International Orphans Day

Many countries worldwide just celebrated International Orphans Day. The majority of the orphans in Arab countries are a result of war. Nevertheless, there are orphans who have lost a father, mother or both as a result of sickness and disease or accidents. However, the majority of Arab orphans lost parents as a result of war conflicts such as the civil wars in Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Lebanon and Iraq. There are no accurate statistics that reflect such tragedy. Nevertheless, the vast majority of orphans are those whose countries were invaded by foreign troops. An example is the American invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Other examples include is the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 2006 and the Gaza Strip in 2008. Both invasions left more than two thousand people dead. The number of people who left children behind is to be investigated.

The biggest tragedy is the Iraqi war’s consequences on the civilian population, which was reported by Dr. Omar Al-Kubaisy to the European Parliament (3/20/2009). He stated that the war, among other things, led to two million widows and five million orphans.

During President George W. Bush’s last trip to Iraq (Dec. 09), an Iraq journalist named Muntaathar al-Zeidi threw his shoes at the president during a press conference. After throwing the first shoe he shouted, “This is a message of retaliation on behalf of the widows of Iraq.” After throwing the second shoe, he shouted, “This is on behalf of the orphans of Iraq.” According to Arab culture, the biggest insult to a person is to be hit with a shoe.

Mr. Al-Zeidi is an investigative journalist who was well aware of the tragic lives the Iraqi widows and orphans were experiencing on a daily basis.

The Guardian Newspaper (4/6/2009) stated, “Iraqi babies for sale.” The article referred to a senior police officer who said that at least 15 Iraqi children were sold per month, some overseas and some internationally, some for adoption and some for sexual abuse. The reporter interviewed Sarah Taminn, 38, a widow and mother of five from Bable, who said she had already sold children, ages four and two, in the past year. She is living in a displacement camp without a job or support. “I love all my children. I know that the families who adopted them will give them a good life, food and an education that I could never give.”

How can such personal suffering caused by such invasions ever be repaired?