| Assyrian International News Agency, but a Mcclatchy Newspapers journalist. Consider the source... |
 Nobody used the word "crisis" when the first wave of Iraqis fled the war and settled here. But the word definitely applies now, as shellshocked Iraqis of all backgrounds pour into Syria at the rate of nearly 1,000 a day. In fact, "crisis" may not be strong enough, as the flow of Iraqis becomes a torrent. At least 1.2 million are already here, according to the United Nations. Each has a story of terror and trauma and a need for services that is stretching Syrians' patience. Many believe the number may be higher.
"What's their future, the 2 million Iraqis here? They can't work, they have to renew their residency cards, they live in poverty. It's an explosive situation," said Lourance Kamle, 32, a Syrian relief worker whose agency focuses on Iraqi refugees. "Make a war? Fine. And what comes after? The Americans should come here and see all these poor people because that's the result of their war."
| "After all, a dictatorship that sponsors terrorists is sooo much better. Look at us here in Syria..." |
As there are no refugee camps, Syrian schools and hospitals are overrun with Iraqis. Housing prices have soared, sowing resentment and anger among Syrians who can no longer afford to live in their neighborhoods. Iraqi refugees have turned the districts of Qudsiya, Jaramana and Sayeda Zeinab into "Little Baghdads," right down to replica restaurants, cafes and clothing stores. Each of Iraq's discordant factions has established a satellite presence in Damascus; many even boast public offices. There's the old Baath Party, the new Baath Party, the Muslim Scholars Association, the Mahdi Army, the Badr Brigade, the Islamic Army, the Chaldean and Assyrian clergies, the artists and intellectuals, and a representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the leading Shiite cleric in Iraq.
| Just a little piece of old disfunctional home... |
Until they fled Baghdad at the end of May, Rifah Daoud and her family had been the last remaining Christians on their block in the deadly neighborhood of Dora. Daoud, 53, said her family had held out hope that the neighborhood insurgents, the local Sunnis they call "the honorable resistance" for targeting only U.S. troops, would prevail over the al-Qaida-allied strangers who were challenging their shaky control of the area.
| Nothing like rooting for the home team... |
One day, Daoud said, the nationalist insurgents broadcast a message from the mosque promising to protect Christians and ordering them to stay put. The next day, Daoud's family received a letter that told them to vacate their home and turn the keys over to the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group for Sunni extremists. Daoud said it was clear who ran her block: al-Qaida.
"Living is better than dying, and those were the options: death or leaving," Daoud said. "Three hours later, we went to the border." After the family had fled to Syria, neighbors called from Baghdad to let them know al-Qaida had come back, looking for the washing machine.
| "And the satellite dish! Where is the satellite dish?!!" |
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