An Iraqi Atheist in Exile
Muftah follows the story of Gaith Shalan, a young person between borders, and an atheist in exile looking for a home.
by Cristina Maza
Gaith Shalan was only 10 years old when he abandoned his hometown of Diwaniya in the Al-Qadisiyah province of southern Iraq. And although he has returned several times since his departure, the road home has never been an easy one. For Gaith, the past 16 years have been marked with nothing but uncertainty, and finding a safe country to live in has presented itself as the most pressing problem.
As Syria and Iraq are increasingly embroiled in bloody conflicts, the world is flooded with images of refugees and persecuted people in need. Currently there are an estimated 13 million refugees from Iraq and Syria living around the world. But not everyone who applies for refugee status gets it, and those in limbo are left trying to etch out a living wherever they can.
In some ways, Gaith’s story is that of any young man born in a tumultuous territory, a place whose politics made it impossible for him to study, settle down, or make a living. But in other ways Gaith’s story is unique. He is a young person between borders, and an atheist in exile looking for a home.
Most importantly, however, his is the story of a region on which the past has etched heartache and hardship.
