At an opening ceremony attended by government officials, diplomats, local businesses, UN organizations, humanitarian aid workers and refugees from Iraq, UNHCR Representative to Armenia Bushra Halepota thanked all those who had helped in the project and wished the new residents a dignified and happy life in Darbnik, which is located in Ararat Marz province.

"A house is built by bricks, but a home and community are built by hearts and it is the close link with the community that will make this beautiful building into a happy abode for Iraqi families," she said.

Many UNHCR partners were involved in the project: the Armenian government ensured that the building was linked to gas and electricity networks; telecoms company VivaCell-MTS provided some vital funding; and the United States Embassy will supply furniture for the apartments.

Hundreds of members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, one of the world's oldest Christian communities, have fled Iraq to escape sectarian violence in recent years. The majority were born in the Middle East nation.

About 1,000 Iraqi Armenians have been granted refugee or temporary asylum status in Armenia the past four years. They live in rented houses in the capital, Yerevan, or in Ararat Marz and Kotayk provinces.

Most possess limited financial resources and are in urgent need of material assistance. They also find it hard to communicate in an unfamiliar language and a major struggle to make ends meet in an alien land.

The UN refugee agency, working through its local implementing partners, has been helping the most vulnerable families and promoting local integration of the refugees. The "Social House" in Darbnik is part of this programme and addresses the most crucial need of the refugees – shelter.

"VivaCell-MTS, as a corporate citizen, wants to contribute to this great programme of housing, initiated by UNHCR," said VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian, who took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan and others. "We, the Armenians of Armenia, have to do our best to create the conditions for these people [Iraqi refugees] to stay and see their children's future here."

By Anahit Hayrapetyan in Darbnik, Armenia

Even after the 52-year-old Karen farmer came to a Thai refugee camp from his native Myanmar more than 20 years ago, he attempted to support his family by splitting bamboo for seasonal housing construction, earning the equivalent of a few US cents per kilo for his output.

But the real turning point in his life came a couple of years ago when he began learning new farming skills under a UNHCR-funded programme conducted just outside Mae La by ZOA, the Netherlands-based refugee care organization.

"I'm very happy to be able to do something productive," he said, taking a break from weeding in the rain. "It's not harder than my skills and so I'm able to do it."

Mae La, in northern Thailand, is a camp that has seen many of its original refugee inhabitants depart for the United States, Canada or Australia to begin new lives under a third-country resettlement programme for those who believe a return to their native Myanmar is not on the cards any time soon.

The ZOA project is designed to keep farming skills alive for those – including 34 disabled refugees – who would prefer to return home when the right moment comes.

"We were afraid they would forget their skills," said Toe Toe, ZOA's income generation manager, because refugees have no opportunity to farm in the cramped camp, and are provided with food. In addition to growing mushrooms and vegetables, the disabled refugees also raise fish, frogs, pigs, cattle and goats on 31 hectares of land leased from the Thai forestry department.

The refugees take turns working in different areas, rotating a year at a time among the vegetable garden, the pig sties, fish ponds and so on. Their produce finds customers at local markets and the farmers earn 50 baht a day, or about US$1.50 – a respectable income in this remote area. They elected to take their pay home every two weeks, for a total of 1,200 baht a month.

"This project is really important because it provides 148 refugees an opportunity to work legally without going out of the closed camp and risking arrest," said Giuseppe de Vincentis, who is responsible for UNHCR's operations in Thailand. "While we continue to advocate the right for refugees to work legally and contribute to the Thai economy, this programme is an important interim step.

"It is also an excellent way to uphold the dignity of disabled refugees and allow them to contribute extra income to their families, while keeping up their skills for whatever their future holds," de Vincentis added.

Ka Du Lar was vague about where all his extra earnings go – he hands the money straight over to his wife, he said with a smile. One thing he knows for sure, though, is that his family, including two hungry teenagers, has a lot more variety in its diet than the nutritious but repetitive camp rations.

