BAGHDAD — Yousif Aljanabi didn’t know he could flee Iraq for Europe until the Facebook posts appeared in his feed.
There were photos, maps and entire groups devoted to Iraqis escaping for safer shores. Aljanabi, nearly 30 and unhappy with life in Baghdad, used the new networks to meet others eager to leave. Now he is in Serbia, waiting with fellow travelers to continue their journey to Western Europe.
Facing a grinding war with the Islamic State and a stagnant economy at home, tens of thousands of Iraqis have joined the tide of mostly Syrian refugees now spilling across Europe’s borders. And many, such as Aljanabi, have turned to Facebook to do it.
“Staying in Iraq would have been like a slow death,” Aljanabi said. “But when I went online, I found all the information and prepared to leave.”
Inspired by the flood of images of Syrians arriving to Germany’s cheering crowds, Iraqis have used the social network to crowdsource their own voyages to the continent — sharing tips, maps and contacts in public and private groups now established across the site. They have recruited travel companions, connected with smugglers, documented their travel and urged others to flee.
Iraqi officials and analysts say the online connections have encouraged more people to make what is a treacherous journey across the Mediterranean Sea. According to the United Nations mission in Iraq, more than 50,000 Iraqis have fled the country for Europe in the past three months.
