Iraqis Aim for the American Dream in Austin By Kelsey Jukam Saif Naji finished his degree in medicine

in 2003, a few months after the United States invaded his country. Naji, 32, had already lived through two wars. He remembers seeing his mother cry for the first time when her brother died fighting in the Iran-Iraq war, and can clearly recall every detail of the first night of the assault on Baghdad during the Gulf War. His mother gathered his family in the bottom floor of their house as explosions rattled the city, and said, If we die, we will die together. But Naji, a mild-mannered optimist, never imagined his work as a doctor would begin in an emergency room, tending to victims of car bombs and gunshots. Naji worked for four years in Iraq, before completing a residency in Belarus and working for a short time in Jordan. When he returned to Iraq in 2009, he decided he did not want to stay. He applied for a Refugee Visa almost two years ago, and was resettled in Austin ten months ago. U.S. law stipulates that, in order to qualify as a refugee, a person must have a legitimate fear of persecution based on religion, race, political opinion, nationality or membership in a specific social group. The United Nations Refugee Agency defines a refugee more broadly as someone who has been forced to leave his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. The war did drive Naji to come the U.S., but he says he came here not only because he feared for his safety. I came here for my future, Naji said. Not because my country is not safe for me, or for economic reasons. Here the country has been democratic for 200 years. There is organization that protects people and help them. Here you can say what you want. There is no place like this, for so many religions to live here and they live in peace. Naji is part of a large worldwide diaspora of Iraqis, but the Iraqi community in Austin is relatively small compared to cities like Dallas and Detroit. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services 594 Iraqi refugees have resettled in Austin since 2005, and 125 of those came between 2010 and 2011. Although the Iraqi population is is the second largest refugee population in Austin, these numbers are a fraction of the total numbers of Iraqi refugees in the country. The US Department of Health and Human Services reported that in 2010 alone, a total of 18,134 refugees from Iraq resettled in the US, and 1609 settled in Texas. Refugees are assisted by resettlement agencies for six months after their arrival. In Austin, the two resettlement agencies are Refugee Services of Texas (RST) and Caritas. Although there is an extended program that will assist refugees for five years in extraordinary circumstances, most refugees will not qualify for such a program and must be self-dependent in half a year. The Multicultural Refugee Coalition has computer classes, sewing classes, and other programs that assist refugees regardless of how long theyve been in the US, but on the days it operates, the number of Iraqi refugees in attendance pales in comparison to refugees from countries such as Bhutan or the Democratic Republic of Congo. Christopher Ulack, a doctoral student in the department of geography at the University of Texas,

studies the Iraqi community in Austin. He said that in the course of his research he was surprised to find that the Iraqis in Austin did not have a strong support system within their community or within the larger Arab community. This is partially due to spatial and technological isolation. New arrivals to the US most often rely on public transportation, and often do not have easy access to the internet or a phone. Another factor contributing to the lack of social interaction is that refugees are preoccupied with basic survival their first few years in the United States. Arkan Hammadi, 29, says its difficult to make time for a social life when hes constantly worried about maintaining a high quality of life for his family here. Hammadi worked as a translator for the US Army from 2006 to 2010. When he starting receiving death threats because of his work with Americans, he decided to leave Iraq, and bring his wife, 2 year old daughter, and 4 year old son to the US. It would be easy to imagine Hammadi, who studied theater when he was in university in Iraq, as an action-film star, but now he is busy playing the part of a devoted dad who takes his young autistic son to doctors appointments and works full-time at a factory preparing materials for solar power projects. Hammadi is trying to find a way for his wife to work, but although his son attends public school in the mornings, it is difficult to pay for childcare for their daughter. Hopefully, in the future I will find a better way to support my family, because my kid is my priority right now, Hammadi said. Im thinking of his future. What is something happens to me you know? Whos going to take care of him? Education is also a top priority for Iraqi refugees in the United States. Raya Thanoon, a young woman who resettled in Austin about a year ago, said that between working 10 hours a day, taking evening classes at Austin Community College in Calculus, and studying on the weekends, she hardly has time to see her husband much less meet and maintain a social group. She sometimes attends mosque, but since she must work and go to school on Fridays, the day of worship for Muslims, it is difficult for her to attend every week. Thanoons primary concern right now is her education. She was an engineer in Iraq, but those qualifications did not carry over to the US. She hopes to one day teach engineering at a university in the US. Thanoon currently works as a production specialist for an Austin-based social enterprise called Open Arms, which employs a small staff of refugee women from many different countries, and produces handmade scarves and skirts. Raya wears a different kind of scarf than the ones sold by Open Arms: a delicate light blue hijab, with thin, sparkling threads of silver. When I first came here, I was thinking, Are they going to accept me with my veil, with the background that we have, and I was afraid, Thanoon said. But on the second day we were on the street, just walking around the area and then many American people stopped me, they wanted to ask me why are you wearing this and they were so friendly. Ive seen the smile in the faces which I was afraid I would not see. Hammadi was also worried that his wife might face discrimination because of her hijab, but said that besides a few sideways glances, Austinites have been very polite to his family.

