Iraqi Families Anxious to Return Home
A significant portion of Iraq’s middle and upper class citizens are fleeing the turmoil and destruction of their home country to settle in neighboring Jordan; specifically its capital city of Amman. Jordan has been rather excepting of their new Iraqi residents and is one of the few countries allowing Iraqis to enter with minimal complications. However, only those Iraqi’s with substantial financial resources are able to make the move due to Amman’s pricey cost of living, which is comparable to that of California or the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. The average monthly rent for a two bedroom apartment in Amman ranges from $1000 to $1500 U.S. dollars and everyday consumer products are similarly priced to those in the U.S.
The extreme surge of wealthy Iraqis flooding into Amman has extensively boosted Jordan’s economy and reduced the unemployment rate by expanding the job market. Construction, real estate and both private and corporate businesses have all displayed signs of considerable growth just in the past two years. Although Iraqis are having little difficulty gaining entry into Jordan, they are severely hindered when attempting to obtain employment of any kind; Jordanians are more than happy to accept their patronage but Iraqis requesting to join the workforce are persistently discriminated against.
Although the quality of life in Amman is clearly superior to Iraq at the present time, the majority of Iraqi’s are eager to return to their native country. I sat down with an Iraqi family who recently moved to Amman from Baghdad and asked them exactly why they have come to Jordan and how they are coping with their new environment. Salwan, his wife Lena, their 18 month old daughter and Salwan’s younger sister Asil’ arrived in Amman three months ago. Much to my surprise, the key motive for their move was not the perilous security situation in Iraq, but for Salwan to receive laser eye surgery.
“I was supposed to have it done in Baghdad but there is no electricity so I had to come to Amman for the surgery,” Salwan explains nonchalantly. And as soon as he has recovered, he plans to return to Iraq with his family.
It was definitely not the response I was prepared for. I was expecting the reason for their relocation to be based on the unstable security situation and the fact that they fear for their lives; not simply because someone wanted Lasik eye surgery and the power was out. It is amazing how desensitized Iraqi’s have become to the hazardous conditions in which they live. Grown American men who are trained combat soldiers and Marines are reluctant to enter Iraq with their body armor and automatic weapons, yet families with young children live their lives in constant danger and are simply adapting and coping with the reality. They put up with the literal hell of their existence because they are patriots who adore their country no matter what.
Salwan,`Lena and Asil’ are all college graduates with degrees in English Literature, Product Management and Computer Sciences, respectively, and Salwan speaks English fluently enough that I do not need my translator’s assistance while conducting the interview. It was obvious from their classy apartment that they were at least financially stable, so I asked how life was for them in Iraq before the war.
After graduating from college, Salwan worked with his father in his successful construction business. The family was doing well financially but they still felt the iron cage of the Saddam regime all around. “Life was still, like picture, there was no room for progress, no hope, no light at the end of the tunnel because the regime controlled everything, every detail of life,” Salwan says. “When the Americans came, I had mixed feelings and reactions towards them, but since the invasion, I notice the picture of my life moving now, so this is good, but I don’t know if it is moving for the better or worse,” he says with a chuckle. “But it is good that the Americans got rid of Saddam and I think things will get better as long as the Americans stay and finish what they started.” According to Salwan, the worst thing the Americans could do right now is pack up and leave Iraq, it would cause the country to implode and possibly never stabilize again.
Salwan’s sister Asil lived with him and his wife in Iraq, so she decided to tag along with them to Amman, so as not to be left alone in Baghdad. She had a stable job at a bank where she worked for two years until leaving for Jordan. She is a far cry from the average American perception of the typical Iraqi female. She is not a submissive or subservient female catering to the whims of an abusive husband; she is an educated, single 25 year old young woman pursuing her career and trying her best to enjoy life in a country torn apart by war and civil unrest.
Unlike her brother, Asil’ has less affection towards the Americans. “Life for me was better before the warâÂ?¦ my life was more stableâÂ?¦ I wish the Americans never came.”
Upon arrival in Amman, she attempted to find employment and applied to a couple of jobs but was refused due to the fact the she is an Iraqi and employers must give Jordanians priority or reserve their jobs for Jordanians exclusively. Asil’ has spent the last three months bored out of her mind and can’t wait to return to Baghdad.
Although Salwan and his family are anxious to return home, all have apprehensions regarding their safety and security in Baghdad, but it is a risk they are willing to accept. “I love my country and I love my people,” Salwan confesses. However, for hypothetical purposes, I asked Salwan if he could live anywhere in the world, where would he want to live. “Sydney, Australia,” he answers with a huge grin. “It is far away from everything, the whole world. I would love to raise my daughter there.”
