GRAND Magazine - February 2009 - 39

>> Help IraqI refugees Six years into the U.S. military intervention, Iraq has one of the most serious displacement crises in the world, according to Refugees International  with nearly 2 million refugees living in Syria, Jordan and other regional neighbors and nearly 3 million displaced internally. Democracy in Action offers an action link  for encouraging the Obama Administration to address the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people. who was visiting Iraq from the U.S.). Rua, who told her father’s story because he fears too much for his family’s safety to talk directly, says that concerns for the grandchildren have heightened as extremists have begun using children, most often those with mental disabilities. In early December, a 10-year-old, mentally disabled girl was kidnapped, strapped with a bomb and sent into an outdoor pet market where families were shopping. While the girl was petting a dove, a small crowd became alarmed that she was alone. As people circled her, trying to learn where her parents were, the bomb exploded, killing 20 people, including the girl. Many more were injured. Faiz keeps in touch with his grandchildren through the Internet, where they chat online every other day via a video camera. If, for some reason, Faiz is not able to contact his family in Iraq, his anxiety is such that, on several occasions, he has had to be admitted to a hospital with chest pains and breathing difficulties. It is difficult for Joseph, his family and others like them to leave Iraq now: They would have to flee to a neighboring country, like Jordan or Syria (where there are an estimated 2 million Iraqi refugees); to be considered for admittance to the U.S. they would have to request asylum (Homeland Security qualifications are listed here ). The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program resettled 1,600 Iraqis in 2007, and 12,118 in 2008. In the meantime, Faiz tries to hold onto his faith that he will one day hold his grandchildren on his lap, read them stories and feel secure that they are all safe and together again. When Rua’s children heard that she was going to be interviewed about the plight of their cousins in Iraq, they asked her if that meant that someone was going to help them to escape. Sadly, Rua told them no, but perhaps the more people know about what is going on over there, the sooner Iraqi families who simply want to live a safe life will be able to realize their dream. *All the names in this story have been changed to protect the families. For a view of the risks of Iraqi refugees who are not admitted to the U.S. and the opinion of GRAND’s editor in chief, Wendy Reid Crisp, click on icon. FEBRUARY 2009 GRAND 39 Click and connect to more resources instantly where you see this symbol: 

http://www.refugeesinternational.org/where-we-work/middle-east/Iraq http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/421/t/8280/p/dia/action/public/?action http://www.state.gov/g/prm/rls/fs/2001/5412.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ2aG1zimCQ

GRAND Magazine - February 2009

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