Iraqis in Syria

Infobox Ethnic group
group = Iraqi Syrian

Hormuzd Rassam

poptime = 2,000,000
8 to 10 per cent of the total population
date=
url=
title=
accessdate=
popplace = Damascus (Jaramanah), Aleppo, Tartus
langs = Arabic, English
rels = Predominantly Muslim (both Sunni and Shia) and Christian (mostly Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic), and minorities who follow Judaism as well as some being atheists
related = Other Iraqi people

Iraqis in Syria are Syrian citizens of Iraqi heritage or more recently Iraqi refugees seeking refuge in Syria, in which the current population has reached 2,000,000 [ [http://www.offlinebaghdad.org/m-n-s-g NGO's claim Iraqis have hit 2 million in Syria] ] according to a number of NGO's.

History

There have been two significant waves of Iraqis settling in Syria, over the course of the past 25 years.cite web | url =http://www3.brookings.edu/fp/projects/idp/200706iraq.pdf | title =Iraqi Refugees in the Syrian Arab Republic:A Field-Based Snapshot| accessdate =2008-03-30 | publisher =brookings.edu] The first wave came in the 1970s and 1980s, many of them being Sunnis who opposed the Saddam Hussein regime including the Shia majority who were fleeing persecution. Following the first Gulf War and the Iraqi government’s repression of the Shia's in the South, the Syrian-Iraq border remained closed throughout the 1990s and only re-opened in 2001-2002. The second wave of Iraqi displacement began in 2003 as a result of the US invasion.

Iraq War

It is reported that the number of Iraqis fleeing their homeland for Syria is increasing from 30,000 to 40,000 a month. cite web | url =http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17265891/ | title =Iraqi Refugess Burden Syria | accessdate =2007-08-15 | publisher =msnbc.msn.com] An estimated 1.5 million refugees have fled to Syria already. cite web | url =http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17265891/ | title =Iraqi Refugess Burden Syria | accessdate =2007-08-15 | publisher =msnbc.msn.com] Many Iraqi refugees have settled in Jaramanah, a small town south of Damascus, which has become a popular destination. Migration to the town has doubled its population; out of its 200,000 residents, 100,000 are Iraqi refugees. [ [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3374793,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3374793,00.html] ]

The reason for its large refugee population can be attributed to more than just geography. Syria maintained an open-door policy to Iraqis fleeing the war-ravaged country, as Arabs do not require visas. Fact|date=December 2007 Out of an estimated 120,000 Iraqis that have registered at the United Nations refugee office in Damascus, only 3,000 of them have been referred for resettlement in the United States. Their cases are currently on hold. [ [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14495731 NPR: U.S. Resettlement Plan Stalled for Iraqis in Syria ] ]

Iraqi refugees constitute an estimated 8 per cent to 10 per cent of Syria's total population. Before the fall of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's government in April 2003, the number of Iraqis living in Syria were estimated to be at around 100,000. Now local NGOs estimate the current Iraqi community in Syria to be as high as 2,000,000. [ [http://www.offlinebaghdad.org/m-n-s-g NGO's claim Iraqis have hit 2 million in Syria] ]

Sayyida Zainab, a suburb in Damascus, has been dubbed "Little Baghdad", due to the influx of Iraqi refugees. The main road is referred to as Iraqi Street, packed with shops and cafes offering a variety of Iraqi tastes and cuisine, named Fallujah restaurant and Baghdad bakery. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6989795.stm Syria struggles with influx of Iraqi refugees] ]

A large percentage of the immigrants are held to be Chaldean Catholics, with the majority being an equal amount of Sunni and Shia muslims.

In Syria, Iraqi refugees cannot legally work but they do have access to the public health service for primary and emergency care and can also visit Syrian Red Crescent Clinics specifically for refugees. Children classed as refugees are given free access to Syrian schools. However, much of the refugee population cannot afford to pay for books and uniforms. International NGOs working in Syria have reported high levels of child labor and increasing prostitution among desperate refugees. The huge influx of Iraqi refugees has placed such a strain on the infrastructure in Damascus that in three of the neighborhoods that host refugees there is no longer safe drinking water.cite web | url =http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/asylum/lifeline/pages.asp?country=iq&id=8&misc1=facts_country | title =Fact Sheet:Iraqi Refugees in Syria | accessdate =2008-03-30 | publisher =humanrightsfirst.org] It has been estimated that 300,000 Iraqi children are not attending school, with the total of school-age Iraqi children in Syria accounting for 350,000. Only 30,000 are attending school.

It is extremely difficult for Iraqis to find any form of work in Syria as they are required to provide residency permits and show legal status; approximately 55 per cent of Iraqi men in Syria are unemployed.

Iraqi refugees have turned to both child labor and prostitution as coping mechanisms.

Policy announced 2007

In October 2007, Syria restricted the entry of new Iraqi refugees by requesting visas, which they are required to obtain at the Syrian embassy in Baghdad. The rules state that only academics, merchants, taxi and truck drivers qualify for visas. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/world/middleeast/21syria.html Syria Shuts Main Exit From War For Iraqis] ] Syrian authorities are worried that the new influx of refugees would limit the country's resources. Sources like oil, heat, water and electricity were said to be becoming more scarce as demand has gone up. [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/23/MNGPCR4S601.DTL&feed=rss.news Displaced Iraqis running out of cash, and prices are rising] ]

Notable people

*Jack Marshall (author), author and poet
*Amal Al Khedairy, academic [ [http://www.brusselstribunal.org/bios/khedairy.htm Questioning the New Imperial World Order ] ]
*Solhi Al-Wadi, musician [ [http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/235021/Solhi_Al_Wadi_doyen_of_Syrian_classical_music_dies_at_75 Digital Journal - Solhi Al-Wadi, doyen of Syrian classical music, dies at 75 ] ]
*Sharif Hikmat Nashashibi co-founder and chairman of Arab Media Watch
*Ibn Rajab, scholar
*Ahmed ibn Yusuf, mathematician
*Alia Mamdouh, novelist and journalist
*Hormuzd Rassam, assyriologist

References