"I am very glad I can work here because we eat better," he said with pride. "Any food I want to eat, I can afford. I hope this project will continue for the future."

By Kitty McKinsey
In Mae La Refugee Camp, Thailand

For refugees around the world, return to their home country is usually the preferred option. But these refugees, most of whom have been in Thailand for more than 20 years, see little realistic prospect of returning to Myanmar any time soon. They also are not able to settle permanently in Thailand.

So for them, resettlement in a third country is the best option. For this reason we are very grateful to countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden for offering refugees a chance to begin new lives.

The man who was precisely the 50,000th person to depart is an ethnic Karenni school teacher who had been in Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp in Mae Hong Son province in northern Thailand since 1996. He and his wife and 2-year-old daughter left Bangkok this morning at the start of a 28-hour plane journey – their first time on a plane – that will bring them to their new home in Camden, New Jersey.

The man, Plu Reh, who had taught primary school in the camp, spoke optimistically to our staff about the opportunities in the United States for a good education for his daughter and for further education for himself and his wife.

Some 112,000 registered Myanmar refugees remain in the nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border. UNHCR expects to resettle a further 6,000 to 7,000 of them this year.

The Mtabila refugee camp in Kasulu district in north-western Tanzania, the last remaining camp hosting Burundian refugees in the country, was scheduled for closure today, 30 June, when all its residents were expected to voluntarily repatriate home.

However, on June 20 – World Refugee Day – the Tanzanian Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Lawrence Masha, announced that more time will be given to the Burundians, who have been refugees in the country since 1990s, to go back to Burundi.

The refugees will now have the chance to plan their return home during the traditional high season for repatriation which runs to the end of September.

The Minister also reiterated that no refugee will be forcibly returned and reaffirmed his government's commitment to uphold international laws and standards relating to the protection of refugees.

The Burundian peace process has paved the way for the return of one of Africa's longest staying refugee populations. Since 2002, UNHCR has assisted the voluntary repatriation of over 485,000 Burundian refugees from the neighbouring countries of Tanzania, DRC and Rwanda.

Over the last 37 years, Burundi's conflict has triggered waves of displacement, making the central African nation one of the biggest refugee producing countries in the world.

The remaining 36,000 refugees in Mtabila camp fled to Tanzania to escape the ethnic violence in Burundi in the last 16 years.

In addition, there are the "1972" Burundian refugees in three 'old settlements' in Rukwa and Tabora regions in western Tanzania. In a landmark decision in 2008, the Tanzanian government gave a choice to these refugees to return home or apply for Tanzanian citizenship.

Some 165,000 of them decided to stay and applied for naturalisation, while another 55,000 opted to return to Burundi. Of these, some 40,000 have returned home with the help of UNHCR and the remaining 15,000 are registered to repatriate to their homeland before the end of year.

A lot of things are different in this village in the Czech Republic from Myanmar and tropical Malaysia, where eight-year-old Dal and his ethnic Chin family lived in exile for six years. But the rain was familiar, reminding them of the more humid monsoon that hits South-East Asia every year.

They moved into their new home last week, some eight months after arriving in Prague late October as part of a group of 23 people from Myanmar – the first refugees ever resettled in the Czech Republic. A second group of 23 arrived in February.

The first families have spent the time since their arrival at the Stra? refugee centre north of the capital, going through intensive language training and orientation courses to learn about their new homeland.

The government's State Integration Programme, meanwhile, found permanent accommodation in the country's Bohemia and Moravia regions for all five of the resettled families. Dal and his family, led by former farmer Biak, moved into their home last Friday.

A warm welcome awaited them on arrival at their new municipal apartment in Osecek, including government officials, the village mayor and a priest – 80-90 percent of Chins are Christans. A kindly neighbour dropped by to say hello and to deliver some hot chicken soup that she had just prepared.

