Iraqi Arab teachers find safe haven in Kurdistan
Professors flee death, choose life in Kurdistan's education system.
Driven from their homes and cities by violence and death threats, Iraqi Arabprofessors are now safely making their homes in Kurdistan Region, bringing with them valuable knowledge to the region's universities.
According to Dr. Idris Hadi, Kurdistan Region's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, since the U.S. invasion of Iraq more than 600 Arab university teachers from middle and southern Iraq have fled to Kurdistan Region due to the security situation. He said this number doesn't include Arab teachers who teach in private universities in Kurdistan.
Dr. Hadi said that the ministry chose to help the Iraqi teachers come to Kurdistan Region instead of leaving for other countries in order to save them and their knowledge. The Kurdistan Regional Government gives them a salary and a house, said Dr. Hadi.
"Even if we don't need teachers, if we know their lives are in danger we will accept them to teach in the region's universities," added the Minister.
An Arab professor who used to live in the Sunni Mansur neighborhood in Baghdad left there last year and now teaches in one of the universities in Erbil city. He described life in Baghdad as a nightmare.
"Every day on the way to my university in Baghdad I saw at least two dead bodies on the streets," said the professor, who requested anonymity because he sometimes visits Baghdad to see his relatives.
He said he started to receive calls in 2004 warning him to quit his job as a university professor and leave Iraq, but he resisted. In 2007, the threats became so serious he decided to leave Iraq with his family.
"It was at night in June 2007 when I decided to leave Iraq; I saw a group of armed men kill seven people two houses away from mine," he said.
Full story: http://www.kurdishglobe.net/displayArticle.jsp?id=5A4E134FE0B8474B42EE432D2D8AF267
