Statistics on Iraqi refugees

You can download the United Nations' most recent report by clicking here.

Vivian

My name is Vivian Ali and I am 16 years old and 10th grade. Because of the bad security situation in I Iraq we were driven out Iraq. We came to Syria. While in Iraq my brother got kidnapped in 2006, but was eventually released. My other brother who was 12 years old was killed as he was caught in the middle of a fight between a militia group and a security check-point guards. After the two accidents, my family was demolished leading us to be desperate.
After what happened to my family it became difficult for me to concentrate on my study and my future turn to be vague so it was for my brother, sister and parents.
I would really like to complete my study and look forward to achieve my goals to become clever in my studies and be good in English no matter what the obstacles are.
My hobbies are swimming, listening to the music and play basketball. My favorite musical instrument is the keyboard. My favorite actors are Brad Bit and Angelina Julie.

Chat w/ Ross School,April 25

Another Excerpts from chat between students in Damascus and students at the Ross School in E. Hampton, New York, on Friday , April 25

Ross school: our students will come up to screen so it's close by

Iraqi students: hello back to you

Iraqi students we can't see you clearly

Iraqi students: the hi

Iraqi students: we have here amir, asala, zahra and nurmeen

Ross school: hi

Iraqi students: (that's from right to left)

Ross school: my name is kirsten

Ross school: you are all beautiful too

Ross school: i am 16 years old

Ross school: do you play on a team?

Ross school: could you move the chair please

Ross school: theres something in fron of the screen

Ross school: oh perfect

Ross school: do you have Mcdonalds over there?

Ross school: i play forward as well

Ross school: yes we have a lot of Mcdonalds here

Ross school: so u play soccer

Ross school: cool

Ross school: I used to play defense

Ross school: do the girls play soccer too

Iraqi students: can you hear us

Iraqi students: who are we looking at on screen now

Ross school: my name is taylor again

Iraqi students: amir says that they have to wait until school closes and then they jump over the fence and use the soccer field

Ross school: hey

Ross school: my name is kenny and im 16 years old

Iraqi students: zahra wants to know if you think what is happening in iraq is fair

Iraqi students: and also hello kenny, how are you

Ross school: im good and i think the situation in iraq is not fair

Iraqi students: we are enjoying this because it gives us a chance to talk to students our age or older

Iraqi students: btw, amir is 11, asala is 13, zahra is 13 and nurmeen is 16

Ross school: i read your blogs and i think it was sad with all you had to endure

Ross school: all of the students in my grade are around 16 or 17

Iraqi students: zahra says we have alll applied for resettlement (with the United Nations)

Iraqi students: zahra wants to go to new York

Iraqi students: asala wants to go to michigan

Ross school: how many days of week do you go to school

Iraqi students: five days

Iraqi students : friday and saturday is our weekend

Ross school: why does zahra want to go new york and asala go to michigan...do you want to go to school there?

Iraqi students: i just like the idea of going to new york, and asala has relatvies in michigan

Ross school: oh thas nice

Ross school: new york is a very fun place

Iraqi students: why don't you come visit us on your summer holiday?

Iraqi students: zahra says that makes her more excited

Iraqi students: what is fun about New York?

Ross school: it paused

Ross school: goodbye my friend daniel is going to talk now

Iraqi students: i think we just lost the connection for a second

Iraqi students: maybe the electricity

Iraqi student's: hello daniel

Ross school: hi my name is Daniel and Im 17

Ross school: do you lose electricity alot

Iraqi students: not that often

Ross school: what about Iraq

Iraqi students: do you ever have shortages in electricity

Iraqi students in Iraq, always

Iraqi students: it is off

Ross school: no its a very rare event

Iraqi students what are your hobbies, daniel

Ross school: well I like to play sports like lacrosse and read

Ross school: do you have lacrosse in syria or Iraq

Iraqi students: what is lacrosse

Iraqi students: asala wanted to be a ballet dancer

Iraqi students: zahra writes poetry

Ross school: lacrosse is a sport where you have to carry a ball with lacrosse sticks into a goal

