Iraqis Not Being Allowed To Get VISAs into the U.K.?

Written on 12:12 AM by Jack B.

My favorite Iraqi blogger, 13-year old Raghda Zaid, otherwise known as Baghdad Girl, who in the midst of war spends most of the time posting pictures of adorable cats reports that she and her grandparents were refused a VISA to Britain at the UK Embassy in Jordan or as Ragdha put it, they basically said "Iraqis are not allowed to go to the U.K"

I really think this is a mistake. Ragdha's family should be known to many who read Iraqi blogs, her cousins Najma, Dalia, HNK, Hassan, brother Kais and uncles A Citizen Of Mosul and Life in Baghdad between them make up a large part of the Iraqi blogging community. They are deeply religious Muslims, but not fundamentalists, educated professionals and upper middle-class but not Baathists. They are the kind of Sunni Muslims who the allied coalition and new Iraqi govt. should be cultivating as the educated base of a new Iraqi democracy. As it is now, several of Ragdha's relatives are deeply suspicious of American occupying forces and look upon them with the same disdain as they do the terrorists. These are not the kind of people that we should be afraid to let into our countries (whether it be the UK or any other) but should be courting and convincing of our good motives.

I was not in favor of this war in Iraq but now that American troops are there I am convinced that we must win it and help bring a free and democratic Iraq into the world - yet it seems that every time we make a step forward poor planning and poorer public relations by politicians and generals make it that much harder not only for the new Iraqi government trying to convince everyone in Iraq to take part but our own US and British troops on the ground.