Utahns reach out to Iraqi refugees

CAMP WILLIAMS — More than most, Rabeh Morad knows the frustration of his fellow refugees.

The Iraqi man was "compensated" with a $112,000 insurance check after a bomb ripped through an Army Humvee two years ago, severely injuring Morad and killing the lieutenant for whom he translated.

In the United States, Morad expected a better life, only to see that hope initially crushed by a high cost of living and an ever-mounting stack of medical bills.

But as a hundred or so Iraq refugees gathered for a barbecue at Camp Williams near Bluffdale on Wednesday, Morad saw hope for himself and others.

The event allowed Iraqis to mingle with National Guardsmen and other Americans, in hopes of forming friendships that might help in the resettlement process, said Gerald Brown, the state's Refugee Services director.

"The best thing you can do is find an American friend, a friend from the mainstream," Brown said.

For Morad, things as simple as trips to the movies and the supermarket with friends have helped ease the frustration he experienced two years ago.

"At first it's different life," he said. "After two, three months, step by step, now it is normal. This is my state forever."

But Morad knows it will take time for most refugees to feel as he does.

For each one of them, there is a unique story with a common starting place.

Raida Rasheed Taofiq worked as a newspaper reporter, her husband as a lawyer. The Iraq war forced the couple to seek refuge in Syria before coming to the U.S.

"There were many enemies for us," Taofiq said. "We were searching for peace."

Adel Baqer and his son were shot one night in 2007, Baqer believes, because he worked as an engineer for the U.S. Army.

Rounds pierced his left side and exited through his right shoulder and abdomen.

He has scars on his upper lip and right cheek.

Baqer's son was shot in the head but survived.

Marwan Abduljaleel fled to Egypt after a roadside bomb killed his brother.

Searching for peace, many refugees left fortunes, careers and family behind. But the world of opportunity they imagined was quick to disappoint, as a high cost of living relegated them to small apartments. Problems with certification left doctors and lawyers with low-paying, service-industry jobs or unemployment.

Taofiq and her husband live in an apartment furnished only with a tea table and three chairs. Neither of them has been able to find work, she said.

Baqer, the engineer, lives with his wife and five children in a Murray apartment.

"All of the refugees, this is the problem: find the job," he said. "I hope to."

Baqer said he hoped he might meet someone at the barbecue who could help.

Abduljaleel, who earned a degree in computer science during his four years in Egypt, considers himself among the lucky ones. He got a job cleaning rental cars at the Salt Lake City International Airport.

"I will go back to school," he said. "But I don't know when."

Brigadier Gen. Jeff Burton said he hoped the barbecue would help Abduljaleel and other Iraqi refugees find their footing on American soil.

"Many of them have been jailed or tortured or worked as translators. They're people who have sacrificed for our country," Burton said. "We just want to welcome them and make friends."

E-mail: afalk@desnews.com