Black Iraqis Look to Obama’s Example

CNN has an interesting article on the black-Iraqi experience

Their faces and darker skins make them look different. They are routinely called “slave” by the majority, whatever their profession. But Iraq’s black population hopes that Barack Obama’s rise to the White House will mark a turning point for minorities not just in the United States, but also in their country.

Their history goes back 1,000 years to the time when Africans were brought as slaves to the south of Iraq to drain marshes and build Basra.

Many Iraqis still call blacks “abed,” an Arabic word that means “slave.” Thijeel grimaces when he pronounces it. It’s demeaning, he says, and he wants the government to forbid its use. Many white Iraqis claim the word isn’t meant to offend, but Thijeel says they have no idea how hurtful it is. “I never want my son to go through this,” he says.

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About the author: Jonathan Gosier is a UI designer, software developer and writer. He currently lives in Kampala, Uganda where he incubates and invests in East African entrepreneurs as the CEO of Appfrica Labs. He's also a TED Fellow.
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