"The furniture and basic equipment was provided by NGOs with support from the European Refugee Fund, but many other things were given by locals," said Petr Novak from the Interior Ministry's department of asylum and migration Politics of the Interior Ministry, pointing at toys and four bicycles.

Novak said there were only a limited number of flats available, and a large number of applicants. When placing the refugees, they had to consider many factors. "Every refugee dreams of living in Prague, but such wishes are simply impossible to meet," he said, adding: "We try to find housing according to the individual needs of each refugee and their families, with special focus on employment opportunities."

Biak is lucky because he will be able to use his farming skills to provide for his family, while the four youngest children will get a good start by studying at local schools. Before his departure from Kuala Lumpur last year, the family patriarch had said he and his wife would "take any job we can: cooking, serving in a restaurant or working on farms."

They don't need to worry about employment, explained Roman Varga from the Organization for Aid to Refugees, which will help the family during the first six months in their new home.

"A nearby agriculture corporation offered jobs for the parents and the oldest son," he said. "The very first thing we need to do is to take the parents around and to introduce them to the authorities in Podebrady, the nearest district town, and have their new residence properly registered," he added.

That will be done this week, but on their first day in the village the family were happy just to explore and meet their neighbours. It's a long way from Myanmar and from Malaysia, where many refugees have limited legal access to labour and schooling.

Biak clearly believes education for his children is the most important thing. "We did not leave for the Czech Republic to get a better life for ourselves, but for our children."

The summer holiday starts very soon, but the youngest four children will visit the local primary school today to enrol for September and meet their future teachers and classmates. The children picked up the language quickly during their courses in Stra?, but the adults may need more classes.

UNHCR has welcomed the assistance provided by the Czech authorities. "Seeing the families moving to a private environment is a relieving experience," said Marcela Skalkova, who heads the refugee agency's Prague office. "At the same time, we all need to understand that this is just the beginning."

Becoming a resettlement country is yet another milestone for the Czech Republic, which emerged from decades of isolation under Soviet domination as part of Czechoslovakia less than 20 years ago. Born as a new nation in 1993, the Czech Republic joined the European Union in 2004.

The Czech pilot programme is aimed at assistance to vulnerable refugees; top consideration was given to survivors of trauma and refugees with serious medical problems or protection needs. Some of the refugees had spent nearly 10 years in exile in Malaysia, and resettlement was seen as the only solution for them.

By Marta Miklusakova in Prague, Czech Republic

As part of this process, UNHCR this week conducted a rapid survey among 4,200 displaced families in Yar Hussain camp in Swabi District. The families are primarily from Buner district. While the data is still being analysed, initial findings suggest most people want to return home but are concerned about security conditions. They cited 'improvements in security conditions' and 'restored peace' as preconditions to their return. Other reasons for people not wanting to return at this stage were destruction of houses and infrastructure such as electricity supply, and concerns about lack of education and food.

The survey also found that most families had not visited their place of origin since they were displaced. Those that did, said it was to harvest crops, secure cattle or check on homes. Some people had gone back to help bring additional family members, especially the elderly, who were initially left behind because they couldn't move quickly. But almost all people who had reported going back said they did so only once.

Meanwhile, an average of 1,800 people (or 300 families) per day continue to arrive at Jalozai camp, Nowshera district, which is being expanded as other camps in the North West Frontier Province are full. The new arrivals at Jalozai are a mix of people previously staying with host families and those referred on from camps which are full.

In all the organized camps, we are continuing to improve conditions, building shade structures over tents to relieve the heat and privacy walls around groups of tents. We are also improving infrastructure like lighting and fencing. Preparations are underway for the monsoon season expected in mid-July. We are reinforcing drainage systems, especially in flat low-lying camps like Larama in Peshawar and Sheikh Shahzad in Mardan. Many families have started to protect their family tent by building up low protective brick walls or draining canals.

Outside of camps, this week we have been distributing relief items through our partner Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) to some 24,700 people staying in host families and schools in Charsadda, Nowshera and Mardan districts. Distribution of relief packages including mats, plastic sheets, jerry cans and kitchen sets is done through the humanitarian hubs run in conjunction with the World Food Programme.

