On Nov. 6, 2006, Iraqi insurgents bombed the courtyard of Nazar Joodi’s house, leaving his 2-month-old son with lead poisoning and killing a neighbor.
In the rubble was an oversized picture of President Bush, which Joodi had brought back from a trip to the U.S. to get surgery for injuries he sustained while tortured in an Iraqi prison.
Now Joodi’s pictures from that trip—of him meeting Bush, Colin Powell and other top officials—cover otherwise bare walls in his Hyattsville apartment, where he and his family are struggling to rebuild their life.
In March, Joodi, his wife and four children arrived in Hyattsville as refugees. They fled Iraq after insurgents’ death threats, which accused Joodi of being an American sympathizer, as he visited the country, spoke highly of Americans and proudly displayed Bush’s photo at his home and work, Joodi, 45, said in Arabic through a translator.
Joodi was brought to the U.S. after Virginia filmmaker Don North made a documentary in 2003 about Joodi’s and fellow Iraqis’ imprisonment under Saddam Hussein’s government. In 1994, Joodi was imprisoned for exchanging foreign currency. He and other prisoners were released after their hands were cut off in a ‘‘tortuous manner,” Joodi said, so they’d always experience pain. Joodi’s right hand was cut off.
North organized the trip for the ex-prisoners and free surgery to repair nerve damage. They were also fitted for prosthetic limbs. Joodi returned to Iraq and spoke highly of Americans after he met top officials and received a presidential seal following a visit with Bush.
Today the seal—a reminder of previous outpouring of support— is tucked away in an envelope, as Joodi learns to be self-sufficient in a foreign land.
‘‘They were just there with us, shaking hands,” wife Shaymaa Mohammed, 33, said, referring to government officials the family had met previously.
The family was brought to Hyattsville by the International Rescue Committee’s Silver Spring-based office, a nonprofit using government funding to settle refugees through job placement, case management and English classes, among other services. From October 2007 to June 2008, the IRC has resettled about 170 Iraqi refugees in the metropolitan area, and about 50 in Prince George’s County. Refugees can receive monetary help from the IRC for four to six months.
‘‘The whole purpose is not to provide charity, but to help people become independent and self-sufficient as soon as possible,” director Vu Dang said.
Joodi said he wants a job to support his family. He’s unable to do manual labor because of his handicap and works three hours a day at a Langley Park 7-Eleven.
‘‘I was a successful businessman in Iraq. I had 12 workers under me,” he said. ‘‘I don’t want to bring myself down to say I need financial help. ... I want a proper job so that I can support my family.”
His 15-year-old daughter, Furquan, works at a nearby clothing store, and Mohammed said she needs to stay home to care for their 2-year-old son, Jafar.
Women do not typically work in his culture, Joodi said. This is common among Iraqi refugees, Dang said.
‘‘It is cultural and has to do with pride, but at the same time they are living in another country where the economic reality is you need to have two incomes in order to survive,” Dang said.
North provides the family with guidance, invites them to his home and encourages Joodi to learn English.
‘‘I see the children thriving, learning English very quickly and very open to new ideas, and I think they are pulling along their mother and father into life in America,” he said.
Community members have also helped. About $1,000 was raised for them during a fundraiser held by Del. Justin D. Ross (D-Dist. 22) of Greenbelt. Hyattsville resident Christine Hinojosa said a few residents have coordinated informal help, like offering rides and donating certain items.
But at the end of July, the IRC money runs out, and rent on their $1,475-a-month apartment is due. The IRC arranged for the family to move to Hyattsville because it was close to the organization’s office.
Every day brings a different struggle in navigating life in America, Joodi said. One day his daughter had an allergic reaction, but had to wait weeks for a doctor’s appointment. On another, he found out his electric bill had gone unpaid for two months. The family said they want guidance more than anything. Many of their American friends and contacts don’t speak Arabic, and they have to go through third parties to communicate.
‘‘I made a pact with my kids that I’d bring them here and build them a new future, because they suffered so much because of me,” he said. ‘‘I feel like I’ve failed.”
Despite the hardships, the family still has positive feelings about America. A flag hangs from their apartment door and Joodi’s photos with Bush are hung proudly—in donated frames.
‘‘In Iraq, we were able to buy them,” Mohammed said. ‘‘But here, it’s too expensive for us.”
How you can help
To support refugee resettlement efforts, call the International Rescue Committee at 301-562-8633 or go to www.theirc.org/dc.
