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In the words of one who has lived it

To get a more complete understanding of Iraqi refugees, I turned to a more personal story of an Iraqi who was forced to leave her home. Written by the a young Iraqi woman from 2003-2007, the blog “Baghdad Burning” provides a first hand account of life in Iraq during the chaotic aftermath of the invasion and the journey of an Iraqi family to become refugees in Syria. “Baghdad Burning” is a beautifully written, valuable insight into the struggles faced by many Iraqis, including the struggle of not wanting to leave your home, but finding it unbearable to stay.

We are choosing to leave because the other option is simply a continuation of what has been one long nightmare- stay and wait and try to survive.

On the one hand, I know that leaving the country and starting a new life somewhere else- as yet unknown- is such a huge thing that it should dwarf every trivial concern. The funny thing is that it’s the trivial that seems to occupy our lives. We discuss whether to take photo albums or leave them behind. Can I bring along a stuffed animal I’ve had since the age of four? Is there room for E.’s guitar? What clothes do we take? Summer clothes? The winter clothes too? What about my books? What about the CDs, the baby pictures?

The problem is that we don’t even know if we’ll ever see this stuff again. We don’t know if whatever we leave, including the house, will be available when and if we come back. There are moments when the injustice of having to leave your country… is overwhelming.

Riverbend, as she calls herself, was not the victim of targeted violence. She comes from a mixed Sunni/Shia family and, although her English is impeccable, she resents the US occupation and avoids the soldiers. She struggles with the occupation and her vulnerability in her country.

Females can no longer leave their homes alone. Each time I go out, E. and either a father, uncle or cousin has to accompany me. It feels like we’ve gone back 50 years ever since the beginning of the occupation. A woman, or girl, out alone, risks anything from insults to abduction. An outing has to be arranged at least an hour beforehand. I state that I need to buy something or have to visit someone. Two males have to be procured (preferably large) and ‘safety arrangements’ must be made in this total state of lawlessness. And always the question: “But do you have to go out and buy it? Can’t I get it for you?” No you can’t, because the kilo of eggplant I absolutely have to select with my own hands is just an excuse to see the light of day and walk down a street.

Riverbend’s voice evolves with every passing year. At the beginning of the blog, every trial of life in an occupied country brought a fresh sense of heartbreak. By the end of the blog, every offense and injustice renews her outrage. She loves her country, but every post is thick with hatred for Iraq’s new status quo.

Here we come to the end of 2006 and I am sad. Not simply sad for the state of the country, but for the state of our humanity, as Iraqis. We’ve all lost some of the compassion and civility that I felt made us special four years ago. I take myself as an example. Nearly four years ago, I cringed every time I heard about the death of an American soldier. They were occupiers, but they were humans also and the knowledge that they were being killed in my country gave me sleepless nights… I actually felt for them… Today, they simply represent numbers.

The author only wrote one post about her new life in Syria, published on Monday, October 22, 2007. In it, she describes the unfamiliar mountain that towers over her new life, the surprise of finding so many Iraqis in Damascus, and the cultural shock of regaining a long-lost sense of security.

The first weeks here were something of a cultural shock. It has taken me these last three months to work away certain habits I’d acquired in Iraq after the war. It’s funny how you learn to act a certain way and don’t even know you’re doing strange things- like avoiding people’s eyes in the street or crazily murmuring prayers to yourself when stuck in traffic. It took me at least three weeks to teach myself to walk properly again- with head lifted, not constantly looking behind me.

As a refugee, Riverbend’s new life comes with both pros and cons. Yes, she is safe, but she lacks legal status. Legally barred from working, her family lives off of their savings and is constantly threatened with expulsion from Syria, back to Iraq.

Grasping my passport in my hand like my life depended on it, with two extra months in Syria stamped inside, it hit me how wrong I was. We were all refugees. I was suddenly a number. No matter how wealthy or educated or comfortable, a refugee is a refugee. A refugee is someone who isn’t really welcome in any country- including their own… especially their own.

With ever worsening conflict in Syria, it makes you wonder what might have become of Riverbend and her family in Damascus. Like many Iraqi refugees, they may be caught in a dilemma: remain in Syria and be caught up in a conflict like the one they escaped from, or return home to a still-unstable Iraq. As Riverbend herself mentions, if they were to return, there is no guarantee that her house would still be available.

Riverbend is unfailingly proud, hopeful, and independent: she never gives up on herself, Iraq, or her fellow Iraqis. Riverbend’s blog takes you on a journey through the life of one who has lived through, in her own words, a nightmare. Despite all the loss, fear, and injustice that she has experienced, her journey ends on a note of hope. I’d like to tell you about it here, but if I did I would be depriving you of the experience of Riverbend’s blog. So if you want to know what it is, you’ll just have to read it yourself.

In my next post, I will discuss the refugee admissions process for those who wish to relocate to the United States, problems, and some of the proposed solution set forth by some of our partners.

