I think you have to consider the context of all things before rushing to rash judgments. First, these complaints reminded me a bit of Arabs rounded up in California over visa issues and stuck in ‘prisons’ while the details of their situations were worked out. This was a tragic wrong here in the USA. But it happened here. And I think consideration has to be given to the context of Jordan in the ME. This is a developing country bursting at the seams with refugees, nearly half the country is Palestinian (some say more) and the estimates on the number of Iraqis are way off. Contacts I have within UNHCR say many are Iraqis not counted as refugees because they are illegal or the number is reduced for political reasons — it is destabilizing to suggest that the country is being overrun by refugees. If you find that offensive, I suggest thinking about the response to immigrants in the US and elsewhere in the West. Jordan is no different, well in fact it is. Jordan remains a third world nation of around 6 million people. The estimates suggest nearly 1 million Iraqis have passed over Jordan’s borders. And, as mentioned there are several million Palestinians there. The Palestinians were given passports and many made Jordan their home. Jordan was unique in the ME for this. This latest Iraqi influx is not just a humanitarian crisis but a real political and security issue. This writer explains that he and his lot were the upper crust of Iraq. But he suggests that is all that is coming. How wrong he is. He flew. Many drive and many more sneak across the borders any way they can. Those that have been there known the truth of this. Jordan is rife with refugee Iraqis. The Iraqi accent is often more prevalent than natives in various parts of Amman. Of course, many of them have brought a great deal of money with them, some earned, some stolen from the work going on Iraq by the US and others. Jordan of course benefits from this. The economy is booming with these Iraqi dollars. But at what cost? The country is as unstable as ever. Obviously, in traditional Arab custom, any Iraqi would expect open arms in another Arab country. But history has shown this is rarely the case. Jordan has done more than most but now it really is a tipping point. The treatment this gentleman and his compatriots received is not justifiable. But its context makes what occurred much more understandable. I would remind that there still exists a gentleman stuck in Charles De Gaulle airport who has no country to return to. Circumstances make certain things more possible at times than others. An Iraqi flying into Jordan two years ago would not have faced these trials. But now, security issues next door, population issues inside the border and the fear of instability in the kingdom have forced these kind of actions. It is not whether it is justifiable or not, it is simply a case of necessary or not. Those in fear regard this as necessary and considering the context of the situation, I’d suggest they do have some very valid reasons.
