
Diyala Rivers, and 14 miles south of
Baghdad College in Sulaikh.
With the first grant, the Jesuits
were to receive 200 donums
(500,000 square meters or 125 acres).
Additionally, the Iraqi government
allowed the Jesuits to choose which
Al Hikma University Campus
part of this site they preferred. The
Jesuits chose a plot so that most of
the property would lie close to the
main highway and would have a narrow
(20 meter wide and 2 miles long)
corridor running down to the Diyala
River. The property widened out at
the river so that they could install a
pumping station.
On February 18, 1956, the title
deed was finally drawn up by lawyer
Khalid Isa Taha. This first land grant,
Royal Decree #785, was backdated to
September 10, 1955. Later, another
adjoining 72 donum plot (44 acres)
was requested and received according
to Royal Decree #230, which was
dated March 19, 1956, bringing the
total area to 272 donums (168 acres).
This was a remarkable subsidy for
the Jesuits when one considers that
the Sulaikh property which they purchased
in 1934 consisted of only 25
acres. At the time, the gifted land was
worth about a half million dollars.
Fr. Hussey later asked the government
to assist him in acquiring financial
aid from United States agencies
and he received full government
cooperation. This was an impressive
acknowledgment of the Iraqi’s high
esteem for the work of the Jesuits in
Iraq. The earliest and most crucial
gift, these two generous land grants
which the Jesuits requested, were
mentioned in the official government
publication, The Iraqi Gazette.
It was signed by Prince Zaid, “Acting
in place of the King.”
As highlighted in a letter by H.E.
Nouri el-Said, Prime Minister of
Iraq, to the Near East representative
of the Ford Foundation, recommending
aid for the university project of
Baghdad College:
“On May 5th, 1955, the Iraq
Minister of Education gave Baghdad
College permission to begin
courses of higher education in business,
science, and engineering. On
September 10th, 1955, a Royal lrada
(decree) was signed which granted
Baghdad College 500,000 square meters
(about 124 acres) of land to be
used for educational purposes.
Thus, the Government of Iraq has
shown its interest in the part played
by Baghdad College in the education
of Iraqi youth.
We understand that Baghdad
College has presented the Ford Foundation
with a request for financial
help. It is a request for 431,100.00
Dollars to enable Baghdad College to
build on the above-mentioned property
and to hire suitable professors for
the education of their Iraqi students.
We take this occasion to recommend
their request for your consideration.
We feel sure that whatever
help you give to Baghdad College will
be used for the welfare of our nation
through the proper education of our
youth. Yours Sincerely, Nouri el Said.”
As a result of this intervention,
the Ford Foundation Overseas Division
contributed $400,000 for four
buildings: the Business Administration
Building, the faculty residence,
cafeteria, and library.
Other sources provided generous
assistance for the erection of
the property buildings on the new
Za’afarania campus. The Calouste
Gulbenkian Foundation of Lisbon
provided $140,000 for the Engineering
Building. The Ford Foundation
contributed an additional $200,000
through the Sacred Congregation for
the Oriental Church and the Catholic
Near East Welfare Association.
Another important grant included
$110,000 for the purchase of equipment
from the U.S. Department of
State in conjunction with the Point-
Four Program. The Jesuits submitted
requests for financial help from other
Jesuit schools as well.
AI-Hikma
The naming of AI-Hikma was not
done precipitously as noted in Fr.
Hussey’s letter to the N.E. Pr.: “I put
aside any purely religious names on
the recommendation of our sympathetic
Muslim friends. This included
the rejection of Jesuit University. I
do not think that the Government
would allow us the name Iraq University
when their own is to be called
Baghdad University, it would look as
though we were above them. I did
hesitate over the name Babylon University
but there is that difficulty that
Babylon has not a savory reputation
in history and, especially in the Exercises
of St. Ignatius. If it appeals to
you over in the U.S., I would be very
willing to reconsider it. We searched
around for other names, traditional
names of Baghdad like Al-Zawra or
“Dar al-Sa laam” (now the name of
32 CHALDEAN NEWS JANUARY 2022