Iraqis in Miami have hopes, fears for homeland

Though Rahman does have some family left in Iraq — some cousins who live a few hours from Baghdad — much of her family has left. She and other local Iraqis said that those making news in Iraq are not representative of them.

“These extremists — I don’t know where they’re coming from. These people who come to Iraq fighting — I don’t know who they are or what their agenda is. We want a government that represents all the people of Iraq,” Rahman said.

Seeing her country — once known for having an educated population and world-class universities — first under Hussein’s rule and now in the throes of civil war, has been “crazy” for Rahman. Saddam was a “horrible criminal,” but conditions are much worse for Iraqis now, she said.

Many of those with the ability to leave Iraq are those with political or social connections. Rahman’s father was a prominent writer and businessman who fled Iraq during Hussein’s regime, though he returned after the war with Iran on the condition that he wouldn’t write or express his opinions. Fakhri is the son of an officer in the Iraqi army who then became the country’s minister of transportation.

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