Iraqi students: also she writes and plays soccer

Ross school: could you send us something that you wrote

Ross school: we would really like to read it

Iraqi student's: but the ballet school in iraq was closed, and in Syria they told me i was too old

Iraqi students: nurmeen plays basketball and karate

Ross school: you are never too old to dance

Iraqi students: zahra says she will send a poem

Ross school: do you take karate in school

Ross school: what subjects do you learn in school

Iraqi students: nurmeen also plays soccer

Iraqi students: there is a club for karate outside of school

Iraqi students: she is the second in the republic of Syria for her age

Ross school: what position do you play in soccer?

Iraqi student's: and weight

Iraqi student's: striker

Ross school: my turn is done

Ross school: goodbye i am going to put Stepahnie on

Ross school: thank you

Ross school: bye

Iraqi students: arabic, english, history, geograpy, science, music, history, arab culture and history, religion

Iraqi students: bye

Iraqi students: hello stephanie

Ross school: can the karate kid raise their hand?

Ross school: we're trying to figure out who everyone is

Iraqi students nurmeen is in the black baseball cap

Ross school: my name is stephanie

Ross school: i'm 16

Iraqi students: tomorrow we are going to tartous (it is on the meditteranean) and we wish you could come with us

Ross school: aw that's really nice

Ross school: we wish you all could come here

Iraqi students: zahra is next to nurmeen

Iraqi students: then asala

Iraqi students: and amir

Ross school: zahra looks like one of our friends over here

Ross school: how are you guys doing in school? is it difficult because it's syrian

Iraqi students: we have more materials in syria

Iraqi students and also, for example, we start english in the first grade instead of the 5th grade in iraq

Ross school: is that good?

Ross school: would you rather be in school in Iraq or in Syria

Iraqi students: we think it is good that there are more materials, we can learn more

Iraqi students in Iraq

Ross school: what kind of music do you guys like?

Iraqi students: asala says that the teachers call us "strangers"

Ross school: just because you're Iraqi?

Iraqi students: she fought w/a girl the other day at school and when they were sent to the teacher, they blamed her because she is a "stranger"

Iraqi students: yes, beacuse we are iraqi

Ross school: just show them you're karate

Iraqi students: haha

Iraqi students western music like mozart

Ross school: wow that's extremely impressive

Iraqi students is it winter or summer there

Ross school: it is spring, a few weeks away from summer

Ross school: we live by the ocean

Iraqi students: we also like arabic singers

Iraqi students like abdel halim hafez (Egyptian)

Ross school: are there any Syrians at school that understand your problems and are sympathetic about them

Ross school: can you post some music on the website

Ross school: so we can hear it too

Iraqi students: and hussam al-rassam and kadhim al-sahra, both iraqi

Iraqi students: we will do that

Iraqi students: yes

Iraqi students: there are

Ross school: we have a friend looking for it now so we can hear it

Ross school: i listen to a lot of music like lil wayne, justin timberlake, maroon 5

Ross school: there's a little rap, hip hop and pop

Ross school: with those people

Iraqi students: we don't know them

Iraqi students: can you send them to us?

Ross school: we'll try to send them to you yes

Iraqi students asala wants to know if you like dean martin

Ross school: i love dean martin

manka says: i like frank sinatra and all of the rat pack as well

Iraqi students: and nurmeen says she likes michael jackson

Ross school: everyone loves michael Jackson!

Iraqi students we like movies with angelina jolie and brad pitt

Ross school: that's really funny.

Ross school: I'm going to let my friend Kirsten talk to you again

Ross school: bye!

Iraqi students: bye

Ross school: i was wondering what your future goals are? Where do you see yourselves in 5 years from now?

Iraqi students: amir wants to be a professional soccer player

Iraqi students asala wants to be a journalist

Iraqi students: (she's in the middle of the picture)

Iraqi students nurmeen wants to be a police woman

Ross school: thats a great profession and very admired in the United States

Iraqi students: and zahra wants to be a pediatrician

Ross school: do you all plan on going to college?

