The life of Iranian-Iraqis reflected in a book

In the book ’56 Zoqaq’, the writer Hani Khorramshahi reflects the fate of Iraqis of Iranian descent who were forced to leave Iraq under the dictator Saddam Hussein.

2016-1-20

According to IBNA correspondent, the book ’56 Zoqaq’ focuses on the diaries of Khorramshahi. In this book, he takes consideration of the life of Iranians living in Iraq during the rule of Saddam Hussein.
At the beginning of this book, Khorramshahi writes: “56 Zoqaq is the name of the street where I spent my childhood years; the period full of bittersweet memories which when narrated for my friends I could see the interest in their eyes.”
“These memories look into a strange world as seen through my eyes as a child which narrates the covert and overt corners of the contemporary history. It covers the fate of about one million people whose stories were buried under the passage of time, without being spoken of or defended. Fully documented events of what I’ve seen, heard and touched, and written word by word to be read in the future. It is a story written for the whole world as well as my wife and two daughters, Maral and Misa, who are my world.”
“Iranians deported from Iraq were first identified by the new administration of Saddam Hussein in 1980 under the excuse of being granted birth certificate or certificate of citizenship, and were later on forced to leave their homes after suffering torture and prolonged detentions. They were left in the border areas of the Islamic Republic of Iran with their assets confiscated by the Iraqi government which were later put on auctions,” the sad diary continues.