Painting the Iraqi Refugee Crisis in Broad Strokes

On Feb. 4, the ongoing Iraqi refugee crisis was the topic of the second in a series of panel discussions sponsored by Intersections’ ChangeTheStory.net Project. Panelists included media branding expert Michael Jordan; journalist Charity Tooze; artist Kim Schultz; and Intersections’ C. Eduardo Vargas, who manages the Iraqi Voices Amplification Project (IVAP).  Jordan and Schultz are members of IVAP who recently returned from a trip to Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, where they were able to listen first-hand to the stories of Iraqis displaced by the war.

Eight years after the end of major combat in Iraq, the world’s largest urban refugee crisis has left more than 5 million people displaced from a country whose once-secular identity has all but eroded into violent sectarian strife. The panelists spoke from experience in discussing the issues.

Some Iraqis expressed that they “were better off under Saddam,” said Jordan. While in the Middle East, he observed secular divides that have troubled many Iraqis.

These began after the start of the war, when sectarian divisions were ripped into the fabric of Iraqi culture. Communities witnessed unprecedented violence, splitting Sunnis against Shiite, Muslims against Christians, secular against religious. “No one was immune from getting attacked,” said Jordan, and many Iraqis paid an “unnecessary” price as a result.

Journalist Tooze added that all refugees are at risk. Vargas concurred, explaining, “Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria are not signatories of the 1951 Refugee Convention. This means that refugees have limited rights and legal standing in the respective countries.”

Tooze explained that because of this, refugees’ access to services and resources is limited to those provided by international organizations, including UNHCR, other NGOs and nonprofit organizations working in the region.

The Iraqi Voices Amplification Project provides tangible policy recommendations for the U.S. government to consider in order to strengthen Iraqi society, help aide organizations working with Iraqi refugees in the region, and help improve the conditions of refugees internationally.

IVAP also uses the arts as an innovative medium to tell the refugees’ stories. “Art can make people care in a way that an article can’t,” said artist Schultz.

Members of the Washington, D.C.-based dance group City Dance Ensemble participated in IVAP and recently choreographed and performed “Wishes of the Sailor,” a special presentation in partnership with the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission). The performance was based on Iraqi refugees the team met while in the Middle East. Schultz is leading other creative projects, including a play scheduled to premier at various venues across the country.

ChangeTheStory.net Project Manager Sara Reef moderated the conversation. The panel discussion was followed by a short reception. ChangeTheStory.net is the premier web-based resource designed to combat misconceptions and stereotypes of Muslims and Islam.