Each year in Miami-Dade and Broward since 2010, between 14 and 27 total Iraqi refugees either arrived or first became eligible for services from the Florida Department of Children and Families, according to the department.
The small number of Iraqis means that the larger Arab community can be a source of support, said Rahman, who lives in Brickell. But there’s one place the political talk doesn’t infiltrate: the mosque.
“Syria’s in a problem, Iraq’s in a problem. We are all very sad people when we think of our countries,” Rahman said. “So we just meet to pray for our countries, that things will improve.”
Ahmed, an Iraqi refugee who declined to give his first name because of concern for the safety of family members in Iraq, says that despite his tragic family history, he “absolutely” has hope for his country. Ahmed’s father and 16-year-old brother were both killed in separate explosions in Iraq.