According to records of local Somali hospitals, more than 250 civilians have been killed and at least 900 wounded since last month. We estimate that since the start of the fighting in May more than 160,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and seek shelter elsewhere within Somalia or in neighboring countries. Between 19 June and 22 June alone, an estimated 26,000 were displaced from Mogadishu due to heavy fighting.

The majority of the internally displaced people (IDPs), some 49,000, moved to the safer districts within the city or makeshift IDP settlements on the outskirts of Mogadishu, while another 45,000 fled towards the Afgooye corridor. They joined more than 400,000 IDPs who have been displaced since 2007. Others have gone to more distant locations including Lower and Middle Shebelle, Lower Juba, Galgaduud, and Gedo. According to our local partners, some of the displaced are heading towards neighbouring countries. Some of the newly displaced are families that had recently returned home following a period of relative peace in Mogadishu during the first four months of the year.

Many IDPs tell stories of hardship and suffering as they try to flee the embattled Somali capital. Most of the people are trying to leave the city on board minibuses carrying on average of 20 people. According to IDPs, drivers are charging US$ 250 or more for a fare. Our partners in Somalia spoke with some of them in Afmadow some 400 km south west of Mogadishu. One of these IDPs, a mother of six, told our partners it took her nine days to reach Afmadow as the local transporters took her money and then left her and her children stranded along the route.

The deteriorating security situation has sharply reduced deliveries of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the displaced in and around Mogadishu. Our local partners that have been providing a lifeline to the IDPs are facing growing security problems as they try to help the needy.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Kenya, the number of refugee arrivals continues to rise. Since the beginning of the year, some 38,000 new refugees arrived in Kenya, virtually all of them Somalis. In June, the Dadaab camp received 4,104 refugees. Sheltering presently more than 280,000 people, Dadaab is the largest refugee complex in the world.

There are local media reports of widespread returns of internally displaced people (IDP) to their areas of origin, but while UNHCR staff have seen people return home briefly they say there is no discernible large-scale movement out of the camps. UNHCR and other agencies are working with the government to develop a return framework to ensure it is voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable.

As part of this process, UNHCR this week conducted a rapid survey among 4,200 displaced families in Yar Hussain camp in the Swabi district of the North West Frontier Province. The families are primarily from Buner district. While the data is still being analyzed, initial findings suggest most people want to return home but are concerned about security conditions.

They cited improvements in security conditions and restored peace as preconditions to their return. Other reasons for people not wanting to return at this stage were destruction of houses and infrastructure such as electricity supply, and concerns about lack of education and food.

The survey also found that most families had not visited their place of origin since they were displaced. Those who had gone back said it was to harvest crops, secure cattle or check on homes. Some people had gone back to help bring additional family members, especially the elderly, who were initially left behind because they could not move quickly. But almost all people who had reported going back said they did so only once.

Meanwhile, an average of 1,800 people (or 300 families) per day continue to arrive at Jalozai camp, Nowshera district, which is being expanded as other camps in the North West Frontier Province are full. The new arrivals at Jalozai are a mix of people previously staying with host families and those referred on from camps which are full.

In all the organized camps, we are continuing to improve conditions, building shade structures over tents to relieve the heat and privacy walls around groups of tents. We are also improving infrastructure like lighting and fencing. Preparations are under way for the monsoon season expected in mid-July.

UNHCR is reinforcing drainage systems, especially in flat low-lying camps like Larama in Peshawar and Sheikh Shahzad in Mardan. Many families have started to protect their family tent by building up low protective brick walls or draining canals.

Outside of camps, the UN refugee agency has this week been distributing relief items through its local partner, Sarhad Rural Support Programme, to almost 25,000 people staying with host families or in schools in Charsadda, Nowshera and Mardan districts. Distribution of relief packages, including mats, plastic sheets, jerry cans and kitchen sets, is done through the humanitarian hubs run in conjunction with the World Food Programme.

