The ongoing terror in Iraq is driving an increasing number of refugees to Europe. Now the EU is being forced to make some tough decisions: Who will be allowed to stay in Europe, and will Iraqi Christians have greater chances here than Muslims? Bassam persevered for five years, believing that he could live with the daily violence, the car bombs, the roadside bombs and the snipers. But the terror kept getting closer and closer. At first, poverty and crime drove Bassam, a 45-year-old electrician, from his war-torn village deep in Iraq’s south to the capital Baghdad, where he opened a stand selling ordinary electrical items like light bulbs, two-way adapters and hotplates. It was a miserable life, but bearable — until Bassam became caught between rival militias. He was told to pay protection money, and eventually his little shop went up in flames. SPIEGEL Staff report.
