As U.S. troops took over the streets of Baghdad Wednesday, citizens throughout Iraq celebrated.
Thousands of Arab-Americans joined in celebration in the streets of Dearborn, Mich., last Thursday to celebrate after seeing images of U.S soldiers toppling a large statue of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, symbolizing the fall of the dictator’s regime. Many people held signs that said “Free Iraq” and “Thanks USA.”
Jason, a junior at the University of Wisconsin who would not give his last name, said he was relieved to hear Hussein’s regime had fallen because he has relatives in Iraq. Jason said his immediate family in the United States worried about their kin living in a war zone, but now those fears were somewhat relaxed.
Jason said that his father is from Iraq, and he has grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins still living in the country.
“I spoke with [my family in Iraq] a few weeks ago, and they were fine, but I haven’t spoken with them since because the phone lines have been cut,” Jason said.
Aziz Al-Taee, chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based Iraqi American Council, said the most recent U.S. victories in the war were reassuring.
“All of my family is in Baghdad,” Al-Taee said. “At first I was worried about my family, the troops, the coalition forces and the civilians. But now, with the American troops in Baghdad, I am feeling relief.”
Support for the war has not been so clear-cut for all Iraqi-Americans, and many have mixed feelings about the United States attacking their country. Although some are in full support of American troops removing Hussein from power, others are extremely nervous because they still have family in Iraq and are afraid of what might happen to all of the innocent civilians there.
“I support the American troops and their efforts, I mean, nobody likes Saddam. But I don’t support the war,” Jason said.
Al-Taee, on the other hand, is in full support of the war.
“We think this is a war to bring liberty and peace to the people of Iraq,” he said. He also said the war is about American citizens just as much as it is about the citizens of Iraq. “It is to protect the lives of millions of Iraqi people as well as the lives of 300 million Americans from the terrorists that Saddam supports.”
Al-Taee said the overall feeling that Iraqi-Americans hold is that of hope for the safety of loved ones and the American troops, as well as hope that their country will be freed from the grips of a tyrannical ruler.
Al-Taee explained that he was in full support of all of Bush’s actions because he felt they were necessary to create a fair sovereign government in Iraq.
“[Iraqi-Americans] support the war effort and Bush’s decision because it is the only assurance that [Iraq] will have democratic rule, rather than be ruled by a dictator,” Al-Taee said.
