Iraqis choose Sweden as new home

Iraqis choose Sweden as new home

news.bbc.co.uk

Last year Sweden received 8,950 asylum applications from Iraqis, nearly half of the 22,200 who came to Europe. The United Kingdom received only 1,305, according to UN statistics.

We wanted to get as far away from Iraq as possible," said 50-year-old Halim, standing outside his ground floor flat in southern Sweden.

"Everyone wants to go to Sweden, it has always been good to Iraqis. They respect human rights here. I wanted my children to grow up in a safe country, that's why we chose Sweden," said Halim.

(visit the link for the full news article)


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The article speaks for itself the UK an country that had an big hand in creating the mess in Iraq takes less refugees then an country that has an fraction of the population. Maybe coalition governments should take some responsibility for there actions and look at ways they can take there fair share of Iraqi refugees.

But wait there's more make sure you read the additional news stories linked below. Fifty thousand people a month are leaving Iraq someone better make sure that the last person to leave that country should turn out the lights. I guess going to an place like Iran or Saudi Arabia would mean security and stability at the expense of personal freedoms.

How long is it going to be before the likes of Jordan closes it borders to Iraqi refugees ?
One would think that things are only going to get worse for those who have put off leaving Iraq and still plan to leave the country.

Worse still what means is there of preventing insurgent leaders from leaving Iraq disguised as an refugee and then re entering the country later on in order to inflict more carnage ?











news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 26-7-2007 by xpert11]

Update.
Last person out of central Iraq turn out the light.

Every night it is the same scene here. Some 2,000 arrive each day as the exodus from Iraq continues, four years after the US and British invasion.
At least 1.5m have come to Syria, more than to any other country in the region.
As Syrian authorities have so far allowed the refugees to live freely rather than in camps, it has led to overcrowding in many parts of Damascus.
Basic services like power, water and sewage are under severe strain. Complaints are beginning to be heard from Syrians about the impact on their already stretched economy.

Source

The situation is clearly shameful and hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. At some point in the near future the Iraqi refuges in refuge camps no country could handel that kind of inflow of people.
How long before Syria stops taking Iraqi refuges ?

Your topic deserves more attention, xpert. Let me join in.

Your right about the coalition forces should be obliged to take a greater share of refugees and the mess their activities create.

Sweden is a foremost example (and I'm not even sure if they're in that ill-fated coalition -anyone enlight me-).

Compared to Denmark, one of the worst example and up to this summer a member, they only take about 1/10 of the toll the Swedes. Denmark even has a slightly higher income per capitacia than Sweden. The xenophobia might run higher in Denmark, but Sweden is huge, sparsely populated, and right wing groups do stand strong, living ih secrecy there.

To the topic, the depopulation of Iraq.

The really sad thing about it, is it's a brain drainage of an already mutilated country. Even more unjust when you think about during Saddam it was a social welfare state with free health care and full aducational system.

From an old thread I did on the delution of brain power in Iraq, a snippet from a newslink.

Being members of the Ba'ath party when the U.S.-led occupation began, particularly when CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) Administrator Paul Bremer instituted the "de-Ba'athification" plan, caused most teachers and administrators to be fired, arrested or later to be assassinated by death squads and replaced by others who were selected by new ruling parties, which tended to be Shi'ite religious fundamentalists.

These factors, on top of the harsh economic sanctions and the current occupation, have left Iraq's education system in shambles.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Poul Bremer one of the reeeeaal bad guys in the Crimes of the Iraq War. If you ask me.

khunmoon I'm not aware of Sweden having any troops in Iraq.
IMO a good approach to start with would be to have the likes of the US government donate bottled water , prefabricated buildings , sanitation devices e.t.c to the Red Crescent. That way the aid will reach the people who need it most. I am also concerned that the insurgency could also spill over to the likes of Syria killing there own fellow citizens in Iraq might not be enough for the insurgents and thats on top of other security fears.

Out of the all the money given out as corporate welfare not a single dollar has gone towards giving humanity aid to Iraqi refuges.
Of course it is to much to ask the creators of this mess to do anything about it.

