Hands on Barbed Wires Stories of Iraqi Refugees

There are several reasons that support writing a book on Iraqi refugees. To begin with, their number is thought to be in the millions. Conservative estimates put the figure in excess of two millions while some believe it is close to four millions. Political oppression or financial need forced most of these Iraqis to leave their country. Unless the political and economic situation inside Iraq drastically improves, this trend is expected to continue and may possibly intensify.

Exiled Iraqis whose stories are told here saw a genuine need for a book on them. Many of them felt that their points of view were not given due consideration by host countries and international agencies. They were worried that sooner or later international sympathy for their causes and sufferings would diminish unless these are kept in focus. Accordingly, some of them saw in this book a forum for airing their opinions and grievances on the political, economic and social aspects of their lives in exile.