Globalization Studies » Dijla al-Rekabi / Fallujah / US war in Iraq

Dijla al-Rekabi / Fallujah / US war in Iraq

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Part 1
Introduction of Dijla Al-Rekabi, a former resident from Fallujah in Iraq, and spent 6 years in a refugee camp after the 1991 Gulf War. Dijla is the name of the Tigris river. Shift towards nationalism in education during the Iran/Iraq war. Dijla became concerned with refugee issues during the first Palestinian Intifada in 1987.

Part 2

Story of security in Iraq, Dijla’s sister walking in Baghdad at night, approached by a stranger who escorted her home. Emphasis on moral and ethical issues, orphans are protected in the culture. The government made education mandatory for men and women. Iraqi people were surprised by the invasion of Kuwait, nobody knew what the government was up to. Sanctions and bombing of Iraq in the gulf war, Baghdad, Kirkuk and Basra were the main cities targeted.

Part 3

Dijla’s ten year old brother died because he was sick and could not be treated in the hospital. The people hated and feared Saddam Hussein. The American forces encouraged the people to rebel against Saddam, the people rebelled and controlled much of the country. Saddam used the military, after the end of the war, to take back the rebel held territories without interference from the Americans. People were slaughtered by Saddam’s forces retaking the cities. Dijla’s family fled Najaf, forced to move south by attacking forces.
See: the highway of death

Part 4

Rafha Camp, an open field on the Saudi border, where thousands of Iraqi civillians arrived seeking refuge. The refugees started to organize themselves based on what city they were from. There was no food and water delivered to the camp from the Saudi’s. A group went out to contact allied forces and signal for help, they promised help, but none came. A second attempt was necessary to get help from American and French forces. The Americans treated the refugees like animals throwing food on the ground and waiting for them to pick it up.

Part 5

Even when the Saudis decided to build a camp made up of mostly a few tents, washrooms were not taken into account. Eventually washrooms were established, 4 sets of 2 washrooms, for over 20, 000 people. Women were degraded by being forced to wait inline with men to use the washrooms, and there were doors that were held closed with only a bent nail. Dijla explains the methodology of her study of the refugee camps.

Part 6

Iraq was the top country in the region for years in terms of education in health, this led to a situation where other Gulf countries where jealous of the Iraqis. The United Nations didn’t become involved in running the camp until sometime in 1992. Sometimes the Saudis would kidnap individuals and take them back to the Iraqi government in order to create fear in the camp. The people in the camp decided to organize a demonstration against the human rights abuses in the camp.

Part 7
There was a deal between the UN and the Saudi government. The Saudi’s agreed to fund the camp as long as the violations that had taken place in the camp were never let out. Dijla explains how important a bulletin board was to the camp for communication. Fire was a big problem in the refugee camp, tents would burn very fast. Sandstorms would also destroy tents. They decided to build structures out of mud bricks to stand up to the elements, using tents as rooves. In 1992 there was a school established in the camp supervised by the United Nations, where Dijla finished her high school education. The Americans moved prisoners of war into the camp raising the population to over 33, 000.

Part 8
One way the refugees in the camp kept their culture and civilization is by forming soccer teams. From March 1991 to July 1996 Dijla and her family stayed in the camp. It was difficult for her to come out of the refugee camps. Reactions to the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States.

Part 9
Picture of a man with a bag on his heads holding his child, a symbollic image from the occupation of Iraq. Dijla takes questions from the class. Story of how Dijla was granted asylum from the Canadian government even though her family did not meet the requirments for asylum.

Part 10
Comparing Dijla’s experience in the refugee camp with other refugee camps. The camps in Iran were treated much better, more social integration was possible. There are a lot of laws protecting the movement of money, yet humans do not share the same kinds of rights. Its luck of the draw whether a group will be able to enjoy human rights, there are few enforcement mechanisms. In Iraq the divisions between Sunni and Shia are not emphasized, the first time Dijla encounters this division is from a Sunni driver in Saudi Arabia. Iraq really is a unified society, especially when it comes to uniting against outside aggression. Dijla would like to return to her home country.

