Exercise 11 Case study on statelessness, migration and forced displacement Interactive classroom activity or take-home exercise The Feili Kurds say they originated in the Zagros mountain range of Iran. For centuries, they lived on both sides of the IranIraq border in the regions of Khuzestan and eastern Iraq. Unlike the Sunni Muslim Kurds of northern Iraq, Feili Kurds are Shiite Muslims. Generations ago, their ancestors moved to Iraq and integrated successfully with local communities. Under former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime and during the course of the Iraq/Iran War, the Feili Kurds were accused of being Iranian, stripped of their nationality and expelled from the country. This was done on the basis of Resolution No. 666 of 07.05.1980, the text of which follows below. “In accordance with the provisions of para (a) of Article 42 of the Interim Constitution, The Revolutionary Command Council have decided in their session held on 07.05.1980 the following: 1. The Iraqi nationality shall be dropped from any Iraqi of foreign origin if it is appeared that he is not loyal to the homeland, people, higher national and social objectives of the Revolution. 2. The Minister of Interior must order anyone whose Iraqi Nationality has been dropped under para 1 unless he is convinced according to sufficient reasons that his stay in Iraq is a matter required by judicial or legal necessity or for preservation of the rights of other persons which are officially authenticated. 3. The Minister of Interior shall undertake to execute this resolution. Saddam Hussein Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council” They became stateless and unable to enjoy the rights and benefits accorded by a State to its nationals. Students are asked to imagine the situation after the new government of Iraq took power. The Feili Kurds will finally be able to find a solution to their plight. Students are asked to identify and discuss potential solutions for Feili Kurds and how the manner in which Feili Kurds were rendered stateless should be taken into account in any strategy to address their plight. Exercise 12 Addressing statelessness – Who cares? Interactive classroom activity This is a round-up exercise looking at the reasons that different actors may have to tackle statelessness. It is also a good follow-on to exercise 8 which looks at partners and strategies in responding to statelessness. If the students have not been asked to carry out exercise 8 before now, exercise 8 (a) would provide an excellent introduction to the present exercise. In pairs or small groups, the students are asked to remind themselves of the actors that may be involved in tackling statelessness, divided among the following general roles (see exercise 8 (a)): 1. The State 2. The stateless population 3. The international community 4. Civil society On the basis of all that they have learnt about statelessness over the course of a series of classes or seminars, ask the students to devise a list of arguments that may be presented in favour of addressing statelessness – legal, moral, political, economic, personal, etc. Discuss with the students which arguments they think will be most useful to convince each actor. A Guide to Teaching on Statelessness 57