Los Angeles Times

An Iranian refugee's dream finally comes true. But he can't stop thinking about those he left behind

KENT, Wash. - Sirvan Moradi doesn't feel right.

He knows he should be relieved to be in America. He knows he should be grateful to have escaped Iran, where his family was under threat for following a faith the government calls a "false cult." He knows he should be happy to be out of Turkey, where he had asylum but was shut out of jobs and faced taunts and slurs for being a refugee.

He knows this part of his journey should be the best one - living in a suburban Seattle apartment, learning English, starting a new job and trying to make friends in a place that has embraced him.

But mostly he feels anguish.

"I'm not happy, but I'm not sad," says Moradi, 25. "My dad is gone. My family is in Turkey. I'm here."

Moradi, who moved to Kent this year with his aunt, is one of just 103 Iranian refugees to arrive in the U.S. over the last seven months. He is among 12 who have settled

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