CURRENT AGE: 18
CURRENT AGE: 18
GRADE 8
CURRENT AGE: 18
CURRENT AGE: 16
IRAQI FAMILY FINDS REFUGE IN INDIANA BUT LIFE IS STILL DIFFICULT
PHOTO GALLERY
RADIO
Imagine more than 60,000 locals being uprooted from their homes every 30 days; Indianapolis would be a ghost town in about 14 months.
Since 2003, that many Iraqis have fled their homes each month to escape the turmoil that has divided their nation, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. In five years, 4.7 million have left their neighborhoods, 2 million of whom have traveled to neighboring nations, particularly Syria and Jordan. These nations have no official accommodations for refugees, however, leaving families with few resources.
In 2006, Sarmed and Samer Toma left Baghdad and moved to Aleppo, in northern Syria, along with their mother, Alfan Abdulahad, and father, Suhell Dawood. Since November, the family has lived in an apartment on the Northside of Indianapolis.
They recently discussed the trajectory of their lives – from living well and securely in Baghdad to being targets for Muslim extremists, and from being frustrated and bored as outsiders in Syria to facing an uncertain future in the United States.
Before war erupted in 2003, Baghdad was a beautiful place, the family said. Suhell was a dentist; Alfan, a pharmacist. The weather was generally pleasant and they could safely traverse the city. They described streets and outdoor markets filled with people and neighbors who continually “interact with one another,” Alfan said. All children received free education, and crime was low.
Not everything was perfect, however -- there was little information from outside of Iraq and no free speech. As minority Christians, the family had to maintain a low profile to avoid raising the ire of the majority Muslims, but they felt free to practice their faith and shop in Christian stores, they said.
Iraq today is a very different place. Many buildings have been razed, and people do not linger in the streets. The U.S. Army has implemented a strict curfew, and people often cannot travel safely because of sniper fire and random bombings.
On March 20, 2003, former President George W. Bush launched the Iraq War, citing reports that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had been cooperating with the terrorist group al-Qaida. Baghdad was thrown into chaos. As bombs strafed the city and looters ruled the streets, the family saw their once stable society turn into a violent free-for-all.
The family no longer felt safe as the backlash built against U.S. troops. As Christians, they became a target for extremists, who bombed Christian churches and businesses and threatened believers. Said, Sarmed, 19: “We were getting many threats to be killed.”
The family ultimately decided to flee to Syria in 2006. They moved to Aleppo, which has a large Christian community but few accommodations for refugees. “It was like Iraq, you know, but it’s safer. You can walk around, but you know there you cannot find a job because the Syrian government doesn’t allow Iraqis to work legally in Syria, and they don’t give you a permit,” said Alfan.
However, the boys were able to attend school for free, and the family did not worry beyond that because they believed they would eventually be able to return to Iraq. When the chaos and hatred of minorities did not subside though, the family decided to apply for resettlement through the United Nations.
The family soon learned applying for refugee status is a long and arduous process. A vast majority of applicants are rejected each year. For instance, in 2007, only 1,608 refugees were admitted to the United States. However, in 2008, about 12,000 Iraqis were resettled here.
"It is not easy, especially in Syria because a lot of Iraqis are there, many more than one million," said Alfan.
After applying for protection in February 2007, the family received an appointment for an interview in May, but that was only the beginning of the process.
"We did the interview many times. At first you have to make an application interview. The interviewer will take the information from you about your story and how you left Iraq and all those things. Then they will take a file and they will refer it to the protection department, and there they will study your case to see if it’s qualified for resettlement or not," said Sarmed.
The family had to prove a "well-founded fear of being persecuted" and give detailed descriptions of what they experienced in Iraq.
Following the interviews, their case was forwarded to the resettlement department of the U.N., where they were interviewed once again and then referred to the International Organization of Migration.
At this point, the family had to wait for a country to accept them as refugees. They were hoping to go somewhere in Europe, which has greater proximity to Iraq.
"It was not our decision to come here," Sarmed said.
However, the United States was the only country to offer them sanctuary, so the family then interviewed with the Department of Homeland Security to make final arrangements.
"After one month, they called us by phone about the approval from the United States, but we had to complete medical exams and we had to wait for the visas. After we took the medical exams, we waited three months after the approval for the visas and the airlines tickets. So we came here after a long, long time. You cannot imagine," said Sarmed.
Ultimately, the family was placed in Indianapolis because they have a friend here. Exodus Refugee Immigration has been assisting them.
Since coming to Indianapolis, the family has faced many challenges. Primary among these is adapting to the frigid temperatures (Baghdad has a hot arid climate,with highs exceeding 100 degrees F in summer and lows in the 40s in the winter).
They've also had some trouble getting around. They are not used to a “car” culture, and they said they were assured in Syria that there would be public transportation. “The transportation is not easy for us,” Alfan said. “Here, you cannot walk to anything.”
Another challenge is feeling isolated. “People are more social over there,” said Alfan, referring to Baghdad. “Here, we come in, close the doors and we're home. It is harder to build relationships here when you're not somebody who grew up here.”
Adding to their loneliness is the lack of information about the Middle East. “The problem is local TV doesn’t show what’s happening there, but for us, we just want to hear about the situation, events there, what’s happening, what’s going on,” said Sarmed.
The most drastic change for 16-year-old Samer has been adapting to North Central High School. “The school here is very different,” he said. “First, it’s bigger than the schools in Iraq or in Syria. It’s like a university in Baghdad,” he said.
In fact, the school differs not only in size, but also in working environment. “In North Central, there is listening of music. In my school, no one listens to music,” said Samer.
Fortunately though, discrimination has not been problem for Samer and his family. He said students have treated him kindly and have offered help whenever he needs it. The others have had similar experiences. “The people here are friendly, they are helpful, they cooperate with us. When we tell them that we are from Iraq, they just want to help us or offer the help,” says Alfan.
Sarmed, though, has had some bureaucratic frustrations. Having finished high school in Syria, he was eager to attend college and pursue a degree in pharmacy. He applied to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis but had been stymied by the application process that tested not only his academic skills but his command of English.
However, all ended well. Sarmed received his acceptance letter in early January and is enrolled this semester in the School of Science.
The family’s future plans are less certain. Though they still miss Iraq, they admit that staying in the U.S. is their best option right now. “In Iraq, it’s difficult to say because of many threats,” Sarmed explained. He told of continued explosions in Baghdad, where terrorists even attack schools.
Sarmed encountered such an explosion while walking home from church with his brother in summer 2006. “It was a terrible explosion. It was an IED [improvised explosion device]. I got shrapnel in my right leg, and it’s still here,” Sarmed said.
Though out of physical danger now, the family is still anxious. “We still could not find any jobs. The [U.S.] economy is down. Our agency, which is Exodus, wanted us to pay the utility bills from January, and starting in March, they want us to pay some of the rent with the utility bills,” Sarmed said recently.
Samantha Briggs, program director at Exodus, explained that the federal government provides intensive services for refugees for six months, but other services are available beyond that.
Despite all of the obstacles, the family believes they are surmountable. “We are going to, step by step, adopt this weather, to adopt this new life,” says Alfan.
Copyright 2009 Y-Press