Tim Blair

THE AMAZING KADEMS

Paul McGeough, the Sydney Morning Herald's superstar war correspondent, works very hard to portray the removal of Saddam Hussein as a horrible mistake. His efforts are truly impressive. More than a million Iraqis have returned to the country since the war; according to the Immigration Department, 34 Iraqis have voluntarily returned from Australia so far. McGeough, in Iraq, chose to visit the Kadems.

The Kadems are a very special family. The parents, Abdul and Bam, are of Iraqi ancestry but he was born in Kuwait and she moved there in infancy. After coming to Australia from Iran in 1999, the family spent four years in and out of detention. Thanks to fluent English and a flair for threats, violence and publicity, they made more headlines than any other asylum seekers save the Pakistani-pretending-to-be-Afghan Bakhtiaris.

During their eventful time in Australia:

• Abdul served seven months in jail for aiding Indonesian people-smugglers. He confessed to being a middleman: meeting would-be boat people at the airport in Jakarta, organizing their accommodation, collecting their "fares" and passing them to organizers.

• Mrs Kadem complained of psychological stress and she and her children were moved out of detention. She later asked to be returned to detention

• Fellow detainees said Kadem and his eldest sons were involved in a plan to burn down parts of the Curtin detention centre

• Abdul punched out a window and threatened to crash the plane if officials tried to fly him to Port Hedland detention centre

• He later threatened to kill himself and to sue Philip Ruddock for "human rights abuses"

• Mrs Kadem punched out a window and trashed a room

• Abdul and his elder sons staged rooftop protests at Port Hedland; during that time immigration officials said the family took part in routine activities at the centre, including a shopping excursion

• Sons Mohammed and Ali claimed to have sewn their lips together and gone on hunger strike. Immigration officials say they did neither

• Ali reportedly slashed his throat. His brother Abdullah cut his wrists

• Both had Australian girlfriends; Ali married his.

Refugee activists filmed the family over a three-year period for an upcoming documentary. Last year the Kadems volunteered to leave Australia. They received a $14,000 resettlement grant. They considered going to Iran and Syria but were refused visas. They then chose to go to Iraq.

In the first paragraph McGeough sets out his theme:

Abdul Kadem tells the story of his years in detention in Australia with such vehemence that, unwittingly, he does a better job as an ambassador for the harsh reality of John Howard's treatment of asylum seekers than might be done by any ANU-trained diplomat.

But McGeough has trouble making this story say what he wants it to. Abdul, an Iranian-trained Shi'ite preacher, reliably says detention in Australia was "hell." Life in Iraq is also "hell." The country is too dangerous to live in: "We could die in a bombing or a shootout at any time." Yet in this hellish, alien land, "a strange place with strange people," he claims to have great influence:

"You want to see a protest? I'll show you - closer to the coming Australian election we'll have a thousand people outside the embassy. I'll be lobbying [Shiite spiritual leader] Ali Al Sistani and [leading politician] Ibrahim al-Jaabari for the new Iraqi government to have no dealing with Australia. You'll see what happens ..."

Then along comes his son Ali and undercuts the whole effect. He "misses Australia." He wants to go back there with his Australian wife, who has moved to Iraq at risk of her life. He recalls "carefree days of sport and fruit-picking around Bunbury," WA. Now he "seems remarkably well adjusted." He works in a mobile phone shop, "at the cutting edge of the new Iraqi economy." Even more distressing, he "is enthusiastic about Baghdad."

Paul is getting awfully Fisky! Maybe next time he will introduce us to some of Abdul's million or so fellow returnees, and get them to explain themselves. Clearly, they must all be insane.

(By guest contributor Elizabeth F.)

Posted by Tim Blair at April 7, 2004 02:19 AM