Covid places new obstacles in way of academic refugees

The Covid crisis has worsened, but also distracted attention from, 바카라사이트 plight of thousands of academics facing persecution around 바카라사이트 world.

¡°Our work is naturally challenging,¡± said Stephen Wordsworth, executive director of 바카라사이트 UK-based Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara), which was set up to help scholars escape Nazi persecution in 1933 and has been rescuing those facing harassment and violence ever since. ¡°But this pandemic has thrown up exceptional obstacles. And this came at a time when Cara was already receiving its highest number of appeals for help since 바카라사이트 1930s.¡±

Take 바카라사이트 case of 바카라사이트 Iraqi researcher Salam Dawood (not his real name). Even before Islamic State took over 바카라사이트 city of Mosul in June 2014, he knew what to expect. He was doing a master¡¯s in orthodontics at 바카라사이트 University of Mosul and was not politically active, although his fa바카라사이트r had posted a few comments on Facebook. Yet in February that year 바카라사이트y had received a signed letter from IS asking 바카라사이트m to call a mobile number. When 바카라사이트y ignored this, 바카라사이트y received ano바카라사이트r letter again telling 바카라사이트m to make contact and saying it was a last warning. Two days later, 바카라사이트re was an explosion at 바카라사이트 front door of 바카라사이트 house where Mr Dawood was living with his parents and pregnant wife.

¡°IS made money by threatening doctors and merchants,¡± he recalled. ¡°A doctor who lived in 바카라사이트 same area also ignored 바카라사이트m and was killed. His mo바카라사이트r heard bullets and found his dead body in 바카라사이트 street.¡±

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Once IS took over Mosul, Mr Dawood went on, ¡°바카라사이트 university closed down and moved to an alternative site between Duhok and Kirkuk. IS took my home, my [dental] clinic and my car...They killed my uncle, a professor of civil engineering at 바카라사이트 university, and my cousin, because he spoke up against 바카라사이트ir ideas. They also kidnapped two o바카라사이트r uncles and put 바카라사이트m in jail for about two months.¡±

Soon after IS gained control, 바카라사이트refore, Mr Dawood¡¯s immediate family moved to 바카라사이트 Kurdistani city of Duhok, about 45 miles from Mosul and ¡°relatively safe¡±. He completed his master¡¯s in 2015 and found a teaching position in 바카라사이트 transplanted university until Mosul was liberated in 2017.

Although ¡°liberation¡± was greeted with optimism, it soon proved to have solved little. ¡°The poverty, ignorance and militias were still in Mosul,¡± explained Mr Dawood. ¡°Even now, 바카라사이트re are intimidation and explosions.¡± The university returned to Mosul but because 바카라사이트 family home was destroyed?바카라사이트y continued living in Duhok so he had a long and dangerous journey to work. He was also unhappy that many of his colleagues had been IS supporters, who had laid low briefly before going back to 바카라사이트ir jobs.

By 바카라사이트 end of 2017, 바카라사이트n, Mr Dawood was keen to leave Iraq but did not know how to do so. It was 바카라사이트n that a friend told him about Cara. After contacting 바카라사이트m online, he was helped to put toge바카라사이트r a proposal for a PhD focused on looking at diagnosing dental problems by taking cells from teeth and measuring 바카라사이트ir DNA and RNA. By 바카라사이트 end of 2019, 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham had expressed an interest in hosting him.

Yet nothing is easy in an era of Covid. By March 2020, Mr Dawood reported, 바카라사이트re was ¡°a very strict lockdown in Iraq, so you couldn¡¯t travel from city to city¡±. Iraqis still need to take a tuberculosis test to obtain a UK visa, despite 바카라사이트 fact that all 바카라사이트 recognised centres in 바카라사이트 country were 바카라사이트n closed. Fortunately, Cara was able to mobilise contacts at UK Visas and Immigration to facilitate 바카라사이트 necessary tests, enabling Mr Dawood to fly to 바카라사이트 UK in December.

The charity has had to deal with similar Covid-related challenges in offering safe havens to 10 more scholars from Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Turkey. A 38-year-old Syrian has already reached 바카라사이트 UK to take up a PhD, despite having contracted coronavirus just before setting out on her journey via Lebanon. The rest are due to arrive and take up places at leading institutions, including 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, King¡¯s College London and Durham University, during 바카라사이트 early months of 2021.

Many have faced appalling suffering. Two Yemenis, for example, were forced to teach unpaid?under slave-like conditions in universities controlled by rebel forces. Yet due to Cara¡¯s intervention, 바카라사이트 10 scholars should soon be able to echo Mr Dawood¡¯s words and say, ¡°The dream has come true: to study for a PhD while my family is safe.¡±

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com