Since the American invasion of Iraq, more than 5 million Iraqis have been driven from their homes by violence and terror. One of these Iraqis is Ahlam Ahmed. This is her story.
Across the world, Muslims have begun celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, a month of fasting and feasting. But threats of swine flu and the economic downturn, on top of already existing security fears in several Islamic countries, have dampened the mood.
In response to the H1N1 swine flu virus, a string of governments have placed restrictions on citizens making the pilgrimage to the holy places in Saudi Arabia, a trek traditionally made by many Muslims during Ramadan.
Meanwhile, financial worries forced many families to cut back on their holiday spending. In the Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina, which normally do a brisk trade from pilgrims during Ramadan, businesses are bracing for their worst holy month in years.
Trying to tempt travelers, tour companies have slashed the price for package tours from Riyadh to Mecca by 25 percent, the English language Saudi Gazette reported.
In neighbouring Medina, officials said they expected business to be down by 70 percent.
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Xinhua: “Gazans find joyous Ramadan a luxury during economic downturn”
In the last 50 years, numerous presidents have called on Israel to stop its expansion activities. Israel has consequently ignored this request. To date, the Obama administration has been significantly more vocal that its predecessors about this demand.
This change has not gone unnoticed by Israel’s Arab neighbors. But the Tehran Times took another look at the issue of Israeli settlements Tuesday, criticizing the role of individual Americans and organizations funding this activity.
The Times reports:
This support is currently undermining the United States efforts to restart the peace negotiations. In addition to its diplomatic efforts to stop the settlements, the Obama administration must also stop the flow of American financial support for the settlement activities.
The American individuals and organizations that support the settlement activities must ask themselves: is what they are doing good for their fellow Americans? The Obama administration has correctly recognized that continuation of the Arab-Israeli conflict is harmful to the U.S. interests in the Middle East and indirectly contributes to terrorism.
Those Americans who support the settlement activities under current circumstances are indirectly contributing to the promotion of terrorism against the United States and should think about the consequences of their behavior for the safety and security of their country.
Chicago is home to the second largest Iraqi population in the United States (the first is in Dearborn, Michigan). But the absence of the Iraqi community is being felt by Chicago resettlement agencies, like the Heartland Alliance’s Refugee and Immigrant Services. With the resettlement of Iraqis increasing almost 15 fold, representatives of these agencies say this void was not something they expected.
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