shecky
27th April 2007, 09:00 AM
Some depressing news from Iraqi blogger Riverbend (http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_riverbendblog_archive.html#863393721364 5733275#8633937213645733275):
I remember Baghdad before the war- one could live anywhere. We didn't know what our neighbors were- we didn't care. No one asked about religion or sect. No one bothered with what was considered a trivial topic: are you Sunni or Shia? You only asked something like that if you were uncouth and backward. Our lives revolve around it now. Our existence depends on hiding it or highlighting it- depending on the group of masked men who stop you or raid your home in the middle of the night.
On a personal note, we've finally decided to leave. I guess I've known we would be leaving for a while now. We discussed it as a family dozens of times. At first, someone would suggest it tentatively because, it was just a preposterous idea- leaving ones home and extended family- leaving ones country- and to what? To where?The post got me wondering how many Iraqis the US would/should take in. The safety of anyone who ever translated for/spoke to/smiled at US troops seems clearly at risk. I'd think there's some moral obligation to those particular people. How 'bout the general population? Regular folks who've just decided to pull up roots and move on elsewhere. Should the US have an open immigration policy, or is there fear of them "bringing terror home"?
I remember Baghdad before the war- one could live anywhere. We didn't know what our neighbors were- we didn't care. No one asked about religion or sect. No one bothered with what was considered a trivial topic: are you Sunni or Shia? You only asked something like that if you were uncouth and backward. Our lives revolve around it now. Our existence depends on hiding it or highlighting it- depending on the group of masked men who stop you or raid your home in the middle of the night.
On a personal note, we've finally decided to leave. I guess I've known we would be leaving for a while now. We discussed it as a family dozens of times. At first, someone would suggest it tentatively because, it was just a preposterous idea- leaving ones home and extended family- leaving ones country- and to what? To where?The post got me wondering how many Iraqis the US would/should take in. The safety of anyone who ever translated for/spoke to/smiled at US troops seems clearly at risk. I'd think there's some moral obligation to those particular people. How 'bout the general population? Regular folks who've just decided to pull up roots and move on elsewhere. Should the US have an open immigration policy, or is there fear of them "bringing terror home"?