KindleLinkThere's been a huge conversation in the Arab blogosphere about the treatment of Iraqis who are attempting to visit Jordan for a break from the miserable situation in Baghdad. Jordan is suffering under the strain of a huge influx of Iraqi refugees, and Jordanian officials have become increasingly hostile to visiting Iraqis, assuming that they're coming to Jordan to stay.
One Iraqi (Mohammed from Last of the Iraqis) who had was turned away at the airport is an active blogger. His documentation of his experience attempting to get out of Iraq for a vacation and into Jordan has turned into a giant argument between Iraqis and their supporters, who think Jordanians should be ashamed of their country's actions, and Jordanians, who are begging their compatriots to understand that a) they're not responsible for their government's actions and b) that Jordan is struggling with the refugee influx.
Several Global Voices authors are actively involved in the blog spat - on both sides - and Mohamed Nanabhay (a South African who works for Al Jazeera in Qatar) has just posted a very thorough roundup of posts on both sides of the dispute. The sort of story that's unlikely to get much attention outside the Middle East, but shows the tensions and consequences of the ongoing war...