Iraqi students: yes

Iraqi students: we all want to go to college

Iraqi students: al-jazeera

Ross school: we watched control room which is about Al-Jazeera

Ross school: would you ever consider coming to America to go to college?

Iraqi students: asala has seen the film

Iraqi students: of course, we would love to

Ross school: we would love you to come study with us

Iraqi students: asala says she wants to go to beverly hills school in las vegas

Iraqi students: she saw it in a movie

Ross school: las vegas is a very fun and crazy city to visit!

Iraqi students: we wish to, if you can help us

Ross school we will try to help, how can we?

Iraqi students: invite and sponsor us

Ross school: it is a very long process, how do we start?

Iraqi students: you give us a letter to take to the US embassy when we apply for a visa

Iraqi students: it can take some months to get teh visa

Ross school: we are very interested in this process

Iraqi students: we are very happy

Ross school: would your parents come to America with you?

Iraqi students: they will let us come by ourselves, but we would like to have them with us

Ross school: of course, we will find out what paper work is needed for this project, it is long and difficult but we are very inspired to send you over here to recieve the permission

Ross school: we will research what is needed

Ross school: our class is over now, so we have to go, but we hope to talk to you next week

Ross school: it was so nice meeting/speaking with you

Ross school: thank you!!!

Iraqi students: thank you

Iraqi students: we do too

Iraqi students: it was nice talking to you

Evan Ali

My name is Evan Ali. I'm 16 years old and in 9th grade. We left my country because the security is bad. My brother was kidnapped, but is with us in Syria now. My uncle was killed by armed militias.

Now I live with my family in Syria, I am continuing my studies here. I face some difficulties in my studies but it's necessary that I compensate this year so I don't forget what I learned in Iraq. I wish that one day I can be policeman to serve my country.

My hobbies are playing the guitar, and listening to music. I like Michael Jackson.

Nuaaf

My name is Nuaaf Al-sadoon, I am 10 years old, and I live with my father and my mother.

We left my country in 2006 because the states of security is bad. I don't want return to see another bombing like I saw when I was on my way home from school. I am so sad that I missed one year of study.

I face some problems in Syria. In school, the slangy language was a change. I couldn't understand my teacher but now it's OK.

Chat w/Ross School, April 16

Excerpts from chat between students in Damascus and students at the Ross School in E. Hampton, New York, on Wednesday, April 16.