The Forgotten Ones: the plight of displaced and vulnerable Iraqis

A few weeks ago I attended “Mission Not Accomplished: The Plight of At Risk Iraqis,” an eye-opening briefing on Capitol Hill about an ongoing crisis affecting millions of Iraqis. Featuring representatives from the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project, The List Project, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, the panel primarily focused attention on the dangers facing Iraqis who had aided or worked for the US government. For some of those Iraqis, their affiliation with the US has made them and their families a target of violence.

All of the panelists had personal experience helping at risk Iraqis relocate to the US to escape persecution. It was impossible not to be moved by their stories. They were angry, frustrated, and heartbroken with the inadequacies of the current application system. Through friendships with Iraqis, they intimately know the dangers and costs of being affiliated with the US at the wrong place and at the wrong time. Can you imagine the sorrow and trauma of losing a loved one or being forced to flee your homeland?

That is what inspires me to write this series of posts. In my search for information on displaced Iraqis, I found that resources are scattered all over the web. There is no single place in which to find a comprehensive explanation of the struggle of displaced peoples from start to finish. Furthermore, a lot of the information is out of date.

It’s been almost 6 years since EPIC first called attention to the Iraqi displacement crisis, and 4 years since Iraq Action Days, a joint initiative of EPIC, the International Rescue Committee, and dozens of other national organizations. Those efforts helped generate public awareness about the crisis, and in turn, support for stronger U.S. humanitarian action, including passage of the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s “Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act.” Among the many concerned Americans speaking out in support of vulnerable Iraqis, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt visited Iraqi refugees in Syria in 2009.

So is the crisis now over?  Hardly.

According to the International Organization for Migration, as of July 2010, an estimated 3.9 million Iraqis remained displaced (that included about 1.9 million Iraqis who were internally displaced and another 2 million who fled to neighboring states). That’s more people than the entire populations of Los Angeles!

Most of Iraq’s displacement followed the explosion of the sectarian violence in 2006, and by 2008, one in five Iraqis were displaced. Many fled to neighboring countries, mainly Jordan and Syria, where they have no legal status and are unable to work or enroll their children in school. If they wish to relocate to the United States, they often cannot have their applications for visas or refugee status processed. Those who remain displaced endure threats to their safety, poor living conditions, and often have minimal legal status.

Once a person becomes displaced they fit into one of three legal categories: an internally displaced person, a refugee, or an asylum seeker. Anyone who remains in their country of origin but has been forced to leave their home is classified as an internally displaced person, or IDP. Refugees, on the other hand, are displaced people who have crossed a border into another country, and are unable or unwilling to return to their home countries for threat of serious harm. Generally, asylum seekers are refugees who are requesting political refuge and protection by a country they have entered through an official port of entry, such as an airport. According to USCIS, refugee or asylum status can be granted to anyone who has experienced persecution or faces a threat of persecution on the basis of their race, religion, nationality, and or membership to a particular social group or political opinion. Unfortunately, due to a recent change in US policy, Iraqis must now request asylum while still in Iraq. For more information you can refer to the US Department of State’s fact sheet on Iraqi Refugee Resettlement.

Separate from refugee applications are Special Immigrant Visas, or SIVs, which are available strictly to Iraqis and Afghanis who have been employed by, or on behalf of, the US government after 2003 for a period of at least one year. While refugees have to initially apply with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), complete an interview, and then be referred to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), SIVs have the benefit of being processed directly by USCIS, saving them in-country processing time. SIVs are theoretically prioritized because the Iraqis who have worked for us are deemed ‘at risk.’ That is to say, their work for the US puts them in great danger of violence from insurgents and other Iraqis who consider them traitors.

However, Iraqis can be put at risk for a variety of reasons, including religion, ethnicity, political affiliation, or sexual orientation. Following the withdrawal of US troops there has been an increase in incendiary rhetoric by Sadrists and others, putting Iraqis who have had past affiliation with the US in greater danger. Attacks have also been aimed at religious minorities, such as Christians and Yazidis. Many who are concerned for these Iraqis criticize the Obama administration for its failure to create a comprehensive plan for the protection of minorities, calling this situation “preventable.”

All Iraqis seeking refuge in the US face delays of two years because of a cumbersome security process and a bottleneck of applications. Not all Iraqis are at risk of violence or persecution, but if the applicant happens to be at risk, those two years can be fatal. Without the intervention of a congress person or strong advocacy from a refugee organization, plus clear evidence of an immediate threat, there is no way to expedite the process for an at risk individual. 

In my next post, I’ll relay the experience of a young Iraqi woman who lived through the Iraq War and its turbulent aftermath, and found herself a refugee in Syria.

