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Imagine you are a person who left your native country because you didn’t want to live under its government. Imagine several decades later, your adopted country chooses to invade your native country and topple the same regime you left under.
Iraqi Americans in Michigan celebrate
execution of Saddam Hussein. Not all Iraqi Americans were so
happy. Photo Credit: Associated Press
What do you do?
Do you celebrate, thrilled that the regime you disliked is now gone?
Or do you mourn as you watch your country, which despite the dictatorship was a vibrant safe place, turn into a place you can barely recognize?
Such is the circumstance of many Iraqi Americans. Most of the
Iraqi’s living in the United States disliked Saddam Hussein. But that doesn’t mean they were happy to see U.S. tanks roll into Baghdad to topple his government.
The fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq is upon us. Over the
next couple of weeks, we’re bringing you interviews with scholars,
veterans, peace activists, and more. Today, we are bringing you an
interview with Dr. Adil Shamoo. Dr. Shamoo grew up in Iraq, in the
Chaldean christian community. He came to the United States in the
1960’s, and he a professor of bioethics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Running time is 25:30. The music heard at the beginning
and end of this interview is “Second Baghdad” by the Iraqi musician Rahim Alhaj.
Most recent articles written by Dr. Adil Shamoo
- February 22, 2008 The Enduring Trap in Iraq
- December 17, 2007 Winning or Losing in Iraq
- May 31, 2007 The Destruction of Iraqi Healthcare Infrastructure
Other links of interest
- Wikipedia entry about Iraqi American community
- Who are the Chaldean Christians? From BBC.COM
- Voices of Iraqi Americans on War and Peace from KBOO as showcased by the Public Radio Exchange