Today is the five-year anniversary of the beginning
of the war in Iraq. More than four million Iraqis have fled
their homes. That’s one out of every seven Iraqis
– the equivalent of 42 million Americans displaced in the
United States.
The U.S. and international media are increasingly reporting
on this humanitarian disaster. The Wall Street Journal, on
Monday, published a front page story
on the crisis. Yet our own President has yet to even
publicly acknowledge it.
The fifth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq
underscores the U.S. government’s moral obligation to lead the
international response to this crisis. These refugees have fled
their homes and live in desperate conditions: struggling to find
food, shelter and medical care, and fearful of the dangers, or
even death, that they will face if they return.
This is the worst displacement of people in the
Middle East since 1948. And according to the
International Organization of Migration, only one percent of
these refugees and internally displaced people have returned
home. The crisis is not going away.
The President must make the plight of Iraqi refugees a
priority. Remind him. Today.
Send President
Bush the news: There’s a refugee crisis and we must do
more.
Your continued support is essential if the U.S. is to provide
a lifeline to more Iraqis who have been forced to flee their
homes. We can’t thank you enough.
Amelia Templeton
Lifeline for Iraqi Refugees Project
