"As Stockholm gears up to host the first UN follow-up conference on the International Compact of Iraq (ICI) on Thursday, is Sweden about to burst its banks with Iraqi refugees? Since 2003, the small town of Sodertalje, has accepted more Iraqis than the USA and Canada combined.
Since the American-led invasion deposed Saddam Hussein in 2003, 40,000 Iraqis have arrived in Sweden. "If our children feel comfortable here and if they will have a good future I don't think there is any reason for us to go back," explains Marline Barkose, a mother who has moved to Sodertalje with her family. Although their family love living here, Marline also feels "that there are too many Arabs in Sodertalje". The suburbs are being dubbed 'Little Baghdads', everyone speaks in Arabic and it is hard for the new arrivals to learn Swedish. Is the influx of Iraqi refugees too much for Sweden to take?" journeymanpictures

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