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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Lebanon: Having Fled Iraq, Chaldeans Seek Better Life Abroad |
| 2006-06-07 |
| (AKI) - Impoverished and living in Lebanon illegally - many of the 3,000 Iraqi Chaldean Christians who have fled their homeland now dream of a better future abroad with Australia the most desired destination. Most of the refugees left Iraq in the wake of the US invasion of the country and while the bloody sectarian stuggle that followed has mostly pitted Shiite and Sunni Muslims against each other, the small Christian minority has not been spared the bloodshed. But some Christians abandoned the country in the 1990s when it was still ruled by Saddam Hussein. "I come from the northern Zakho region, and in 1996 together with my wife and children I fled because we were feeling threatened by an environment that was becoming more and more hostile," Sacharia Chamun,38, a father of seven, tells Adnkronos International (AKI). The family of nine share two small rooms in Beirut's Sidd al-Bawshriyye suburb in a building that overlooks an open drain used by a nearby print works shop to dump acid and chemicals. The stench in the house is overwhelming and Sacharia's wife, Nada, 34, says the acid fumes are to blame for her respiratory troubles. "We will never return to Iraq, because we wouldn't have a future there," she says. "We are waiting for a visa for Sydney where we will all be able to join our relatives." In 1996 the family crossed the border from south-western Iraq into Jordan, but after frequent harassment from the authorities they moved to Syria. Having failed to find work in Damascus, Chamun then decided to move to Lebanon where he hoped to count on the support from other Iraqi Christians living there. "Here in Lebanon, even if you're illegal you can still find work and survive," Sacharia tells AKI. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Australia is smart. The Christian immigrants make great neighbors. When I was in San Diego, there were many African immigrants. The Sudanese Christian kids were awesome. You could leave a wallet sitting on a table full of kids and despite their poverty, it wouldn't even occur to them to touch it - something you wouldn't do in those neighborhoods with the native born . With proper support systems many went on to college and better lives. I read an article about one them recently - doing very well. They were beautiful children - tall, so black they were almost blue, and graceful. It made me remember why we in America love immigrants. The Somali kids were mired in the same hate/revenge/humiliation baggage that comes with Islam and were far more suseptible to gangs and the welfare mindset. It was the beginning of my own recognition of the legacy of our Christian heritage. One reason that we in the US have fared so much better than Europe is that the majority of our immigrants are Mexican or from South America. The values of faith, forgiveness and charity come with them. As someone who believes that all are created equal, I can't escape the observation that it certainly helps when you integrate those who already have a leg up on the benefit of those concepts. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-06-07 03:21 |