Two Iraqi children separated by sectarian violence and joined together by exile -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Al-Hassan Ali and Hussein Ali are two Iraqi children from Baghdad’s al-Azimiya quarter. Al-Hassan’s origins lie in the northern city of Mosul, while Hussein is originally from the capital; both were born in al-Azimiya and they live in the same alley. The harsh circumstances of Baghdad decreed that they leave Iraq for Syria. Al-Hassan’s family has settled in al-Ladhiqiya on the Syrian coast; Hussein and his father are living in Damascus. But how was al-Hassan able to meet his friend Hussein in Damascus? “After the random shelling of al-Azimiya increased about four months ago, along with the random killing, we left our home and traveled to al-Azimiya,” says al-Hassan, a fifth-grade student. “We couldn’t take any of our possessions except some clothes. In al-Ladhiqiya we rented a small office and lived in it—me, my father, mother, and my three siblings.” Al-Hassan adds, “More than a month later, I found that my friend Hussein was also in Syria with his father. His father was threatened with murder if he didn’t leave al-Azimiya, for sectarian reasons. I found out that they were living in Damascus. I can’t go by myself to Damascus because it’s almost 400 km between there and al-Ladhiqiya, but I got the number of Hussein’s father’s cell phone through my mother, who constantly calls Hussein’s mother in Baghdad. I would sometimes call Hussein from a public phone to check up on him. A few days ago I cried a lot when I saw our house on al-Jazeera. American forces were entering to search it. I also saw some of my friends from the neighborhood, and I saw Hussein’s house being searched by the soldiers. The day that our neighborhood of al-Azimiya and some of our friends appeared on al-Jazeera, we all cried—me, my father, my mother, and my siblings. I asked my father to take us back to Baghdad, but he refused, so I asked him to take me to Damascus to see my friend Hussein. He took me to Damascus. We went to Khalil’s house, a Syrian friend of my father in al-Salhiya. Right away I asked for the cell phone from my dad’s friend and I called my friend Hussein and told him that I was in the al-Salhiya area of Damascus. He told me that he lived in the al-Shaalan area, very close to al-Salhiya. He told me to wait for him in front of the famous al-Rawda coffee shop on al-Abed St. I went alone right away to the al-Rawda café and I stood in front of the door to wait for my friend Hussein. About 15 minutes later, Hussein arrived. We hugged and kissed and walked around the streets of al-Salhiya then we went back to the al-Rawda café. We spoke about the latest news of our neighborhood, about those we know who were killed, kidnapped, or left.” Hussein says about his journey to Damascus, “After the sectarian killing and shelling increased in our neighborhood, al-Azimiya, my father received death threats warning him to leave in a letter put in front of his store. My father has had a famous sweet shop in al-Azimiya for more than 15 years. My father decided to go to Syria and leave Baghdad, but the problem was that my mother and three siblings don’t have passports—only me and my father. Since it might take more than a month to get a passport, my father was forced to take me to Syria and leave my mother and siblings in Baghdad. So we’ve lived here alone in Damascus for more than three months. I have no friends here. I live in a non-Shiite area and social relations here are very complicated. A few days ago I cried so much when I saw the Americans on al-Jazeera searching our house.” Source: Al-Khalij April 5, 2007
By: Ali Habash
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