2007年VOA标准英语-Violence Forces Many Iraqis to Safer Havens in

By Barry Newhouse
Irbil
16 February 2007

Hundreds-of-thousands of Iraqis have fled sectarian violence near their homes since Saddam Hussein was ousted¹, and the U.N. says up to 1 million more could flee their homes this year. About half of them are believed to go abroad.  The rest move elsewhere in Iraq. VOA's Barry Newhouse is in northern Iraq and has this profile of one man who decided² this week that his neighborhood in the city of Mosul had become too dangerous for his family. 

An Iraqi Shiite woman washes her dishes in a camp for Baghdad's displaced Shiite families in Diwaniyah

It's a Friday morning in Irbil, the start of the weekend, and while many stores are closed, the local barbershop is packed.

In the back of the store, at the last chair, is the shop's newest barber, a 27-year-old Christian³ man who does not want to reveal his name for fear of reprisals⁴ against family he has left behind in Mosul. He asks to be called Bashar.

Bashar brought his wife and two children to Irbil in recent days, after the threats and killings⁵ in his Mosul neighborhood became too much to bear. He says Sunni Arabs are increasingly targeting Christians⁶ and Kurds. 

"I can't even describe the situation to you - it's so hard," he said.  "Especially nowadays, they are kidnapping so many people. Even people who sell gas or vegetables on the street.  They take money from them, or kidnap and kill them, if they don't pay."

The International Organization for Migration⁷ (IOM) says nearly 400,000 people have been displaced over the past year in Iraq. It says a rise in sectarian violence led to the forceful removal of people from their homes in some mixed neighborhoods.

Mosul is Iraq's third largest city, and while it has not experienced the same level of sectarian killings as Baghdad, Bashar says the situation is becoming dire⁸.

He says Mosul's Muslim Arabs, Christians and Kurds have lived together for many years without major problems. Tension among the groups increased following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. But Bashar says the turning point for his neighborhood came last September, when the pope quoted a critic of Islam in a public address, sparking a violent reaction from extremist Muslims.

"When we heard the pope talk against Islam at that time, it was so hard for us," he added.  "They attacked the churches and attacked our homes. They tell us, 'you are Christian and you must leave your home.'"

He says militants⁹ later kidnapped the local priest and cut off his arms, legs and head. Since then, Christians and Kurds have been leaving Mosul in increasing numbers. He says three-quarters of his neighbors have now left town, and many have abandoned their homes.

 "Some people rent their houses, but others are taken by the Sunni refugees who come from Baghdad," he noted¹⁰.  "They see it's an empty house, and they move in. But the people who get a warning and then leave town, sometimes the mujahadeen will use the house or they will blow it up."

Bashar's brother and father have stayed behind to guard the family home, and he worries for their safety. There are people in the neighborhood, Bashar calls them "spies," who he says call up local militants and tell them where the Christians and Kurds live. The family still does not know who threatened them several weeks ago.

"We don't know them. We can't see their faces, all we see is the mobile phone number when they call us. If they can't reach you on the phone, then they kidnap you. And if you don't have the money, or you don't pay, then you will be killed."

Bashar owned his barbershop in Mosul, which he was able to buy with the money earned from 11 years of cutting hair. When local militants found out, they demanded $6,000. He paid the money, but more demands followed. Facing few options, he decided to move to Irbil.

The Kurdish-majority city is only about 70 kilometers from Mosul, but it is a great deal safer. Tight Kurdish-run security makes the city a haven¹¹ for Kurds and Christians, but it also keeps out many Arab Muslims. 

"It's true the distance is only one hour between Irbil and Mosul, but I feel as if I'm in a strange country," he said.  "It's so hard for me, because I left everything behind.  I left my home, my shop and my friends. It's so expensive for us."

Bashar now makes less money cutting hair in someone else's barbershop. His brother works in construction.  Their combined income is barely enough to get by, partly because the arrival of fleeing Iraqis has driven up local rents.

Bashar says he hopes the situation in Mosul eventually will improve enough for him to return. In the meantime, he says, the coming months will be difficult for him and his family.

1 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 reprisals   

n.报复（行为）( reprisal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They did not want to give evidence for fear of reprisals. 他们因为害怕报复而不想作证。
• They took bloody reprisals against the leaders. 他们对领导进行了血腥的报复。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

6 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

7 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

8 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

9 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。