Brazil offers hope to Iraq refugees

Last Updated: Thursday, 20 September 2007, 15:27 GMT 16:27 UK

Brazil offers hope to Iraq refugees

By Crispin Thorold BBC News, Ruweished, Jordan The Ruweished refugee camp is a hellish place. The Jordanian desert close to the border with Iraq is a bleak and barren setting for this tented city. Refugees at Ruweished camp have to endure extreme conditions Relentless winds come across the rocky desert, battering the makeshift homes. During the summer it is fearsomely hot and in the winter temperatures plunge. For more than four years, a group of refugees from Iraq have called this place home. Many of them are Palestinians, who fled Jordan's neighbour after the fall of Saddam Hussein. It is the second time in 60 years that they and their families have been refugees. We have really suffered here - we are not criminals, we are refugees Refugee at Ruweished They fled British-mandate Palestine after the formation of Israel and eventually ended up in Iraq, where they were welcomed by the former government and given generous financial support. Resentment among many Iraqis at the Palestinians' special status led to many being targeted after the US-led invasion in 2003. Many promptly fled the country. Improvised homes Their life in Ruweished has not been easy. The experiences of one man, who did not want to be named, are typical. "We have really suffered here", he said. "We are not criminals, we are refugees. But, if someone wants to visit us they have to get approval from the governor," he explained. "If you want to go to the local market to buy things then you are accompanied by a policeman. If you go hospital it is the same." The only protection that the refugees have from the elements are improvised homes, made of canvas and wood. New life In one, we find the oldest women in the camp, Rashida Qasam Mahmoud. Like so many refugees, she carries with her an album full of faded photographs to remind her of better times. I still can't believe I will see [my daughter in Brazil], because people keep telling me that it will never happen Rashida Qasam Mahmoud The camp has not been kind to Mrs Mahmoud. Her son died here and she's now alone in Ruweished. Her daughter is at a similar refugee camp near the Syrian-Iraqi border. The UN refugee agency plans to reunite the pair, but after years of hardship Mrs Mahmoud find that difficult to believe. "I have only God and my daughter", she said. "I still can't believe I will see her, because people keep telling me that it will never happen." Even though Mrs Mahmoud cannot believe it, she and her daughter will soon start a new life together in the most unlikely of places - Brazil. More than a hundred people from Ruweished have been granted asylum there. They will be the last refugees to leave the camp. Language lessons Some have already started to learn Portuguese. Many are learning Portuguese to prepare for their new life in Brazil In one tent, a group of men are huddled around a computer, practicing the language. It is not easy especially, since they have little grasp of the English that is used in the classes. Nevertheless, Walid Tamimi and his friends are optimistic about their future in Sao Paulo. "There is no person on earth who has suffered what we have suffered in this camp", he said. "Who wouldn't be happy when a country like Brazil agrees to accept him?" "Whatever life is like in Brazil, it will be better than the life I have lived here and in the old days in Baghdad." Plea for help The remaining people in Ruweished may now be optimistic about their future in Brazil, but they are worried about relatives and friends who are stranded at other refugee camps, such as the al-Waleed camp near the Syrian-Iraqi border. We want anyone in Brazil, Canada or any European country to help the Palestinian refugees in Iraq Ibrahim Refugee at Ruweished "We want anyone in Brazil, Canada or any European country to help the Palestinian refugees in Iraq, or to help the Palestinian refugees in al-Waleed camp." The remaining refugees in Ruweished left for Brazil on Thursday. By the middle of October, the camp should be closed and its temporary homes destroyed. Although the people at Ruweished have been relatively lucky, there are hundreds of others stranded in other camps in the desert. They will have to continue to endure diabolical conditions until they are offered asylum elsewhere.