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Tell Me Your Story – Interview with Mrs. Raja
Interview conducted by Azher Adnan
Azher: Mrs. Raja, an Iraqi woman, says that she arrived in Egypt in August of 2006 with her husband and children and turned immediately to the Refugee Commission. She added that she had hoped a lot from the Commission, but “they completely ignored us and in the end they –the Commission – all that concerned them was the question as to our family’s makeup – Shi’a or Sunni.”
As for their exposure to threats in Iraq, she said that her husband was previously associated with one of the security apparatuses and that he was Sunni. This situation continued until the fall of Saddam’s regime and the dissolution of the armed forces. Her husband became unemployed but after a short time it was possible for him to obtain employment at one of the banks as a security guard.
Mrs. Raja: “The situation became increasingly worse after the explosions in Samarra – we were near to it, living in a city mixed between Shi’a and Sunni. We received direct death threats. We were forced to flee after we borrowed a sum of money.
“After our arrival in Egypt – specifically, at the airport – we were exposed to theft and the amount that was with us - $6000, all that we owned – was stolen. The world blackened in our eyes, and my husband suffered from a nervous tic which resembled a sort of quasi-palsy. We were in a terrible state.
“We sought loans for our living requirements from the first day, and the matter reached the point where we would spend more than two days without food. To remind you, we have two children. My husband tried to get work but met with great difficulty; he worked multiple jobs but to no avail, he was dismissed numerous times.”
Azher: Regarding the assistance that she and her family received, she said “the Caritas organization [a Catholic aid organization] credited us with 250 Egyptian Pounds [about 47 US dollars] in addition to paying the Commission the tuition installments for my daughter, since Egypt does not permit us to study in government schools – so the Catholic aid organization [Caritas] undertook the tuition payments at private schools.”
Mrs. Raja: “As for our dealings with the Commission, they did not reach the humanitarian level – they are neglectful towards Iraqis and all that they will tell any of us about our problems is to use the Egyptian Government as an excuse – that it restricts their action – or that the Iraqi Government requested that they not grant naturalization to Iraqis, and etc. with pretexts and excuses.
“As for today…after our crisis became critical in Egypt my husband decided to return to Iraq. This was the hardest decision we had ever made as a family – he would be going to his death. We had two choices, and the sweetest of them was still bitter: staying in Egypt and with it abject poverty, or returning to Iraq and certain death. A month has passed since his return, and I know nothing about his fate as of today – I am torn between two alternatives: joining my husband about whom I know nothing, or remaining with my children by ourselves, battered by the storm.”
Azher --These are the words of Mrs. Raja who spoke as tears formed in her eyes – I was not able to control my nerves either, and we both broke into tears.
