Doctor’s fears for his peaceful people

Aug 2 2008 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Doctor’s fears for his peaceful people

A DOCTOR who was kidnapped and tortured in Iraq wants more protection for his vulnerable community.

But he says his pleas are falling on deaf ears and no-one is listening to his fears.

Dr Ahmed Naser lives in Berry Brow and is seeking asylum after fleeing the Middle East last year.

He is a member of the Shabak community, a 400,000-strong group who live around Mosul in northern Iraq.

Dr Naser, whose brother was killed in a bombing, said: “We are peaceful, hard-working people and we only want to live in harmony with other people.”

The Shabak are distinct from both Kurds and Arabs as they have their own language, Shabaki.

Dr Naser, 37, said: “We were oppressed during the time of Saddam Hussein. Our language was not recognised nor taught in schools. We didn’t dare to ask for our rights.”

Dr Naser hoped the US invasion in 2003 would improve the position of the Shabak.