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CPTnet
20 September 2011
*IRAQ: No place for Christian families, Part I*

by David Hovde

In 2007, Ayad Klanm lived with his family in a neighborhood of Baghdad where
most of his neighbors were Shia.  Many were members of the Mahdi Army, a
Shia militia formed by Muqtada al-Sadr.  Because Ayad was Christian, some of
his neighbors believed he worked with the Americans, although he never had. 
One day as American troops drove down his street in their vehicles, Ayad
greeted them.  Some of his neighbors asked him why he did that and said it
proved that he worked with the Americans.  Ayad thought it strange that they
would let their children talk to the American troops, but they would not
allow him to.  They told him that if they ever saw him talk to the Americans
again they would cut off his head. 

An explosive outside Ayad's family's front gate detonated late one night at
11:00 p.m. as Ayad's four-year-old daughter, Maryam, and her aunt left the
house.  The explosion injured Maryam's right leg from the knee down, tearing
off the skin.  The family drove her immediately to the government hospital
and waited until the next day to see the doctor.  When he saw her injury, he
said that he could not do surgery for her because if he did the Mahdi Army
would kill him.  The doctor advised them to take her to the clinic or a
private hospital.  Ayad told him that they did not have money to pay for
surgery at a private hospital.  The doctor said that they should take her
there anyway.

 The doctor at the private hospital performed surgery immediately, and
agreed to reduce the cost greatly, but they still did not have enough money
to pay, even though his sister in Sweden sent him money to help him out. 
Maryam had to go to the doctor twice a week after that and every time they
changed her cast there was an additional cost. 

 Ayad talked to the Mahdi army member who put the explosive outside his
house.  The man said he said he wanted it to explode when the Americans
passed by on the street.  When Ayad asked him if he knew what happened to
his daughter, the man became angry and said that if Ayad wanted to talk
anymore about the incident he would kill him and his family. 

 Ayad and his family moved from Baghdad to Suleimaniya in the Kurdistan
Region of Iraq in 2007.  They feel safer but Ayad does not have a job, has
health problems, and the family has only have enough money for food.  Maryam
needs another surgery that is complex and cannot be done in Iraq.  Ayad and
his family desperately want to find asylum in another country.


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