Ever since I was 12 years old, I have led the life of an exiled Iraqi.
My parents decided not to reside under Saddam Hussein’s government and sought further opportunities for freedom of expression, particularly after my father had been jailed simply because he voiced his opinion of the failed system that we Iraqis endured..
My family left Iraq embarking on a journey which began with a changing of passport because the Iraqi document did not afford us any rights. We left to Jordan, one of the few countries that gave visas to Iraqis, and, luckily, my sisters and I were able to go to school since we had the adequate paper work.
But many young Iraqis our age fermented in their humble houses in Amman lagging behind while the rest of the world progressed. My parents cultivated dreams to collect enough money to immigrate to our later new home – Canada.
After a year in Jordan, we left to Malaysia. My parents were both engineers and qualified enough to sell their expertise and to be part of Malaysia s growing economy.
Malaysia was an eye-opener to attitudes and personalities rarely found in the Middle East; they were generous and keen to have Iraqi children educated; I was bewildered to see how non-Arabs were far more eager to help us.
From Malaysia to Canada, we never lost sight of our roots and clamored to one day return to our beloved Iraq.
But this dream was shattered with the insecurity, violence and division the so-called war of liberation brought to us.
We lamented Iraq s destruction during Sadddam s reign, but what is it now? What are we to make of the wanton violence that governs its streets, playgrounds, schools, hospitals and nurseries?
Iraq is simply the chessboard of mafiosos, a hub for all sort of criminals.
The liberators brought division: I honestly never knew I was Sunni or a Shia, and I never knew my friends ethnical, religious, or political backgrounds.
I always aspired to become part of the reformation and reconstruction effort in my country but to return there now is to tempt madness.
What has become of Iraq for intellectuals and reformists!
Iraq has become a haunting for me from time to time . it’s people are ghostly figures in the game of death.
I pray for security and safety for all Iraqis.
