By Hamma Mirwaisi and
Alison Buckley
I am a former Iraqi Kurdish
refugee, now US citizen and resident, who unknowingly fled Saddam Hussein's hit
list during the 1970's. Here is my response to the "Record' article of July 24,
2013.
Kurdish, Persian and Arab
refugees are everywhere, especially the Kurdish people who have been displaced
by Turkey, Iran, Iraq and now Syria. There are hundreds of thousands of women,
children and elderly people seeking refuge in Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon but not
Israel because it does not take refugees.
At present the
Kurdistan Regional Governments (KRG's) of Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani
are treating Syrian Kurdish refugees worse than Turkey does. Barzani has closed
the gate on Syrian Kurds for political reasons. He wants them to be his
subordinates before letting them eat.
Barzani, now President
of the KRG, seems to have forgotten that he was a refugee from 1975-1990. We were refugees in
Iran together, but the Shah of Iran settled him and his father in castles close
to Tehran while I and hundreds of thousands of other Kurds suffered in refugee
camps throughout Iran. He has also forgotten about the millions of Kurds who
fled to Iran and Turkey, prompting the installation of international help allowing
him and his corrupt partners in the Kurdish Regional Government to seize
Kurdish oil assets, and become millionaires and billionaires in a very short
time.
We understand that
Massoud Barzani has a heart like steel because he is a tribal leader without
education and love for humanity, but why does it seem that the Australian
Government's leadership is the same? Australia needs refugees to build the
country; refugees are helping, not hurting the Australian population. No one
wants to be a refugee but war and destruction by Middle Eastern dictators are
forcing people to seek peace in other countries.
The author of the
article wrote, "While traveling in Papua New Guinea this month, I met a PNG
national who works in the Australian asylum detention camp on Manus Island (the
camp is actually on Los Negros Island, which is joined by a bridge to Manus).
He began by telling me that all those working at the camp are forced by the
Australians running it to sign a document promising not to talk about what goes
on there. To date, the Australian Government has not let a single journalist
into the internment camp. This is, of course, a very bad sign. What is it that
the Australian Government doesn't want the world to know about? A lot, it turns
out' (1).
Indeed it looks like
the Australian Government has built institutions for refugees perhaps similar to
Germany's concentration camps, otherwise why, until motivated by the recent
confessions of a contractor there, did they not let journalists see refugee
life in their camps or send their representatives to inspect it? It is a shame
for a civilized country to treat refugees like that (2).
There is a push and a
pull factor in the worldwide refugee situation. The push factor is dire, and
beyond many of us to influence. It takes international pressure and at the
moment the interests of the big powers are not sufficiently threatened for them
to take the necessary action. There is also too much fear of upsetting the
powers behind the religious fundamentalism, racial nationalism and regional imperialism
that force Middle Eastern people to flee their homes and homelands. But with
the world economy unable to recover and the superpower balance threatened, a
global shift could occur at any time, obligating the developed countries to
address the issue more comprehensively, in order to maintain their security.
The pull factor for
victims of all forms of persecution, displacement and discrimination is
irresistible. They face greater risks in leaving than they do in staying, but
the motivation to access everyday rights, freedoms and opportunities is worth
it, even to gain a glimpse of that kind of life. Now thousands in or near
Australia are staring at it from behind razor wire, or through the jungle.
We are calling on
Massoud Barzani to open the border gate for Syrian refugees and use part of
Kurdish stolen money to feed refugees. And we ask the Australian Government to
erase the dark spot on Australian history by accepting true refugees
immediately and allowing them to be integrated into the Australian community.
References
(1)Where and what is Manus
Island?
http://record.net.au/items/where-and-what-is-manus-island
(2) Fact Check: can
children under seven be sent to Manus Island? hhtp://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/factcheck-can-children-under-seven-be-sent-to-manus-island-20130731-2qy3l.html
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