Dijla al-Rekabi / Fallujah / US war in Iraq

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Part 1	Introduction of Dijla Al-Rekabi, a former resident from Fallujah in Iraq, and spent 6 years in a refugee camp after the 1991 Gulf War. Dijla is the name of the Tigris river. Shift towards nationalism in education during the Iran/Iraq war. Dijla became concerned with refugee issues during the first Palestinian Intifada in 1987.
Part 2	Story of security in Iraq, Dijla’s sister walking in Baghdad at night, approached by a stranger who escorted her home. Emphasis on moral and ethical issues, orphans are protected in the culture. The government made education mandatory for men and women. Iraqi people were surprised by the invasion of Kuwait, nobody knew what the government was up to. Sanctions and bombing of Iraq in the gulf war, Baghdad, Kirkuk and Basra were the main cities targeted.
Part 3	Dijla’s ten year old brother died because he was sick and could not be treated in the hospital. The people hated and feared Saddam Hussein. The American forces encouraged the people to rebel against Saddam, the people rebelled and controlled much of the country. Saddam used the military, after the end of the war, to take back the rebel held territories without interference from the Americans. People were slaughtered by Saddam’s forces retaking the cities. Dijla’s family fled Najaf, forced to move south by attacking forces. See: the highway of death
Part 4	Rafha Camp, an open field on the Saudi border, where thousands of Iraqi civillians arrived seeking refuge. The refugees started to organize themselves based on what city they were from. There was no food and water delivered to the camp from the Saudi’s. A group went out to contact allied forces and signal for help, they promised help, but none came. A second attempt was necessary to get help from American and French forces. The Americans treated the refugees like animals throwing food on the ground and waiting for them to pick it up.
Part 5	Even when the Saudis decided to build a camp made up of mostly a few tents, washrooms were not taken into account. Eventually washrooms were established, 4 sets of 2 washrooms, for over 20, 000 people. Women were degraded by being forced to wait inline with men to use the washrooms, and there were doors that were held closed with only a bent nail. Dijla explains the methodology of her study of the refugee camps.
Part 6	Iraq was the top country in the region for years in terms of education in health, this led to a situation where other Gulf countries where jealous of the Iraqis. The United Nations didn’t become involved in running the camp until sometime in 1992. Sometimes the Saudis would kidnap individuals and take them back to the Iraqi government in order to create fear in the camp. The people in the camp decided to organize a demonstration against the human rights abuses in the camp.
Part 7	There was a deal between the UN and the Saudi government. The Saudi’s agreed to fund the camp as long as the violations that had taken place in the camp were never let out. Dijla explains how important a bulletin board was to the camp for communication. Fire was a big problem in the refugee camp, tents would burn very fast. Sandstorms would also destroy tents. They decided to build structures out of mud bricks to stand up to the elements, using tents as rooves. In 1992 there was a school established in the camp supervised by the United Nations, where Dijla finished her high school education. The Americans moved prisoners of war into the camp raising the population to over 33, 000.
Part 8	One way the refugees in the camp kept their culture and civilization is by forming soccer teams. From March 1991 to July 1996 Dijla and her family stayed in the camp. It was difficult for her to come out of the refugee camps. Reactions to the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States.
Part 9	Picture of a man with a bag on his heads holding his child, a symbollic image from the occupation of Iraq. Dijla takes questions from the class. Story of how Dijla was granted asylum from the Canadian government even though her family did not meet the requirments for asylum.
Part 10	Comparing Dijla’s experience in the refugee camp with other refugee camps. The camps in Iran were treated much better, more social integration was possible. There are a lot of laws protecting the movement of money, yet humans do not share the same kinds of rights. Its luck of the draw whether a group will be able to enjoy human rights, there are few enforcement mechanisms. In Iraq the divisions between Sunni and Shia are not emphasized, the first time Dijla encounters this division is from a Sunni driver in Saudi Arabia. Iraq really is a unified society, especially when it comes to uniting against outside aggression. Dijla would like to return to her home country.