Discrimination

6* Until today 3/12/2004 nothing has changed concerning our situation as refugees living in Lebanon. The arrests and deportations are the same as before the promise of Mr. Mustapha Djemali (Aljamal) that he made months before 22/8/2002!!! Was for one month!!!  Now after more than 2 years has passed on that promise! Nothing changed! LOL.

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7* After the 11 of September attacks, the USA suspended the procedures of the resettlement program for 3 months worldwide, and then it resumed the program but not yet in Lebanon, (this was true when written on this date 3/12/2004) The refugees that were accepted are still waiting. With our contacts we learned that refugees resumed traveling from Syria and Jordan 3 months after 11 of September!!!

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8* These refugees wanted to know their future. Since the Americans promised them with resettlement in the USA, which blocked other governments from provide these refugees with help. So these refugees needed a clear decision from the government of America, to continue forward with the promise or to cancel the promise so these refugees can look for resettlement in another country. But the government of America has reached no decision about these refugees until today 3/12/2004!

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9* That was due to the policy of the UNHCR of punishing the refugees who have dared to speaks anything bad about the UNHCR. This punishment has taken different forms and it has differed from exclusion from joining the resettlement program to arrest by the police. That happened with me personally.

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10* Here we see an important point, which shows a clear discrimination policy that the UNHCR practice against Islam and Moslems. Alrasul Ala'tham hospital [The great prophet] is one of the biggest hospitals in Lebanon. It is located in an area inhabited by Moslems in the south of Beirut, where the majority of the refugees live. It's easy for them to go to this hospital because the  it's cheaper than other hospitals and there is some kind of sympathy with refugees. But, the UNHCR and the council of churches (MECC) who finances 70% of the treatment for refugees, have refused to cooperate with that hospital and the other Islamic hospitals in Lebanon. That's clear discrimination against Islam and that caused lots of trouble for the refugees because they need to leave their secure areas to have treatment in hospitals far away just to please the UNHCR and the council of churches. This causes the refugees to expose themselves to great risks with the police and many refugees have been arrested because of that.

This isn't the only discrimination the UNHCR practicing against Islam, but there is another face for that discriminate with the resettlement program when the UNHCR agreed for the governments to provide resettlement to Christian refugees and exclude Moslem refugees. These policies must be change and the work of the UNHCR must based on humanitarian basis. Each government has the right to agree on resettlement any one with it's own regulations but when that happening with UNHCR and for the refugees so it's must be on humanitarian bases without any discriminations. I feel sorry that UNHCR agreed on that and to accept it to happen in the offices of the UNHCR and under its flag! we can add this kind of Discrimination to the other kinds that the refugees are facing in Lebanon.

Return to point 10*.

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11* The problem wasn't the refusal of the USA to resettlement these refugees. USA, until today 3/12/2004 didn't refuse and even didn't inform the refugees by any thing. The UNHCR told these refugees that the government of USA didn't even reply to requests to clear the situation of these refugees! The UNHCR told these refugees that the USA kept silence about that problem! Until now there isn't any official answer from the government of America about destiny of these refugees! These refugees are on hold for more than 4 years by now!!!

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12* What a strange thing! The refugees and their supporters thanked the "security forces for their understanding for the case of the strikers and their co-operation in protecting them" how come that happening?! Normally the refugees must thank the UNHCR for helping the refugees! And from what the security forces protect the refugees?!

Like I explained before in this book and my campaigns, the government of Lebanon made its attitude clear for every one: "No permanent resettlement to all refugees in Lebanon" so the government of Lebanon opened widely the door for the refugees to find away to leave Lebanon to any place they want. The refugees sought help in UNHCR but unfortunately they found nothing their!

We're the refugees didn't blame the government of Lebanon, we didn't expect from the government of Lebanon to help us since we see that it isn't able to help its own people and it's not logical to ask the government of Lebanon to provide us with visas and airplane tickets, we thought the UNHCR will provide us with that and more! Actually at least the UNHCR will help us with make our voice to reach your ears as you are all members of the community. What happened were reverse completely. The UNHCR failed (or wasn't willing) to report our problems to the community. When we make any protest to make our voice widely hearable, the UNHCR call the police to terrify us but the police didn't harsh us since we didn't speak some thing bad about the government of Lebanon or use any kind of violence.

My case is clear example about that, the police arrested me in front of the UNHCR at 30/9/2002, and they investigated me and released me when even when they know that I'm illegal resident in Lebanon. After 2 years and with the help of lawyer the police gave me full and authentic report about that event! The police wrote that they arrested me upon a call phone from the protection officer in UNHCR about some one sending hundreds of emails and he is now in the street in front the office, that was in same time when the UNHCR invited me to the office for meeting.

Like you see the government of Lebanon don't have problem with the refugees but it want to help them to find better life some where else and to live safely with help of the UNHCR as intermediary between the refugees and the community (other governments), but the UNHCR has problem with refugees and always calling to police to arrest the refugees or for terrifying them!!! For the history, the policemen were friendlier with us than the people whom work for the UNHCR! No doubt every one thanked the police and asked the UNHCR to make more efforts to help the refugees!