Six months after the US invasion, a 30-year-old Iraqi artist and writer named Esam Pasha proudly painted a mural titled "Resilience" over a large portrait of Saddam Hussein on a government building wall. Pasha now resides in the United States, one of the many Iraqis forced to leave their country since the war, including doctors, businessmen, academics, and other professionals whose expertise Iraq cannot afford to lose. Pasha fondly remembers spending days chatting and sipping tea at a gallery in Baghdad, reminiscing about the sounds, birds, and aroma of tea in Iraq. His mural was a vibrant tribute to Baghdad life and what he described as "the ever-shining sun of Iraq." Pasha mentioned in a phone interview from Connecticut that he did not use any black paint in the mural because he believed Baghdad already had enough darkness in its past. The mural is located on a wall of the Ministry of Labour, which is currently inaccessible to the public due to security measures. Pasha hopes that one day Baghdad will be safe enough for public artworks to be enjoyed by all, envisioning a city that is beautiful and clean like it used to be. Abu Mina, a ceramic artist and university professor, continues to visit the gallery that Pasha holds dear, but he expresses concern over the lack of security which is affecting his ability to sell art. He mentions that he has not received payment from the university for a month and many of his students are not attending classes due to safety concerns. Abu Mina fears that only a few students will graduate this year, as most of them have not been attending classes. "I wouldn't be able to identify them by their faces." According to the Higher Education Ministry, a minimum of 185 university teachers have been murdered since April 2003, with another 52 being abducted and 41 being injured. A recent attack at a university in Baghdad resulted in the deaths of at least 70 individuals, mostly students. Abu Mina's son is studying medicine, but classes are only held every two weeks and many professors have relocated to Damascus for safety reasons to teach at a private university. It can take weeks, and sometimes be impossible, to find a dentist, specialist surgeon, or consultant, leading those who can afford it to seek medical care abroad. Hospital emergency departments dealing with a surge of patients from bombings and shootings often lack sufficient staff and are overwhelmed. A recent United Nations report highlighted a concerning rise in attacks on professionals such as teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, ex-military officers, and journalists. The report attributed these attacks to extremists promoting a conformist ideology and militant/terror groups aiming to instill fear and intimidation. It also noted a growing presence of Islamic extremism linked to assaults on academics. Asam Rifaat, a 38-year-old criminal lawyer residing in Baghdad's affluent Mansour neighborhood, expressed his decision to relocate his family out of Iraq due to the unsafe conditions in the city. He stated that he cannot bear the idea of his children growing up without parents in a city dominated by death. He expressed his refusal to work for justice in a country controlled by militias that operate outside the law, often collaborating with the police to carry out numerous killings every week. He emphasized that they are living in a lawless society and he fears for his life every time he leaves home, worried that he may never return. His wife, a teacher, has stopped working to care for their children. Salim al-Taie, a 45-year-old former army officer living in Amriya, Baghdad, expresses concern for his safety every time his wife, Asam, leaves for work. He becomes emotional and worries when he sees urgent news about bombs on television, and he doesn't stop crying until she returns home. Salim believes that over the past four years, many negative changes have occurred in Baghdad, with a lack of respect for the law being a significant issue. He described life in Baghdad as similar to living in a city controlled by the mafia, where anyone could be murdered without reason. He recounted the deaths of two friends who were killed by gunmen, causing him to lose hope despite his efforts to reassure his wife. The ongoing violence and sectarian conflicts only confirmed his doubts. After deciding to stop sending his children to school and ultimately relocate to Egypt, his daughters' tears convinced him to leave Iraq for good in order to protect them from further harm. He expressed his desire for his children to no longer cry, even if it meant never returning to Iraq.