Out of stricken Baghdad, into uncertainty
With an estimated 2 million refugees seeking shelter abroad, officials in Jordan are straining to cope with the crisis.
from the February 16, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
The Iraq effect in Jordan
It's afternoon in Jebel Hussein, a busy part of Amman that is so heavily populated with Iraqis that Baghdad-accented Arabic dominates the streets.
Jordanians complain that the influx of Iraqis has driven up real estate prices and the cost of living in general, making it harder to find affordable apartments. At the other end of this resentment, Amman society is buzzing with chatter about the crime rate going up due to the Iraqi refugee population. In the Iraqis' defense, one Jordanian analyst pointed to the fact that Iraqis here are economically trapped: They can spend but they can't earn. Many are getting desperate, and in such circumstances, it wouldn't be surprising for them move into the black market or find other ways to survive.
All of that is to say nothing of the fear that the Sunni-Shiite conflict could spill over into Jordan.
Newspapers reported that Shiites here might want to build a Shiite mosque, drawing ire from several Islamic leaders in Jordan, which has always been an almost exclusively Sunni nation.
The Obeidys, who are Sunnis, dislike even talking about the sectarian divide, which they prefer to leave behind. Before 2003 and today, they say, they've always simply been Muslims.
At home, Mayada and Ali Hussein are in a much smaller apartment than the home they had in Baghdad. They spend a lot of time watching TV and then calling people back home to make sure they are OK.
"You hear the news and we know we have friends and family there," says Mayada. "It's in your head all the time. It's not like you take everyone you know out with you. Things are shaky. We're not sure of anything now. Mortars fell yesterday right on the area we lived in."
Five days earlier, a mortar landed on a school just like the one their daughters went to, killing five girls.
The children are confused, unsure of where they'll be attending school next year. The adjustment was rough at first. Other children made fun of their Iraqi accents, but soon enough, they caught to the new dialect. Jordan is a hospitable country. Still, Jordan is not home.
And where is that? The children can't decide. They sit, quiet, and well-behaved, watching "The Biggest Loser," a US reality show about obese Americans competing to lose weight.
What should the family do now? Each child has a different answer.
"Stay here," says Nur, 9.
"Go back to Iraq," answers Mustafa, her fraternal twin brother.
"To America," declares Shams, 13 and slender, and stares back at the TV.
Where do Iraqis go?
Two million Iraqis have fled their country since the US-led invasion in 2003. Up to 50,000 follow suit each month.
A look at where they've found refuge:
Syria: 1 million
Jordan: 700,000
Egypt: 130,000
Lebanon: 40,000US: 466 (7,000 more openings in 2007)
Source: AP
RSS feed
