Iraq - a much worse place for the vulnerable
In the not-too-distant past (though it seems to have been very well forgotten) we invaded Iraq for.. well, no particular reason and a whole lot of lies and an amazing amount of blithering foolishness.
Iraq is not now a happy fun place. Of course, Iraq wasn’t much of a happy fun place before, but amazingly enough invasion, bombing and largely incompetent occupation has not exactly made it much funner or happier.
A book, several, could be written on how conditions have changed in Iraq. About how religious persecution is on the rise, religious oppression becoming more and more the norm, about how women are seeing their rights crumble and facing an uprising of persecution for not adhering to religious rules to the basic laws and rights of Iraq women being severely curtailed to the simple lawlessness and violence of the country makes women, always a target for violence, even more vulnerable. The occupiers and the forces of the west do little to help or address this - being far more concerned with getting the government in place than worried about what it is or isn’t doing.
And Iraq is no safe place for LGBT people. Iraq has been considered one of the worst places on Earth for gays Iraqi gays face torture as religious leaders openly call for the death of gays. GBLT people are hunted and murdered in ever increasing numbers
Of course, again, we are doing little to help the GBLT people being persecuted in the nation we occupy. LGBT Iraq is trying to help gay Iraqis flee the country. Described sometimes as an underground railroad, he has been Unfortunately one of the leaders of that movement is in legal limbo trying to claim asylum in the UK - making him unable to travel, campaign and save so many others desperately in need of help. There’s no “compelling” reason to process his application quickly - regardless of his work and effort. I have to wonder what a compelling reason would be.
Unable to travel, he cannot speak internationally. He cannot raise attention, even though the UK foreign office considers his organisation one of the go-to NGOs for Iraq. He cannot do his job. And his job is saving poeople.
This man is trying to fix some of the mess we created. The least we could do is help with that