Iraqi Jews

[Yahudi Al Iraq]

Libya now is welcoming back its Jews, what about Iraq?

http://www.jewishtimes.com/News/4245.stm

[Guest Someone]

Welcome our brother Iraqi Yahudi..

Don't know if you are really Iraqi Jew or it is just a name.. However, It is the second time having such opportunity contacting an Iraqi Jew. The first time was about ten years ago, let me talk about it.

I was looking for a custom clearance agent.. Some Iraqi friends recommended one. As they told me that he is an Iraqi Jew, I was hesitating to go for him. I had all stories about Jews and how much they hate us, but I decided to go for curiosity.

I went to meet him, he was about 70 years old, very well looking person in a normal office with basic furniture. I introduced my self, he asked me from were I am. I said originally from Iraq. He raised his head from where in Iraq? I said from Baghdad. He asked when had you had left? I replied, one year ago. He immediately asked, “Do you know Battaween discrete?". I said of course, there where my office in Baghdad. He started weeping, "Do know if our house is still there, the house of my father and grandfather, where I used to play . Is Abu Noas still beside our house? We used to swim in the Tigris river at Abo Noas.. Are kids still swimming there? While he crying he told me about his first love, about school, about synagogue, about his neighbor Muslims and Christian in Bataween...."

It was first time that I ran into such experience, meting a real Iraqi Jew. He was not better Iraqi than any "Iraqi Shia Tabaea" whom Saddam had expelled and took over their properties and savings.

 

I don't think that there is any legal reason that would block Iraqi Jews from getting back their Iraqi identity. Iraqi Jews are the earliest Iraqi citizen, they were living there for thousands of years, their "our " prophets tombs, like Shuab, Alkifil and Alekhaider, are still there near to Hilla and Kufa.

 

I don't think in the new Iraq, there is any one that have the authority to block Iraqi nationality from any Iraqi any more. You should not ask for it , you need to act to get it.. Your Moroccan, Egyptian, Yemen, Syrian and now Libyan’s Jews got it by managing through secret deals with leaders .. In new Iraq you need to get from your country , it is your right , no political deals . Your fathers graves is your identity.. They are waiting for you.. Iraq is your country.. It is not a donation, it is a grant by your ancestors.. Your house is still there..

Some one might compare such return to what had happened in Palestine. In Palestine, Jews moved Palestinians from their houses to settle on a claim that they had left two thousand year ago. In Iraq your houses are still there registered in TABOO in your name.. Why hesitating to get them it back..? You should not begging some to ..

 

Any one who oppose such noble cause of re instating Iraqi nationality to Iraqi Jews, should remember that if we allow such thing to happen to any Iraqi, then there is no guarantee it will not happen to us.

[Yahudi Al Iraq]

Salaam, Shalom brother. I inquired with the Iraqi embassy here in Washington DC this summer about obtaining a passport. It seems possible to get an Iraqi passport as long as you or your parents were born in Iraq. The embassy worker, a Lebanese man, questioned what my religious affilation was. I asked why. The worker stated by your questions I thought you were an Iraqi Christian!

It did seem like the Iraqi embassy was trying to avoid at all costs to issue passports to Iraqi nationals who are not Muslims. Also a problem is developing concerning the Iraq vote in January 2005. According to the embassy Iraqis must be in the country of Iraq to vote. That means all Iraqi exiles, even with Iraqi passports cannot vote unless they go to Iraq. There are at least 4 million Iraqi nationals outside Iraq, most of whom are Kurds, Christians or Jews. I am begining to question the sincerity of the Iraqi interm government on allowing expatriates of all religions back into Iraq. I also see the Christian community suffering the same kinds of persecution that our fellow Iraqi Jews suffered in 1948. I hope all turns out well.

[Guest Someone]

It did seem like the Iraqi embassy was trying to avoid at all costs to issue passports to Iraqi nationals who are not Muslims.

I don't think so.. Same thing happened to some of my friends of Iraqi Muslim Shia Tabea , those half million who Saddam had expelled to Iran after stolen their money and houses in the late seventies and early eighties.

