Qatar: Student Activism “for Cafeterias and Covered Car Parks”
Universities are renowned for being the epicenter of student activism. Qatari Esraa Al Meftah talks about how Qatari university students’ only form of activism is in asking for “opening cafeterias on campus and installing car shades in the student parking lots.”
In a series of tweets, Al Meftah says:
..
She gives an example of the student movement at the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 1969. She says:
صور من الحراك الطلابي في الجامعة الامريكية في بيروت في ١٩٦٩.. وضم ذلك الحراك اقتحام المباني وإضرابات عن الطعام pic.twitter.com/PVXF0Bkl
@esra2qtr: These are photographs of the student movement at the American University of Beirut in 1969… that movement included breaking into buildings and hunger strikes
Photographs shared by Al Meftah on Twitter showing student activism at the AUB in 1969. Seen are students on hunger strike (top) and students demonstrating (bottom)
She further adds:
Returning to the present, Meftah notes:
She adds:
@esra2qtr: Despite those simple demands, the university continues to monitor students and is afraid of giving them any opportunity to speak freely about these issues. Even social media sites are monitored!
In conclusion, Meftah says:
وللأسف هذه المؤسسة التي يفترض ان تكون محرك التغيير في المجتمع ليست الا انعكاس لمؤسسات الدولة.
@esra2qtr: It is unfortunate that this institution, which is considered at the dynamo for change in society, is just a reflection of the state's institutions
