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http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeraworld/2013/04/201349151526757668.html
Al Jazeera World
Baghdad... Stockholm
Sweden welcomed Iraq war refugees but a growing backlash against
immigration is testing the future of multiculturalism.
Al Jazeera World Last Modified: 10 Apr 2013 07:49
Filmmaker: Mohammad Omar
Over the past decade, tens of thousands of Iraqis have fled their country
to resettle in Sweden. Iraqi-born Swedes are today one of the largest ethnic
minority groups living in the country.
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"When I came to Sweden in 1989, I felt exhausted. I wasn't able to
contact my family in Iraq for ten years. I feared the regime may get them. The
number of immigrants was small so we were welcomed by the Swedish authorities,"
recalls Abbas Khdair Abbas, a taxi driver.
"They took us to a refugee hostel. It had excellent rooms, bathrooms,
food and a restaurant. We didn't have to wait long to be granted a residence
permit. It took me four months. While waiting, they didn't leave you sitting
around. We would be studying and they organised trips for us."
However, in 2007, Swedish immigration authorities ruled there was no
longer an armed conflict in Iraq and that it was therefore acceptable to send
Iraqi citizens back to their country. And a number of Iraqi refugees were
deported amid protests, criticism from human rights groups and concern
expressed by the United Nations.
"I learned the language really quickly. I made Swedish friends the minute
I got here. But differences emerge when it comes to religion. Because I'm
Muslim and an Arab I don't drink alcohol and I dont do the things they normally
do," says Ban al-Sabaawi, a student.
"I believe in God, I fast and I follow my religious teachings. I got a
lot of questions and strange looks. Some people get offended and some are
curious to know. I try to explain as much as I can."
This film tells the story of Iraqi immigrants in Sweden, highlighting
issues of integration, multiculturalism as well as an emerging right-wing
backlash against immigration.
"There is a preconceived notion about people coming to Sweden. We don't
see their potentials and employ them. We are very bad in evaluating their
qualification so they can't maintain their profession," explains Christina Hoj
Larsen, a Left party member of the Swedish parliament.
This episode of Al Jazeera World can be seen from Tuesday, April 9,
at the following times GMT: Tuesday: 2000; Wednesday: 1200; Thursday: 0100;
Friday: 0600; Saturday: 2000; Sunday: 1200; Monday: 0100; Tuesday: 0600.
Click here for more Al Jazeera World.
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