DEARBORN, Mich. — At a modest mosque in Michigan, refugee Jabar al-Zayadi prays for the family he has left behind in Iraq.
He is one of the lucky ones. He escaped Iraq after dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime killed his brother more than a decade ago. But the family he left behind is living in fear and has little hope of leaving.
“I consider myself blessed, especially after how I saw my mother and the rest of them were living — with no clean water or electricity,” said Mr. al-Zayadi, who recently returned from a three-month visit.
Many buildings are in disrepair, and everyone fears for their safety. Some days, he said, it seems as if everyone’s carrying a gun.
“It’s a struggle here with work and politics and everything, but nothing like over there,” said Mr. al-Zayadi, a Shi’ite. “Mom wants to come here, but she’s too old. The rest of them cannot get visas.”
Earlier this week, the U.S. said it was stepping up its plan to allow about 7,000 vulnerable Iraqis to find refuge here in the face of anger that far too few refugees from the war have been allowed onto U.S. shores. So far, only 701 refugees have been granted asylum in United States since the 2003 invasion, compared with about 9,000 Iraqis admitted to Sweden just last year.
“We feel a moral obligation, especially to help those Iraqis who have put themselves at risk in order to work with the United States government,” Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky said at a conference organized by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to mark World Refugee Day.
About 100 refugees are expected to arrive soon in the Dearborn area, with one of the largest Arab-American communities. Many will be welcomed by Imam Husham al-Husainy who provides spiritual support to the roughly 15,000 Shi’ites in the Dearborn area at the Karbalaa Center.
But although Mr. al-Husainy prays in hope of bringing more Iraqis to the U.S., he is deeply concerned about granting asylum to “criminal elements” who could further damage the image of Arabs in the U.S.
“I really encourage, appreciate and celebrate what the administration is doing, but the political side of this could get us into trouble,” he said.
As for Mr. al-Zayadi, he is struggling to support his wife and seven children while working at a pizzeria. Despite the hard work and financial anxieties, he is grateful for his freedom.
“They ask me at home in Iraq what it’s like here, and I tell them life here is different,” he said, smiling. “I don’t have much, but I have my family, and I have a good, decent life.”
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