Paul Bremer should be in a jail cell for not be able to account for US tax payer dollars but that is another topic.

[edit on 12-9-2007 by xpert11]

Well I only mentioned the loss of educated people as being the most fatal to the future of building any society.

The people educated under Saddam recieved high quality training, so they should be wanted in any society. Cause don't forget it'll be those with higher education, higher income, higher social status, thatget the chance to escape. Not the rural shepard or poor marsh-arab.

Despite the education several countries are reluctant to take refuges. Among them -contrary to Sweden- Denmark.

I'm not sure they have cancelled their membership of the coalition, they just withdraw troops this summer ...due to domestic political reasons. But still give logistic support to the Britishs. A Danish helicopter squadron was assigned to them same day the retreat was completed.

What comes up now with the boys safe back home, is the security of the Iraquis that used to work for the 4500 Danish troops that during 4 years was deployed.

Those people, who mostly worked as interpreters, had assurancies from the army to get asylium in Denmark after ended service. Only problem, the deal was unknown to the public as it was to most politicians. Some havoc in the parlamentary assembly it created and some hefty debate among the mainly anti-immigrant politician. Not to mention their voters, known for its major group of xenophobiacs.

They did bring about 700 people to Denmark in the end.

If it was not for the press who dug out the information about 2 killings last year as consequens working for them, I'm not sure Denmark would had stood by its word.

Originally posted by khunmoon
The people educated under Saddam recieved high quality training, so they should be wanted in any society. Cause don't forget it'll be those with higher education, higher income, higher social status, thatget the chance to escape. Not the rural shepard or poor marsh-arab.

When it comes to refuges there educational background shouldn't matter but the cynic in me tells me that you are right.

Those people, who mostly worked as interpreters, had assurancies from the army to get asylium in Denmark after ended service. Only problem, the deal was unknown to the public as it was to most politicians

I cannot adequately convoy my disgust at the fact that those courages people would have been left to there fate had the Danish government been able to get way with it.

If it was not for the press who dug out the information about 2 killings last year as consequens working for them, I'm not sure Denmark would had stood by its word.

I guess that the media does have an important and positive effect sometimes when they do there job properly.

I found this.

For less than £10 a day, hundreds of Iraqis are putting their lives on the line as interpreters for the British Army in Basra. Many have now fled, having received death threats.

They claim they're being systematically targeted and murdered. The militias, jostling for control of Basra, consider them traitors. At least two have been killed this month.

Unlike the American government, which has announced plans to resettle 7,000 particularly vulnerable Iraqi refugees, the British government has made no such commitment

source

It remains to be seen if the US government is as good as it word. My guess is that the US will only take a fraction of the seven thousand refuges for "security" reasons or they will wait until they pull out of Iraq by which time it will to late.

Even if they are as good as there word what is seven thousand people out two million and counting ?
The coalition has a whole should be responseible for quad triple that number of refuges welfare even if those people are in refuge camps.

At least Ford had the balls to stand up for what was right and as a result over a one hundred thousand refuges from South Vietnam found a home in the US. Related article .



[edit on 12-9-2007 by xpert11]

Without turning it into a president bashing thread, I'm glad you're mentioning Ford, together with Carter among the few humanitarian president the US has got. Weak and rediculed in American's recollection, I know.

Only brought up to say the present president is beyond far the least humanitarian US ever had.

So would he stand by his word? and 7000 to service the US presence, a 100 times bigger than the Danish, seems a little number proportional.

Let me just state about the number of Iraqis granted stay in Denmark due to their service, was 309 per August 31 (just checked it). But it's only a month ago Denmark withdraw, so they're still coming forward applying.

You're probably quite right about US'll only grant visa for those who can compromise their own security. If they don't care about any close relatives they can keep the number low.

Denmark have granted permit of residence for closets kin too, and only problem so far: A guy brought his, acording to local code, perfectly legal wives, of which he had two. They want one to go back to Iraq and divorce her first to keep his own situation legal.

Given asylum for humanitarian reasons!?

Nope, it's only PC reasons and for the record.