Refugee family loves freedom

"Do you have 'Harry Potter' in Farsi?" Jeanne Barney asks the librarian at Salt Lake City's Main Library.

Meanwhile, 11-year-old Niayesh Jamshidi chats excitedly with her mother, Soheila Naemi, about the possibility of finding a book from her favorite series written in her native Farsi.

But when the librarian searches the computer, she finds the popular series of books in several languages, from Vietnamese to Spanish but none in Farsi.

That doesn't deter Niayesh. In the child's foreign language section, she scans the "Harry Potter" collection: German, Czech, Portuguese — but still no Farsi.

"You'll have to have your aunt send you some more books," Jeanne says, referring to an aunt still living in Iran.

Niayesh; Soheila, 37; and Niayesh's father, Parviz Jamshidi, 42, have been refugees in Salt Lake City for about four months. They came here because of Soheila's Bahai religion. Today is their first trip to the library, led by Jeanne, who has volunteered to be the family's mentor.

Soheila said that members of her religion are prevented from pursuing higher education and holding official positions In Iran.

"Here, I can find a job, I can go to college if I want," Soheila says, smiling. "Here all of the religions are free."

The bright point of the library visit for Niayesh is a chance to surf the Web. Her eyes light up, and she dances in her chair when she finds links to Mansour, her favorite pop star, and of course, Harry Potter.

Macromedia Flash fileListen to Niayesh Jamshidi and Soheila Naemi — their story, their voicesRequires Macromedia Flash Player.

The three leave the library with two bags full of English books and kids' videos (in English).

Later, while Soheila discusses her family's experiences, Niayesh sits on the couch, flipping through a Farsi version of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," her favorite book from the series, so far. She may have to wait for the newer books in the series.

The family came as refugees to the United States following a six-month stay in Turkey.