Sweden Deports Christian Refugees Back to Terror in Iraq

The UNHCR is concerned about potential human rights violations as Sweden continues to deport Iraqi Christians back to areas where anti-Christian violence is becoming more and more prevalent. Attacks against Christians include the recent shooting attack  at the Our Lady of Salvation Cathedral in Baghdad on October 31^st ,which left at least 58 dead and many more injured. 

These attacks on Christians are not new—bombs planted in six Iraqi churches left 14 dead in 2004; another wave of anti-Christian violence broke out in 2008. That wave of terror resulted in the flight of more than 2,000 families from their homes in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

Swedish Migration Minister Tobias Billström (Moderate Party) dismissed the ethical problem of Sweden’s ongoing deportation of Iraqi Christians back into zones where they are potential targets. Sweden’s English-language daily, the Local, ran a story  which was a verbatim copy of an AFP report , but with Billström’s rejection of UNHCR and Amnesty International protests inserted:

-“This is nothing new. These are things that Amnesty has said on several occasions. It’s important to remember that we have a system in Sweden based on the rule of law which involves authorities and courts hearing every individual case.”

Notice that Billström does not refute the substance of the claim, nor does he explain the reason for the deportations. He simply refutes Amnesty's claims by effectively saying "we’ve heard this before"—as if that makes it irrelevant. Claiming that these decisions are made according to the rule of law does not explain sending refugees back to face potential terror attacks. On Swedish Radio (SR) today, references were made to these forced returns as “death flights”. Interviewed Iraqis about to board the plane stated that
- “this is probably our last flight...ever” .   

In a related story, the Local also reports that the authorities arrested 70 apparently peaceful demonstrators. Scanning the talkbacks, it’s apparent that many of the Swedish commenters failed to realize that these are Christian refugees; the U.N. quote in the article makes only a vague reference to the persecution against ethnic and religious minorities:

-“In a separate statement Tuesday, the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, said it was ‘very concerned’ about reports suggesting Sweden is sending 25 Iraqis back to Baghdad on Wednesday. It said some of them ‘belong to religious and ethnic groups targeted by violence in Iraq.’"

It seems that the case is not being made that Christians are suffering persecution at the hands of Muslim terrorists.  Is this misplaced “political correctness”?

Another Swedish press report notes that Sweden is coming under international criticism for the expulsions. The Council of Europe Chairman, Mevlüt Cavusoglu, has harshly criticized Swedish immigration policy, in line with Amnesty’s repeated concerns:

-"This was not the first time Sweden has forcibly returned refugees to Iraq."

The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), is stepping gingerly over the issue of Sweden’s likely failure to comply with the 1951 Refugee Convention. The UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming issued a statement that: "these forced expulsions [come] simultaneously with five of our offices [reporting] a significant increase of Iraqi Christians fleeing Baghdad and Mosul."

In an ironic twist, the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet reported that deportees were told that their petitions for continued asylum were denied because of the “improved security situation in Iraq." Actually, thousands of Iraqi Christians have fled in recent months following the shooting attack in Baghdad. Most of the Iraqis interviewed in Sweden today stated that they will have to flee as soon as they get back to Iraq.

Regarding the recent deportees UNHCR’s Fleming stated:

-“They, and others slated for return, appear to have profiles that would warrant protection under the 1951 Refugee Convention or the European Union’s Qualification Directive. We are troubled that our advice, including on the situation of minorities in Iraq, is not sufficiently taken into account by Sweden when reviewing negative decisions that were made in 2008 and 2009.  We believe that the recent deterioration in the situation of minorities in Iraq has not been adequately taken into account.”

Numerous failed asylum seekers are being returned to the same dangerous cities they fled due to the clear and present dangers they faced—and now will face again. How does this fit in with Sweden’s so-called humanitarian, multi-cultural policy? On the one hand, Sweden has allowed immigrants to enter the country without valid identity papers, and SÅPO has stated that they are monitoring 200 potential or operative terrorists. What would be the reason that these individuals are allowed to remain in Sweden, but Christians under threat are expelled?

Back in November 2010, Time magazine ran a story titled “Why Iraqi Christians Are Running Scared — in Sweden”.  According to the article there is “widespread panic among refugees.” An Iraqi living in Sweden tells his story:

-"’There are hundreds of Iraqis here who are not legal who have simply disappeared,’ says an Iraqi engineer in Stockholm, a Catholic, who fled Baghdad in 2004 with his family after Islamic militants ordered them to leave their home, or be killed. ‘The refugees are hiding in churches or basements, working illegal jobs, trying to survive, transferring from place to place.’"

For a long time, what happened in Sweden, stayed in Sweden. Now international agencies and organizations are looking at Sweden’s actions, and the international media is putting Sweden under a magnifying glass. Sweden’s hypocrisy is also characterized by its governmental funding for Palestinian pro-jihadist NGOs, while at the same time claiming to be “humanitarian”. It’s time for Migration Minister Billström to explain why the Swedish government is pursuing clearly “inhumanitarian” policies that aid terrorists and put real refugees back in harm’s way.

By Chanah Shapira