Maki al-Nazzal

DAMASCUS – In the struggle now just to stay alive, everyone has forgotten that Iraq has lost, among other things, its tradition in sports. Some of its best sportsmen are now refugees. "No one seems to care about us," 20-year-old footballer Ali Rubai’i told IPS. Ali fled Iraq with his family to Syria like countless … Continue reading “Iraqi Athletes Praying, Not Playing”

DAMASCUS – More than a million Iraqis were lucky enough to flee into Syria. But in this relatively safe haven, there is no getting away from poverty. Mohammad Saleem ran a successful supermarket in Baghdad. “I was leading a comfortable life with my family, despite the 13 years of UN sanctions,” Saleem told IPS in … Continue reading “Iraqi Refugees Flee Danger for Poverty”

DAMASCUS – More than a million Iraqis in Syria cannot find work. For their idleness, they have come to be called the "pillow drivers." The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says there are at least 1.5 million Iraqi refugees in Syria. If they seek work, they will lose their status as refugees. And … Continue reading “Syria Now Home to a Million Iraqi ‘Pillow Drivers’”

DAMASCUS – More Iraqis continue to flee their country than the numbers returning, despite official claims to the contrary. Thousands fleeing say security is as bad as ever and that to return would be to accept death. "Return to Iraq?" asks 35-year-old Ahmed Alwan, an Iraqi engineer now working at a restaurant in Damascus. "There … Continue reading “Iraqi Refugees: ‘Not Our Country to Return To’”