Journalist Nir Rosen brings message for World Refugee Day

Rosen, who spent more than two years in Iraq reporting on the relationship between Americans and Iraqis and the development of postwar religious and political movements, was invited by the Rev. John Denaro and Richard Parkins of Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) to be a part of EMM's observance of World Refugee Day. Denaro commented that it was in reading Rosen's recent article on Iraqi refugees in the New York Times Magazine that he thought of inviting him speak at the Church Center as a way of spotlighting the burgeoning refugee crisis of uprooted Iraqis.

Introducing Rosen, EMM's director Parkins said that "the refugee situation in Iraq was on the verge of becoming a major humanitarian crisis and that World Refugee Day, which actually falls on June 20, was a good time to bring focus to this issue."

Speaking to an audience of about 30 people, Rosen drew comparisons between the Palestinians and the Iraqis. He recalled the history of the Palestinian refugee crisis, explaining that Jewish militias expelled 800,000 people from their homes in 1948. According to Rosen, these refugees eventually outstayed their welcome in adjacent countries and became involved in internal conflicts with the host countries which led to their not being wanted by many Middle East countries. Rosen felt that the same reception could greet the Iraqi refugees who are being temporarily hosted by several nearby countries. "When we think about the Iraqis this is what we should be thinking about," he said.

Currently there are 1.4 million internally displaced Iraqi citizens and another 2 million plus elsewhere in the region, Rosen explained. This displacement is fast becoming the largest growing refugee crisis in the world. One million people have migrated to Jordan, another million to Syria, about 50,000 to Iran and 40,000 to Sweden. The exodus from Iraq grows with one to three thousand refugees crossing the border into Syria daily. Jordan was forced to close its borders at the end of 2006 due to the strain the one million new people were placing on the economy. Syria has been the most generous to receive immigrants, offering free education and, in most cases, free healthcare.

At this point 7,000 persons have been referred to the U.S. resettlement program by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). It is from this number that some will be initially selected for resettlement, but no movement of refugees can occur without their cases being reviewed by the Department of Homeland Security. To date, few refugees have actually reached the U.S. and Rosen underscored the importance of moving refugees if countries in the region were to be expected to keep their doors open. Rosen also emphasized the urgent need for humanitarian assistance to Jordan and Syria since their infrastructures were being severely taxed by these influxes of refugees.

In describing the Iraqi refugee situation as a crisis of the U.S.'s making, Rosen felt that shoring up the economies of receiving countries was necessary since thousands of the newly arrived Iraqis were unlikely to return to Iraq and would, with the exception of the several thousand to be resettled elsewhere, become permanent residents of these host countries. Rosen saw increased reluctance of nearby countries to welcome Iraqis because of their security concerns and anxiety about the spread of sectarian tension.

"This is a result of a U.S. operation, a civil war that we created, that we are responsible for," Rosen said, explaining the relationship between the Sunnis and Shiites and noting there was no history of civil war in Iraq before American intervention. He also felt that the sectarian violence now raging in Iraq was not the inevitable result of Saddam Hussein's removal and that the failure of the U.S. to understand Iraqi culture and history has led to blunders that actually precipitated the civil conflict that now plagues the country.

"On April 9, 2003 Saddam's statue came down and that's when we thought we won the war," he said. "But I think that's when the war was lost."

Rosen closed the day with a story about the Fallujah, recalling how it was just a normal, boring city known for its kebabs, reminiscing that people would actually stop on their way through to eat. "Now we've actually seen the blowing up of the kebab restaurant," he said.

EMM, on behalf of the Episcopal Church, carries out the ministry it began more than 60 years ago to relieve the burden of the world's suffering through refugee resettlement and advocacy. EMM is actively involved in pressing for a more robust program to admit Iraqi refugees, especially religious minorities, vulnerable groups such as women at risk and those who are targeted because of their association with the U.S. presence in Iraq. Parkins called the attention of the group to legislation introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy which is intended to address part of the Iraqi refugee crisis and indicated that EMM had joined other resettlement and human rights groups in promoting the legislation.

World Refugee Day was established by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees to commemorate the spirit and courage of refugees each year on June 20. Parkins noted it is also a time to reflect on the desperate circumstances of the more than 12 million refugees in the world who still have not found safety.