As a result of the ongoing conflict in Iraq, 700,000 to 800,000 Iraq refugees now reside in Jordan—the bulk in the country’s capital, Amman. Along with physical displacement, refugees cope with an array of social and economic hardships, including unemployment and resentment from native Jordanians. Radio Al-Balad, Jordan’s main community radio station, has tried to use professional journalism to play a constructive role in addressing their humanitarian plight. With support from the Open Society Institute Middle East & North Africa Initiative, the station launched Iraqi Hour, a weekly news and public affairs program that seeks to provide a public platform for issues of concern for Iraqi refugees.
Iraqi Hour, which aired its first episode in August 2008, broadcasts community news and programming that deals with access to education, the availability of public services, and other social and cultural issues relevant to the Iraqi refugee community. The program uses a talk-show format with a featured guest—past participants have included the Iraqi ambassador to Jordan and a representative of the Red Cross—and allows listener call-ins.
"As a community radio we are interested in providing a voice to disenfranchised communities whether they be local Jordanians or the guests of Jordan from the violence in Iraq,” says Radio Al-Balad’s director general Daoud Kuttab. “What began as short term refuge has extended for months and years for many Iraqis. With such permanence Iraqi refugees need a voice." Kuttab expressed hope that the program can help “bridge the gap between the needy Iraqi visitors on the one hand and the local government and other humanitarian agencies on the other hand."
Iraqi Hour broadcasts on FM in Amman and on the web, where additional program-related news and information is available. The station has plans to expand the show’s current programming to include Syria, where an estimated 1.2 million Iraqi refugees currently live.