students from Ross school

Ross school: hello
Damascus: hello
Ross school: hello my name is laura
Damascus: hello this is david (David is Alaa's nickname)
Ross school: do you go to school?
Damascus: no I doesn't.
Ross school: do you have a job?
Damascus: no, I am not allowed to work here
Ross school: how do you get money?
Damascus: my father, even though is old, he still works. He is a sort a mediator to get goods in and out of Iraq.
Ross school: how old is you?
Damascus: I am 17 years old.
Damascus: Marwan and Noora came in.
Damascus: Marwan is 19 years old , Nora is 20 years old .
Ross school: I was wondering how did you feel when the US invaded Iraq ?
Damascus: we were very frustrated
Damascus: and sad.
Ross school: do you have any questions for us ?
Damascus: how does it feel to be a student in the US? how does it work?
Damascus: Marwan asked
Ross school: we are in a private school which works differently than the public schools here
Ross school: it's expensive, but many people get financial aid
Ross school: www.ross.org is the website if you want to check it out
Ross school: it's privately founded by one woman.
Ross school: we get to travel to many countries including Mozambique, Greece, Brazil, and Italy.
Damascus: are there many difficulties in terms of the text books themselves?
Ross school: are any of you going to Syrian schools?
Damascus: Marwan goes to school here.
Ross school: are you okay in the schools ?
Damascus: Marwan says that the text books her are different than the ones in Iraq, so it is hard for me.
Damascus: their treatment to us in general is not very good, but i am not different than anybody else.
Ross school: when the war ends will any of you go back to iraq or do you prefer to stay away from there?
Marwan: I am not optimistic about the situation and i don't think i will go back anytime soon.
Nora: I don't think, as long as the American forces there, that the situation will change for the better.
Ross school: how do they spend time in Damascus?
Marwan: I read as well as do other things for fun
Damascus: I like to write too.
Marwan: recently I wrote a play and it was performed yesterday.
Damascus: David says that he spends most of his time on the internet chatting
Ross school: are you chatting with people in Baghdad or other places?
Damascus: he chats with mostly people in Turkey because he speak Turkish.
Ross school: do you feel animosity towards all Americans? what can we do as students to help you?
Damascus: We know that the American people are good and many oppose to this. We don't like the American troops.
Noora: What do YOU think about the US Army ?
Ross school: we don't think that the situation has been handled well.
Ross school: the soldiers aren't culturally sensitive or trained, so it's pretty tough
Ross school: we don't understand why the soldiers are really there
Ross school: we don't even get the real picture of what's happening over there
Ross school: except in this class we see what's really happening and it's much different than what we see on the news daily
Damascus: in the US we thought there is a freedom of press and you can get the reality a lot easier than we could
Ross school: there is but there is A LOT of censorship against the media
Damascus: Us leaving out homes reflects that the situation is bad
Damascus: Marwan is surprised to know that there is censorship
Ross school: the major news stations chose to edit the stories so as not to "upset" people. The real whole story is out there, it just needs a little extra work to be found
Ross school: many people focus on news about celebrities here over the situation in Iraq
Damascus:Nora: That is funny, so people don't want to see the situation they created in Iraq, while we live in it. How do we suppose to feel now
Ross school: most people feel that they are not a part of it or the decision to invade Iraq
Ross school: so they chose to avoid the situation
Ross school: a lot of people block it out because they don't want to feel responsible, we don't really know what to do as civilians.
Damascus: we are very happy to meet with you guys
Ross school: another thing, we were told the wrong reasons for why the US invaded in the first place
Ross school: okay we have to go as well, our class is almost over. it was very nice having the opportunity to speak with you
Ross school: shukran
Damascus: we are thankful as well. hope to talk to you again. Peace upon you!
Damascus: we have to go now
Damascus: bye!

Five years now... Iraqi Artists in Exile

Under the title "Five years now... Iraqi Artists in Exile" the French Cultural Center with cooperation with Unites Nations High Commissioner for Refugees sponsored an event marking the fifth anniversary for the occupation of Iraq. Iraqi Artists carried out the event and perform music and clown shows. From my side, I was able to coordinate with one of the volunteers at the center and reserve seats for Nativewithoutanation kids.

The event was of two parts; one in the morning for kids where Iraqi clowns drew a smile on the children faces. The one in the afternoon was for adults. I was able to get the youth to get into that too. Iraqi musicians and singers from all parts of Iraq played very nice Iraqi music. It was a very nice day.

The event took place on April 4th

Questions from Dorie Miller Academy's students, via Email contact with Firas

US students: Do you hate Americans?

Iraqi students: We don't like the American Army because before they came to Iraq, we never felt scared to go schools and we lived in our country and homes.

US students: Was Saddam a great leader in Iraq?

Iraqi students: We can't say that Saddam Hussein was good, but we know that we never faced terrorism in Iraq, or saw dead bodies in our streets.

US students: How do you feel about having to leave your home country?

Iraqi students: We feel we are not vital, not alive. We wish to go back to our beloved

Homes, Persona things, schools, teachers and friends, as soon as possible

US students: Do you like where you live now?

Iraqi students: We like to live and go to school in our home country more. We are here because we have no other option not because we like it.

US students: Do you think this war will end?

Iraqi students: Of course this war will end. It is just we don't know when.

US students: If the war does end, will you go back to Iraq?

Iraqi students: It is out parents who can decide if we should go back to Iraq. If we ran out of our savings, of course we will go back.