The spirit of Salam Shabab in DC

On Wednesday, January 25th, EPIC Director Erik Gustafson and I attended an extraordinary program at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) exploring what brings young people together in Iraq and the region, and the role youth are playing in creating social change. Titled Next Generation of Peacebuilding and Social Change in the Arab World, the program featured a special screening of Salam Shabab; a groundbreaking reality TV series about young Iraqi peacebuilders, followed by a fascinating panel discussion with the show’s creators and producers who shared a behind-the-scenes look at what went into developing the show’s concept and creating the series, highlights of their experience working with young Iraqi contestants from different parts of Iraq, and the series’ impact on contestants and studio audiences. The event concluded with an inspiring panel of celebrated social and political activists from across the Middle East and a live performance by the Iraqi pop band UTN1.

As a fan of the show, I was particularly interested in the Production Q&A. The speakers not only shared their experiences working with the youth but also their dreams and goals for the show. It was inspirational to hear the show’s producer, Hussam Hadi, elaborate on their goal of showcasing real kids with whom the audience can identify that speak their feelings honestly in a way the audience can learn from.

The show’s creators describe Salam Shabab as an experiment. They wanted to research the impact of team building exercises on Iraqi children’s sense of self esteem, self awareness, and self expression. They also wanted to develop the children’s personal responsibility and decision making, self efficacy, and an understanding of their common humanity. They exhaustively researched how the participants grew, testing them both before and after their participation in the project. As a result of all their hard work, the youths not only developed those skills, they also enjoyed themselves.

The audience seemed particularly interested in how the boys and girls interacted with one another, if there was tension or an unwillingness to work together between boys and girls. Mr. Hadi assured us that, once they got away from their parents, the kids on the show were absolutely normal 15 year-olds. They interacted well and made friends with each other without consideration of ethnicity, sect, or gender. In fact, the winners from last year who became the Ambassadors of Peace to the Iraqi Parliament were a mixed gender team and included a Sunni, a Shi’ite, and a Christian.

Moderated by professor of Arab media Adel Iskandar of Georgetown University, the second panel discussion focused on “Youth and the Arab Spring”, featuring celebrated activist and blogger Rami Nakhla, the head of foreign relations office for the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and Twitter VIP with over 45,000 followers (@MARYAMALKHAWAJA) Maryam Alkhawaja, and former lead singer for UTN1 Hassam al-Faluji. These dynamic panelists discussed the aspirations of young people in their homelands, the role of youth and social media in creating social change, and the importance of continued youth involvement in creating a more inclusive political culture both during and after revolutionary change. The panelists pointed out that the youth across the Middle East are too often perceived as a burden – rather than an asset – by their governments. The governing mentality is to control, limit and even bar young people’s involvement in politics and community affairs. Here are some other insights that these remarkable activists shared.

On Social Media and the Government:

The world is getting smaller because of social media. People are also becoming more informed. Music and art is becoming more accessible, both of which are big motivators for action and inspire change. (Hassan al Faluji)

In Bahrain, the youth are dependent on social media because they are largely ignored by the larger media. The youth always reach for the impossible, no offense to the older people… The worst mistake the government made was turning half of their citizens into activists and the other half into reporters. (Maryam Alkhawaja)

In Syria, people used the media to meet, the uprising was leaderless in beginning. Social media made it possible to coordinate. Regions formed committees that continue to this day. Seen as link between social media and the people, because the government’s control was crushing other outlets. (Rami Nakhla)

On the revolutions in Egypt, one year later:

Revolutions started out of dignity. We hated the fear, we couldn’t live with it anymore. Politics was a forbidden topic. We knew something was wrong but we didn’t know what. The uprisings gave the Syrian people hope, as did the overthrow of the Tunisian president. The Syrian people are deeply wounded today, we can never go back to the way things used to be. We have a responsibility to them. (Rami Nakhla)

For me, it’s all about dignity. That’s why [the uprising] has continued despite the crackdowns. There was a mind shift: they were too afraid to speak about politics but not anymore. Once the fear barrier was broken, there was no going back. Now, it’s like, if they think it, they write it down and hold to up. (Maryam Alkhawaja)

Fighting for a dream gives your life meaning. Keep fighting no matter what. Social media keeps the dream alive, unfortunately occassionaly the media has a double standard. (Hassan al Faluji)

On Sectarianism:

Leaders brainwashed their people to make their enemies traitors. Many Syrians take bad words and turn them into jokes. (Rami Nakhla)

Joke about it. I have been called an Israeli spy, a CIA spy, and an Iranian spy, so I joke about it by saying that there are a lot of governments out there that owe me money. (Maryam Alkhawaja)

Art and music can help overcome: music echos the revolution and gives more power to the people. (Hassan al Faluji)

A final message to all Arab youth:

“Do not believe anyone but Google. Six years ago when the Syrian leader died I cried my eyes out. Several years after that I learned from Google that he had tortured and murdered thousands of people. Never believe anything until you check it yourself.” (Rami Nakhla)

One word: unity. The governments are very good at uniting and standing against their people, therefore we cannot allow ourselves to be divided. (Maryam Alkhawaja)

We all deserve the same chances, everything is possible in this world. (Hassan al Faluji)