By Ariane Rummery in Islamabad, Pakistan

"Fighting between government forces and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam, which erupted on May 7 in several north-west areas of the Somali capital Mogadishu, is leaving a trail of civilian casualties, destruction and renewed displacement," UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told reporters in Geneva on Friday.

According to records of local Somali hospitals, more than 250 civilians have been killed and at least 900 wounded during this period. "We estimate that since the start of the fighting in May more than 169,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and seek shelter elsewhere within Somalia or in neighbouring countries," Spindler said. Between last Friday and Monday alone, an estimated 33,000 were displaced from Mogadishu due to the heavy fighting.

The majority of the internally displaced people (IDPs), some 51,000, moved to safer districts within the city or makeshift IDP settlements on the outskirts of Mogadishu, while another 48,000 fled towards the Afgooye corridor to the west of the capital. They joined more than 400,000 civilians who have been displaced since 2007. A further 70,000 have gone to more distant locations, including the districts of Lower and Middle Shebelle, Lower Juba, Galgaduud, and Gedo.

According to UNHCR's local partners, some of the displaced are heading towards neighbouring countries. And some are families that had recently returned home following a period of relative peace in Mogadishu during the first four months of the year.

Many IDPs tell stories of hardship and suffering as they try to flee the embattled Somali capital. Most of the people are trying to leave the city on board minibuses. Drivers are reportedly charging US$250 or more for a fare. UNHCR partners in Somalia spoke with some of the displaced in Afmadow, some 400 kilometres south-west of Mogadishu. One of these, a mother of six, said it took her nine days to reach Afmadow as the local transporters took her money and then left her and her children stranded along the route.

The deteriorating security situation has sharply reduced deliveries of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the displaced in and around Mogadishu. "Our local partners that have been providing a lifeline to the IDPs are facing growing security problems as they try to help the needy," said Spindler in Geneva.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Kenya, the number of refugee arrivals from Somalia continues to rise. Since the beginning of the year, some 38,000 new refugees arrived in Kenya, virtually all of them Somalis. In June, the Dadaab camp in the north-east received 4,104 refugees. Sheltering more than 280,000 people, Dadaab is the largest refugee complex in the world.

The Islamic Shari'a further consolidated the humanitarian principles of brotherhood, equality and tolerance among human beings. Relieving suffering and assisting, sheltering, and granting safety to the needy, even enemies, are an integral part of Islamic Shari'a, which preceded by many centuries current international human rights treaties and norms, including the right to asylum and the principle of non-refoulement, which are designed to preserve the refugee's life and ensure his or her well-being.

The Islamic Shari'a addressed the issue of asylum explicitly and in detail, and guaranteed safety, dignity and care for the "musta'men" (asylum-seeker). Moreover, Islamic society followed specific procedures in responding to asylum requests. Hence, the return, or refoulement, of the "musta'men" was prohibited by virtue of Shari'a. Today, what is known as non-refoulement constitutes the cornerstone of international refugee law and relies on this very same principle.

More than any other historical source, the Holy Qur'an along with the Sunnah and Hadith of the Prophet of Islam are a foundation of contemporary refugee law.

António Guterres

The custom of "aman" (safety) implies the protection of asylum-seekers, whether they are believers or non-believers. This is clearly stated in Surat "Al-Tawba" (repentance)): "And if anyone of the Mushrikin (polytheists, idolaters, pagans, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah) seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the Word of Allah (the Qur'an), and then escort him to a place where he can be secure, that is because they are men who know not".(Ayah (verse) 6) The "istijara " featured as an overall umbrella for the asylum seeker, his or her family and property, and was particularly associated with holy places, as Surat "Al Baqarah" states: "And when We made the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah) a place of resort for mankind and a place of safety. And take you (people) the Maqam (place) of Ibrahim (Abraham) [or the stone on which Ibrahim (Abraham) stood while he was building the Ka'bah] as and We commanded Ibrahim (Abraham) and Isma'il (Ishmael) that they should purify My house (the Ka'bah at Makkah)) for those who are circumambulating it, or staying (I'tikaf), or bowing or prostrating themselves (there in prayer)".(Ayaha 125). Also, the holy Hadith states, "He who enters the holy mosque is safe, He who enters the house of Abu Sufyan is safe; he who drops his weapon is safe; he who stays behind his closed door is safe". 1

