Sweden took in more than half of the world's Iraqi refugees last year, reports MSNBC. The Scandinavian nation offered asylum to 18,600 Iraqis in 2007, making it the most popular Western destination for people fleeing the war-torn country. Meanwhile, the main architect of the War in Iraq, the United States of America, has taken in just 3,000 Iraqi refugees since the fighting began.
The tiny town of Sodertalje is home to an especially large number of refugees. The area is now referred to as "Little Baghdad" and is home to multiple Iraqi soccer teams, Assyrian churches and a neighborhood called "Mesopotalje."
Last summer, the Swedish Supreme Court declared that major armed conflict in Iraq had ended. Since that ruling, it's become much tougher for Iraqi refugees to emigrate to Sweden and, in the past year, 80 percent of new applicants for asylum were rejected and sent back to Iraq.
Faced with the continuing humanitarian crisis, Sweden has put pressure on the US to do more to help the people who've been displaced by the war. After taking in less than 2,000 Iraqis in 2007, America has promised to offer asylum to 12,000 refugees this year. MSNBC doesn't say whether or not the US is even close to meeting that lofty goal, but that's "just two-thirds of the number that applied for asylum in Sweden last year."
Related Stories:
· "Little Baghdad" Thrives in Sweden [MSNBC]
· Iraq coverage [Jaunted]
· Sweden Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Original photo: Lycos]
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