Iceland review - 2016, Page 42

40 ICELAND REVIEW
to receive refugees in January has prior
experience in receiving refugees.
Akureyri was the first town to for-
mally announce its interest in receiving
refugees during the ‘Kæra Eygló’ cam-
paign. Mayor Eiríkur Björn Björgvinsson
explains that Akureyri’s experience with
receiving refugees has been positive.
“We received refugees from [the former]
Yugoslavia in 2003 and our experience
then was good. There is also a general
willingness in the town council to accept
refugees here.”
According to Eiríkur, the refugees’
adjustment to Akureyri appears to be
going well so far. “From my understand-
ing, things are going well. Of course,
things always come up; they have moved
to a new environment, it’s a different cul-
ture. But, they’re very positive and very
thankful.” The town’s residents are also
positive, he adds: “People are proud to
be from Akureyri. We are proud to offer
them new opportunities and a new life.”
Polls indicate that the majority of
Icelanders are positive towards receiving
refugees. Support for increasing Iceland’s
refugee intake also exists across political
parties. Some people have questioned
why more refugees should be resettled in
Iceland when more financial support and
services are needed for senior citizens and
the disabled, among others. However,
the negative discussion surrounding ref-
ugees and asylum seekers which erupted
in other parts of Europe and elsewhere
following the Paris Attacks and the New
Year’s Eve assaults in Cologne has been
far less pronounced in Iceland.
More refugees are expected to be
resettled in Iceland this year. According
to the Red Cross, Iceland could accept
200 refugees in 2016 and an additional
200 in 2017, as was suggested in a parlia-
mentary resolution in October, provided
that sufficient funds are obtained and
that the individuals are spread between
municipalities.
Eygló Harðardóttir says it is not yet clear
how many more refugees will be reset-
tled in Iceland over the next two years,
but underlines the importance of Iceland
playing a part in receiving refugees. “We
must do what we can to help, just as we
would hope for if it were we who were
in need.”
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
As a result of the ongoing conflict in
Syria, which erupted in March 2011,
over 4.7 million Syrians, of the coun-
try’s pre-war population of roughly 22.8
million, have fled the country and 7.6
million are internally displaced, accord-
ing to the UN. Around 900,000 Syrians
have sought asylum in Europe over the
past five years—675,000 in 2015 alone—
many crossing the Mediterranean by
boat to make the journey. According to
a UN-supported report from the Syrian
Centre for Policy Research (SCPR),
released in mid-February, the number of
deaths caused by war, directly and indi-
rectly, amounts to 470,000—far higher
than the figure of 250,000 used by the
UN until it stopped collecting statistics
18 months ago. In all, 11.5 percent of the
country’s population have been killed or
injured since the crisis began, the report
estimates.
A handmade Syrian Revolution flag
made of paper stands next to the Icelandic
flag above the television set in Khattab’s
living room. As we’re chatting, he shows
SYRIANS
“We have small dreams ... We hope
to have education for our children and
work for me to support the family.”
Khattab Al Mohammad.