Global Arab Network | Turn the tide - UK help for Iraqi refugees can restore trust

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Turn the tide - UK help for Iraqi refugees can restore trust

- Adam Turner

Tuesday, 10 August 2010 23:35

Iraq-_Government_moves_to_rationalize_food_aid_system

London - On 20 July Eliza Manningham-Buller, Director General of the UK's MI5 Security Service from 2002 to 2007, spoke at the Iraq Inquiry, a committee set up by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and chaired by Sir John Chilcot to examine the lessons learnt from the Iraq conflict. Manningham-Buller stated that the Iraq war "was a highly significant factor in how 'home-grown' extremists justified their [violent] actions."

The image of the UK has been considerably tarnished since the Iraq war began. Time and time again, convicted terrorists in the country and abroad have cited it as a key radicalising factor which tipped them toward violent action. But the UK government has an opportunity to turn the tide. If it can take certain steps to aid and reach out to both the Iraqis and Brits affected by the war, the UK government can restore the trust that has been lost through this conflict and eliminate some extremists' justifications for violence - however misguided they might be.

The war in Iraq has led to over 1.8 million Iraqis seeking shelter overseas, primarily in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey. The Syrian government estimates that there are one million refugees in the country, the overwhelming majority coming from Iraq. In Jordan, estimates for Iraqi refugees range from 600,000 to 700,000 people and the influx has led to a steep rise in prices of real estate and food in urban areas. As a result, many Jordanians harbour increasing resentment towards refugees.

These victims of the Iraq war have no savings, many cannot work legally and many end up being abused since they work outside of the scope of the law. The rest have no viable prospects for income and rely on handouts, aid and charity. Furthermore, of the refugee population of nearly two million people, according to various estimates, 40 per cent are children and 60 per cent are younger than 25. The war has therefore created an underclass within Syria and Jordan which will not go away for decades to come and whose experiences will only serve to fuel radical action against those countries who participated in the Iraq war.

In order to address the Iraqi refugee issue, the UK must lend its support and provide aid to countries like Turkey, Jordan and Syria to ensure that refugees have access to medical care and basic services, including education and vocational training so that they can be ensured a dignified future. Providing basic skills training and support will also leave a positive legacy in the refugee camps where there is much despair. Without hope, these individuals can become caught in a cycle of violence and retribution.

And one can never underestimate the power of words. UK Prime Minister David Cameron recently apologised to the families of those killed on Bloody Sunday in 1972, when the British Army killed 26 unarmed protestors in Northern Ireland. He showed courage, conviction and honesty in doing so. Such honesty will also be required to heal the wounds of the relatives of people who died in Iraq. These include the families and loved ones of those civilian Iraqis who died, those who were tortured, those who have disappeared, those British soldiers who fought and who died in Iraq, and those men, women and children who did nothing but who found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time and who are now stateless.

They deserve an unreserved apology by a prime minister who has shown himself as someone who is willing to say things as they are.

We are all aware of the deeply entrenched positions that people hold on the invasion of Iraq. The work of redressing the war's effects needs to continue not only to bridge the divide between Muslim and non-Muslim majority countries, but to give those whom the war affected a sense of hope for the future through small steps towards building a solid, long-term foundation of trust.

The invasion of Iraq caused a huge barrier between the UK public and its politicians, and provided fodder to a dissatisfied portion of the population that has been willing to incite violence of its own to protest the war. That trust which was lost needs to be built up through small steps, some of which are outlined here. Without them, the heavy and turbulent legacy of Iraq will continue and spill into the UK.

Global Arab Network

* Fiyaz Mughal is the Founder and Director of Faith Matters (www.faith-matters.org), an organisation that works to resolve conflict and create community cohesion through collaboration between faith communities in the United Kingdom and the Middle East. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).

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