The issue is that there is no specific regulations of how to deal with all those who lost their citizenship .. The funny thing is that The greatest Iraqi poet Aljawahree had lost his citizenship for his opposition to Saddam.

It might need some time before this issue get settled..

Some of those friends went to Iraq "using their other passports" and filed law suite for their right to get back their properties.

As for their citizen ship, they are following it with the new minstry of immigration..

I suggest you follow with ministry and to try to find some Iraqi lawyer to follow for any law suite to re instate your citizenship. if you don't have it ..

 

Good luck!

[Guest Guest_tajer]

http://www.asharqalawsat.com/view/leader/2...,22,261673.html

 

In Arabic.. Intersting article by Shia Iraqi Scholar Rasheed Khaon.

Talking about jews and christians in Iraq..

[Yahudi Al Iraq]

thanks Tajer, good article. my wife also enjoyed reading it. My wife just got a call from Baghdad today. Some of her cousins are attempting to make a run to the Jordanian border through Fallujah. They say the Syrians are turning back Iraqis at their border. I suggested going to Iran instead. Any thoughts on a safer route out of Baghdad?

[tajer]

My brother got out through the Syrian boarders last week.. Are they sure about the closure?

To avoid Fallouja route, there is a safer route through Kerbala-Nekhaib and merge into the hight to Jordan, that is after the 160 point.. Taxi drivers know about it..

Of course through Iran is the most safer, but need a visa.. The Kawees don't allow Iraqis to cross through.

Just for my curiosity, are there still some Iraqi Jews left in Iraq.. I know one Jew , he was teacher in Baghdad university -college of engineering-Electrical dept. But he left ten years ago.. I thought all Jews were already left. he was very smart , higly respected engineer, we felt it a great loss.

I need to know more about the Iraqi Jews, is there any web site? How do they think about Iraq and reeastablishing of their home relation..?

Please ignore my questions if you feel them not appropriet..

[Yahudi Al Iraq]

Hello Tajer,

Yes, the relatives say Syria is turning back Iraqis from their border. We had a cousin who drove around Fallujah to get to Syria this spring and made it here to US fine, but said the ride was very dangerous even to get to Syria. The problem now in Baghdad according to our people is finding a taxi driver brave enough to drive them to the Jordanian border. Apparently the taxi drivers are too scared at this time. Not even the road to Baghdad airport is safe. There are still Jews left in Iraq. But most do not practice openly. It is very difficult to arrange transportation out of Iraq. There are still some practicing Jews that live on Bataween street. And the Kurdish areas of the north are still some Jews. Here is a good site about Iraqi Jews:

http://www.samba.co.il/iraqijews/

[tajer]

If they are so worried, then they might get the plane to Jordan. I think it would not be terrbly costly using the Iraqi air lines. Some friends told me that it was very good flight with Iraqi crew.. As for the road to the airport , it was safe last week , don't know now..I suggest they might wait for three weeks, I am sure the Falloja issue will be resolved after Ramadan.. Local Fallouja people are very upset with forngier fighters, they might revolt any time against them and liberate Fallouja.. Men are evacuting their women and kids to camps that are already set by the governemnt, but they feel very worried with all what might happen to the city.

 

Thanks for the link , it very intersting..

[Guest Guest_tajer]

http://www.aljeeran.net/viewarticle.php?id...pg=index&art=mp

 

In Arabic.. Iraqi Jews can vote.. They need to have any document that prove their Iraqi citizenship .. For those who born outside Iraq and dosen't have any Iraqi document, they can bring their father's document

[Guest Guest]

http://www.aljeeran.net/viewarticle.php?id...pg=index&art=mp

بنيامين بن اليعازر، وزير الدفاع الاسرائيلي الاسبق المولود في العراق، انه لا يعتقد ان يشارك اسرائيليون في الانتخابات العراقية. ومضى يقول «من يرى في اسرائيل وطنا له لن يصوت في الانتخابات العراقية».