I feel like 90 percent of people are good, Hammadi said. Sometimes they give us like a dirty look, but nobody has said you guys are bad or stuff like that. Whenever I rode the bus with my family, people always gave up their seats for us. I heard that in different states I would face discrimination, but when I first got here, I didnt feel it. Amanda Posson, Austin Area Director of RST, said that while many Iraqis have faced discrimination in other cities, they have been well received in Austin. The Austin community is for the most part receptive, informed, and just interested, Posson said. She said the business community, in particular, has been particularly receptive of Iraqi refugees. They are a very viable workforce, theyre very willing to work, and theyll take any job they can get and be consistent so its good for retention rates, Posson said. According to RST Employment Supervisor Christian Glakas, most of the Iraqi refugees in Austin work in hotels, restaurants, manufacturing, or as cleaners. Although many Iraqis have college degrees and professional experience, they often have no choice but to accept entry-level positions in a field theyve never worked in before. The biggest challenge for refugees is that they need a reference in the US and thats hard to obtain until youve taken a first job somewhereusually an entry-level job, Posson said. You have to build credentials, reputation and social capital and that takes time. Naji, who is currently studying to take the qualifying exams that will allow him to practice in the United States, was dismayed when an RST employee, who no longer works for the organization, suggested that he accept a position as a janitor at a hospital. I was sad and depressed for a few days and I was afraid to go back, Naji said. I felt embarrassed. I felt like they broke my spirit. Naji now works as a medical translator, but Glakas said such positions are had to come by. According to a 2010 report released by the non-profit Human Rights First doctors, engineers, professors, and other specialized professionals from Iraq have found themselves resettled into situations of prolonged entry-level employment which do not provide opportunities for advancement. Human Rights First suggests that the government needs to allocate funding at the federal or state level targeted to refugee professionals to ensure that they are able to maintain and use their professional skills. Ulack, who worked at both RST and Caritas, said that agencies are doing everything they can to assist refugees but refugees need more help than they are getting now. The government did increase funding but its still not enough, Ulaack said. The case-worker to client ratio is crazy. People need more time with somebody.

Although Naji feels that case managers need to be more sensitive to the unique needs of their clients, he agrees that refugees need a longer timeline of agency assistance. They dont need money, Naji said. They need someone to help with direction. War destroys the personality of people, and Ive seen many Iraqis have problems with depression, sadness and fear. And when they dont have any choices, and they have to stay in their position, the depression becomes worse. Najis parents and sister questioned Najis decision to move to the US, as he had a job and what they said was a good life despite the dangers of the war. But after President Obama announced he would pull all US troops out of Iraq by Dec. 31, Najis family decided he was right. The future of Iraq is too uncertain now, and moving to the US is increasingly appealing, despite all of the challenges the resettlement process poses. Naji hopes to marry an American woman, and to raise his children in the US. I want to have a position in this society, in this city, and in this country in general, Naji said. I want to do something helpful here, and maybe, in the future, I will take what I learn here to help my country. Baghdad is always with me, but if I return I will return when I feel like I am strong enough to help Iraq, and the vision is clear to me. I am still now in the beginning and this is the first step.