As expressed by many scholars, the migration of Muslims to Abyssinia (Habasha) and the flight of the Prophet, (PBUH), to Medina, to avoid persecution and oppression by the people of Qureish, were acts of mercy. Yet these set an important precedent for the relationship between the asylum-seeker and the asylum provider, whereby the rights of the former are linked to the duties of the latter.

More than any other historical source, the Holy Qur'an along with the Sunnah and Hadith of the Prophet of Islam are a foundation of contemporary refugee law. Even though many of those values were a part of Arab tradition and culture even before Islam, this fact is not always acknowledged today, even in the Arab world. The international community should value this 14-century-old tradition of generosity and hospitality and recognize its contributions to modern law.

In this solid study the author provides a detailed explanation of Islamic Shari'a and Arab customs, including the standards and norms which underpin the legal framework on which the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees bases its activities.

The author describes how Islam honoured refugees, even if they were non-Muslims, forbade forcing them to change their beliefs, did not compromise their rights, helped reunite families and guaranteed the protection of their lives and possessions. The author has also collected a number of Qoranic texts and ancient Arabic poetry, dated before and after the appearance of Islam, and provides a thorough explanation of these texts and sources. These are some of the enlightening truths the book unveils about the Arab and Islamic traditions, which consider someone who shelters a migrant a true believer, and which hold the right to asylum as basic and sacred, guaranteeing it also to non-Muslims.

Today, the majority of refugees worldwide are Muslims. This fact occurs at a time when the level of extremism, ethnic and religious, is on the rise around the globe, even in the world's most developed societies. Racism, xenophobia and populist fear-mongering manipulate public opinion and confuse refugees with migrants and even terrorists. These attitudes have also contributed to misperceptions about Islam, and Muslim refugees have paid a heavy price. Let us be clear: refugees are not terrorists, they are first and foremost the victims of terrorism. This book reminds us of our duty to counter such attitudes.

This is also a valuable comparative study on the norms of Islamic Shari'a and international law regarding refugees and asylum, as well as migration and forced displacement. It is the outcome of the continuous and close cooperation between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Of course, what is more important is not theory or the status accorded to a person, but the actual protection provided to him or her, and that is a strong tradition and practice of member-States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The fruit of partnership between UNHCR and this Organization can be seen in the Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, adopted in 1990 by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which stipulates that "every human being? if persecuted, has the right to seek asylum in another country; and the country of asylum shall ensure his protection until he/she has reached safety (aman)."

This book is a valuable reference and should be read by anyone working or interested in human rights, refugees and migration issues. It is also a timely study of the Arab and Islamic values which have served, directly and indirectly, as a reference for many international laws and conventions.

A genuine strategic partnership between UNHCR and the Islamic world is vitally important to the continuation of this 14-century old commitment to generosity, hospitality and non-discriminatory protection. These principles, along with a respect for basic human rights, are explored here in detail and shown to be the foundation for much of the international law that informs humanitarian work. We would do well to remember the Islamic principle that "before all the calamities of the world, all human beings are equal".

António Guterres
UN High Commissioner for Refugees

1 Produced by Muslim in fateh makkah chapter, from kitab al-jihad was-siyar, saheeh al-bukhari 3.-1408 No. 1780, ibn Shaybah and kitab al-maghazi, verified by Dr. Abdul-Aziz al-'Omari, Riyadh, Dar Ishbilia, 1420 AH ( 1990 AD)