 

 

مرحبا باخواننا , اما بن اليعازر فله الحق بان يرفض العوده الى ارض اجداده ولكن لايحق له ان بفرض قناعته على الاخرين

[Guest Guest_Tajer]

http://www.elaph.com/Politics/2005/1/33879.htm

 

حول مشاركه اليهود بالانتخابات

لايوجد اي موانع بشرط تقديم وثائق ثبوتيه مقبوله و لايعترف بالوثائق الاسرائيليه نضرا لعدم وجود اعتراف رسمي عراقي باسرائيل كما الحال مع بعض الدول الاخرى

اعتقد ان من حق اليهود من اصل عراقي الطلب من الامم المتحده دراسه حالتهم اسوه ببقيه اللاجئين العراقيين ودلك بمنحهم وثائق امميه تثبت اصلهم

In Arabic.. Iraqi Jews can participate in the voting.. They need to have a recognized documents.. Isreali documents are not accepted as Iraq has no relation with Isreal.

Iraqi jews in Isreal need to ask the UN to issue a UN doc certifying their origin, as the case with other Iraqi refugees

[aldoctor]

I agree with Ben Eleazar:

If one is an Israeli citizen, one should not also hold Iraqi citizenship. I am not saying this to discriminate against Jews. I am saying this to clarify a general state of affairs. One may not be belong to two countries that oppose each other in principle. Israel’s motto is: ”Rise up Israel from the Euphrates to the Nile.” This was written around the doors of synagogues even in Iraq(eye witness accounts.)B ythe same token, Iraq's motto upon the establishment of our first republic was:"Palestine is Arabic, Down with Zionism" How can you belong to entities that oppose each other’s existence and claim to be faithful to both. I am not opposed to Jews being Iraqi citizens. Nor am I opposed to Israelis being Iraqi citizens. I am opposed to the idea of dual citizenship holding with Israel. After all this is a country who has militarily attacked Iraq, without and act of war.

I do not hate anyone. I myself is a dual citizen and an oppressed minority in both countries. Yet, in principle, neither Iraq opposes the existence of the US nor plans to appropriate its land. The US does not oppose the existence of Iraq, nor plans to appropriate its land.

One might disagree with my last statement. Yet, contrary to Israel, the US openly claims it has no intention of taking Iraq’s land. Finally, if our Yahoodi brothers want to come back as Iraqi citizens, they can very well renounce their Israeli citizenship. Then, no one has any right to protest.

P.S: If you post a reply please quote me correctly and in contest. Please also be fair and charitable to my argument. No personal attacks, red herrings, or other falacies of weak induction. Thank you for your gentlemanly replies.

To our non Israeli jewish Iraqi brothers, we are sorry for what happened to you. Welcome back should you choose you join us.

[AlIraqi]

AlDoctor

One may not be belong to two countries that oppose each other in principle.

 

I d don't agree.. If so, then what the American administration did with Japanese Americans during the WWII is correct. Or what Saddam did with some Shia accusing them of believing in the Iranian religious concepts which he claimed that it would lead to the eat up Iraq "conflict in principles", as the case with the Isreali motto!

 

I fully understand your concern of allowing those who chose to deny their Iraqi citizenship to get the Isreali one. But let us ask the following questions:

1- Did they have any choice?, considering all the terror acts by the pro British government mobs that forced more than 130 thousands long lived Iraqi Jews to leave their home land. The Iraqi Jews got their Iraqi identity even before the Arab crossed the Euphrates to the other side fifteen hundreds years ago.

2- You might say , why going to Isreal? the answer is very simple .. they might believe in the right of Jews to return to Isreal.. But what is relation of such belief to your call? Some Muslims believe of the legitimacy of the Islamic othman rule of Iraq, is that by any chance would make them as non nationalistic and would deny their identity?

We should absolutely not give ourselves the right to block the basic rights from any citizen on any bases. Otherwise , we should block it from Sadam and his followers who killed million of Iraqis. Otherwise we wouldn't be better than him!

 

I am here not defending the Zionist political claims of controlling Palestine and forcing it's people out , there is a difference between religious beliefs and the political implementations of it!

[Guest Guest_tajer]

http://www.iraqoftomorrow.org/viewarticle....ticles&id=28734

 

In Arabic..