ZAGREB, September 19, 2020 — Nawar Ghanim Murad, who is from Iraq, is a 34-year-old doctoral student at the University of Zagreb. He enrolled in graduate school here nine years ago because he could no longer continue his education at home. Then ISIL invaded his town. This is his story.
“Zagreb is my home and I have no intention of returning to Iraq, at least until the situation there improves. I was last in my hometown seven years ago, when the situation was still somewhat OK. I left for about twenty days and have to admit that I missed Zagreb very much. Somehow, I couldn’t wait to come back. