Iraqi mother, engineer and refugee
Iraqi mother and civil engineer
who moved with her family to Annan, Jordan in 2005. She works with
Iraqi refugees and detainees in Jordan, and writes the blog, A Family in Baghdad
PROFILE
Faiza Al-Araji
Guest
FROM Faiza Al-Araji
To the Point
Iraq: The Beginnings of Peace? In August, Iraqi authorities said Iran had promised to stem the flow of weapons and ammunition smuggled into Iraq. Today, American General James Simmons said a sharp drop in roadside bombs across the country means Iran has upheld its commitments. Meantime, the "surge" of American troops has apparently helped to reduce deadly violence in Baghdad. But US military officials say a window of opportunity is closing. Although Iraqis are walking the streets again and some restaurants and stores stay open after dark, the government is dragging its feet on political reconciliation. With reduction of US forces scheduled to start very soon, can Iraqi police and soldiers prevent the violence from escalating again? Would the cost of staying be even higher than the cost of getting out as quickly as possible?
To the Point
Iraqi Refugees At the outside of the Iraq invasion, a tidal wave of refugees was predicted. It didn't happen right away. But last February, the bombing of a Shiite mosque set off the orgy of deadly sectarian violence that continues to drive both Sunnis and Shiites from their homes. Some 40 to 50,000 Iraqis are leaving home every month and some 2 million are already abroad. But just 466 refugees have been allowed to immigrate to the United States. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees calls it the largest exodus in the Middle East since Palestinians were displaced by the 1948 creation of Israel. A US official brands it "shameful," especially for those who risked their lives as interpreters and drivers for government agencies and civilian contractors. It's a far cry from happened during and after the Vietnam War. We hear from the UN, immigration reformers in the US and refugees, including a civil engineer who left Iraq in 2004--after her son was kidnapped at gunpoint by local gangs.
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