March 16, 1999, was the eleventh anniversary of Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapon attack on the Iraqi Kurdish village of Halabja and other villages in Kurdistan. This systematic operation was a genocide campaign called Al Anfal. This campaign took the lives of over 180,000 Kurdish men, women and children and destroyed 5,000 ancestral villages. For three days the Kurds of Halabja and its neighboring towns were exposed to toxic gases and chemicals. More than 5,000 villagers were killed outright and thousands more have suffered injuries and illnesses in the years following the attack. As part of the observation of the anniversary, a briefing was held at the United States Congress, on March 16th, in remembrance of those Kurds who died in the attack and those who continue to suffer. Dr. Christine Gosden, a British geneticist, has traveled to Halabja to study first hand the effects of the bombings. Dr. Gosden spoke eloquently at the briefing about the suffering she observed in Halabja and implored those in the room, and everyone elsewhere in the world, to remember the victims of Halabja and to devise ways to help. Dr. Kamal Kirkuki of KDP, Washington DC held a commemoration seminar at the Marriot Hotel at Tyson’s Corner. American friends and members of the Kurdish community attended the event. Staff of the Fairfax office of KHRW attended these two briefings as well as other Kurdish and Iraqi leaders. Media and State Department officials also attended the meeting. |
A rally in support of Abdulla O?alan was held in Washington, DC on Sunday, March 21, 1999. The people who attended the rally assembled at Sheridan Circle, across from the Turkish Embassy, and then marched down Massachusetts Avenue to Lafayette Park across the street from the White House. Congressman Bob Filner, of San Diego and several other representatives from human rights organizations spoke to the crowds. People came from as far away as Canada and California.
Here are a few thoughts that may make life a little easier for you:
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Newcomers to America need support and American friends. They also need mentors who can help them during their first few years here. Would you please mentor a family? KHRW has low-income homeless families in a transitional housing and supportive services program. Call Dr. Brenda Burchett to join the “Adopt-a-Family” program at (703) 385-3806. Thank you ! ! ! |
Update on Guam Processed Asylee Adjustment ProgramIn 1998, different voluntary resettlement agencies, which work with refugees and asylees, conducted a major effort to change the processing priorities of the Kurdish and Iraqi asylees processed in Guam. These partnering agencies in the Washington Metro area were: Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), World Relief, United States Catholic Charities (USCC), Immigration and Refugee Services of America (IRSA), Kurdish Human Rights Watch, Inc. (KHRW), local affiliates of those agencies in other states, and other VolAgs working with refugees. The proposed Technical Amendment of discussions with lawmakers read as follows: Proposed Technical Amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act Concerning Adjustment of Guam “Asylees” who Risked their Lives for the US Efforts in “Operation Provide Comfort” in Northern Iraq “The United States government employees, employees of non-governmental organizations based in the United States and others who were evacuated to Guam by the United States government in 1996 or 1997 under “Operation Pacific Haven” Quick Transit (QT) 1, 2, and 3 and who were admitted to the United States as asylees under section 208(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act shall, for purposes of adjustment of status and related fees under section 209 of the Act, be treated as if admitted to the United States under section 207 of the act and shall not be subject to, or included in, the numerical limitation set forth in section 209(b) of the Act. This provision shall apply retroactively as well as prospectively. |
Kurdish Human Rights Watch is pleased to report the above Section 128 of Public Law 105-277 was passed. This new law removes the 7,000 Kurdish/Iraqi asylees who were processed in Guam from the calculation of the 10,000 annual adjustment cap for asylees. This was achieved on the grounds that they were “refugee-like” and should therefore be treated like refugees for adjustment purposes. This means that these Kurdish/Iraqi asylees who have applied for adjustment will now have to contend with only the time processing backlog, and not a two-year wait due to the cap. The law will also provide up to 7,000 more slots available for other asylees to get green cards this year. Don Grocetti, the Associated Commissioner for ISD, signed the guidance to implement this law on March 2, 1999. All adjustment of status I485 applications and work permit renewals should be processed. INS is making efforts to process these green card applications as quickly as possible. If green card applications have not yet been received contact needs to be made to local INS offices. These offices are authorized to issue temporary green cards. Applicants need to provide pictures and proof of approval notices from INS. However, expect delays due to certain districts due to the INS’s backlog. This is an excellent outcome! Thank you for the grass-roots community effort made VolAgs and Community-based organizations as well as ORR. Let’s keep up the good work! For more information and answers to questions, please call KHRW in Fairfax at (703) 385-3806, San Diego at (619) 698-8801 or Nashville at (615) 331-1956. |
What Does it Mean?One of the hardest things about learning a new language is learning the slang expressions that native speakers use without even thinking. Slang is what we call expressions that use words in a way that is different from their actual meanings. Have you ever wondered what expressions like “Give me a hand” or “Duck!” or “He’s like a fish out of water” mean? To understand them, do not take the words literally. “Give me a hand” does NOT mean to chop off your hand and pass it over to the person who has asked you to give him a hand. It means that the other person is asking you to help him do whatever it is that he is doing. |
When someone yells, “Duck!” at you he is not asking you to look at the duck that is flying past. He is asking you to stoop down quickly to avoid being hit by something in the air that is close to your head. And when someone says that another person is “like a fish out of water” he means that the person is awkward or unsure of himself and is not in his familiar surroundings. Slang makes a language colorful, but it is also difficult for someone to learn. Every time that you feel confused because you do not understand a slang expression in English, just remember that the person speaking English would feel just as confused as you do if you were to start using slang expressions in Kurdish. |
Kosovo Albanian
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It is a time once again to ask: Why can humans be so evil? Perhaps the final question is about all of us. Where is the seed within humans, …within everyone that moves some to kill and slaughter others? What fears and evil intentions bring such evil out of its shell? Can compassion and love, justice and human rights prevail? We must answer YES or hope will become hopelessness. Let us pray and commit our lives to YES and to HOPE for all Kurds, Kosovo Albanians and all humanity.
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Donations NeededYour donation can help a Kurdish family. Many families had to leave without their children. These children are stranded in Kurdistan. Many Kurds in America need help to survive until they learn English and obtain a job. You can help Kurdish refugees be successful in America! You can help reunite families with members still in Kurdistan. KHRW depends on your donations. KHRW is a nonprofit corporation. All donations are tax deductible. A portion of your donation will go towards the printing and mailing of Kurdish Community News.
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