2008 Woodie Awards
Presentation discusses Iraqi refugee crisis caused by war
Brian Jones
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: College News
- Page 1 of 1
In 1948, the violence of the Arab-Israeli war spurred the largest refugee migration the world had ever known. The United Nations (UN) final estimates were that 711,000 Palestinians fled their native country as a result of that conflict.
Today, an estimated 2.5 million refugees have fled Iraq since the initial invasion by the United States in 2003.
On Monday afternoon, Noah and Natalie Baker Merrill discussed their thoughts on the Iraqi refugee crisis during a presentation at the University Library Lilly Auditorium. The presentation contained the alarming facts associated with the war in Iraq and the couple's personal accounts of their interaction with the Iraqi refugees in Jordan and Syria.
The presentation was part of a tour sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization that sponsors worldwide peace programs.
According to the UN, the Iraqi refugee migration is the fasted growing refugee crisis in the world.
Noah Baker Merril says, "60,000 Iraqis are fleeing Iraq every month. One in ten Iraqis is a refugee."
"There is a lack of basic human security," he said. "Meaning, in very few places in Iraq can you go out of your house; or stay in your house, and be free of the fear of kidnapping, theft, robbery, rape or killing."
He cites these as the fears prompting the Iraqi to flee to other countries.
The largest number of Iraqis has fled to Syria, which has caused the country to impose new visa restrictions. An estimated 1.4 million refugees have arrived there since 2003. Jordan closed its borders after an estimated 750,000 refugees fled to their country. Around 100,000 have fled to Egypt and 54,000 to Iran.
"Iraq is bleeding all over the Middle East," said Natalie Baker Merrill. "You can really see that from these numbers."
Along with a lack of basic health care, Iraqis are leaving a nation that lacks infrastructure to deliver basic services such as water, sewage treatment and electricity. The constant violence has caused the repair and maintenance on existing infrastructure to be non-existent for the past few years.
"They want to go home," she said. "One man told us that if he could choose between heaven and Iraq, he would choose Iraq."
The Baker Merrills are both graduates of Indiana University Bloomington. They have traveled to the Middle East twice to see what they can do to alleviate some of the suffering caused by the refugee crisis.
Noah Baker Merrill works closely with www.electroniciraq.net. Electronic Iraq is a news portal that provides a humanitarian perspective on the conflict in Iraq. He is the cofounder of the groups Direct Aid Initiative. He is also a board member of The Iraqi Student Project (ISP).
The goal of the Direct Aid Initiative is to support Iraqi refugees by providing funds for crucial medical expenses and supporting small-scale projects. The initiative has raised $30,000 so far and takes donations over the Internet.
Natalie Baker Merrill is the U.S. coordinator of the ISP. The goal of the ISP is to help Iraqi students who have been displaced by the war continue their education in the US. The project hopes to gain tuition waivers at American colleges and universities that would allow Iraqi students to come to the U.S. to finish their education. The project hopes to secure at least 40 placements for Iraqi students for the beginning of the fall 2008 semester.
For information about the ISP, visit www.iraqistudentproject.org. To learn about the DAI, visit electroniciraq.net/news/abouttheproject/Direct_Aid_Initiative.shtml.
Contact Brian Jones at btjones@indiana.edu.
Click here to go to forum
Today, an estimated 2.5 million refugees have fled Iraq since the initial invasion by the United States in 2003.
On Monday afternoon, Noah and Natalie Baker Merrill discussed their thoughts on the Iraqi refugee crisis during a presentation at the University Library Lilly Auditorium. The presentation contained the alarming facts associated with the war in Iraq and the couple's personal accounts of their interaction with the Iraqi refugees in Jordan and Syria.
The presentation was part of a tour sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization that sponsors worldwide peace programs.
According to the UN, the Iraqi refugee migration is the fasted growing refugee crisis in the world.
Noah Baker Merril says, "60,000 Iraqis are fleeing Iraq every month. One in ten Iraqis is a refugee."
"There is a lack of basic human security," he said. "Meaning, in very few places in Iraq can you go out of your house; or stay in your house, and be free of the fear of kidnapping, theft, robbery, rape or killing."
He cites these as the fears prompting the Iraqi to flee to other countries.
The largest number of Iraqis has fled to Syria, which has caused the country to impose new visa restrictions. An estimated 1.4 million refugees have arrived there since 2003. Jordan closed its borders after an estimated 750,000 refugees fled to their country. Around 100,000 have fled to Egypt and 54,000 to Iran.
"Iraq is bleeding all over the Middle East," said Natalie Baker Merrill. "You can really see that from these numbers."
Along with a lack of basic health care, Iraqis are leaving a nation that lacks infrastructure to deliver basic services such as water, sewage treatment and electricity. The constant violence has caused the repair and maintenance on existing infrastructure to be non-existent for the past few years.
"They want to go home," she said. "One man told us that if he could choose between heaven and Iraq, he would choose Iraq."
The Baker Merrills are both graduates of Indiana University Bloomington. They have traveled to the Middle East twice to see what they can do to alleviate some of the suffering caused by the refugee crisis.
Noah Baker Merrill works closely with www.electroniciraq.net. Electronic Iraq is a news portal that provides a humanitarian perspective on the conflict in Iraq. He is the cofounder of the groups Direct Aid Initiative. He is also a board member of The Iraqi Student Project (ISP).
The goal of the Direct Aid Initiative is to support Iraqi refugees by providing funds for crucial medical expenses and supporting small-scale projects. The initiative has raised $30,000 so far and takes donations over the Internet.
Natalie Baker Merrill is the U.S. coordinator of the ISP. The goal of the ISP is to help Iraqi students who have been displaced by the war continue their education in the US. The project hopes to gain tuition waivers at American colleges and universities that would allow Iraqi students to come to the U.S. to finish their education. The project hopes to secure at least 40 placements for Iraqi students for the beginning of the fall 2008 semester.
For information about the ISP, visit www.iraqistudentproject.org. To learn about the DAI, visit electroniciraq.net/news/abouttheproject/Direct_Aid_Initiative.shtml.
Contact Brian Jones at btjones@indiana.edu.
Click here to go to forum
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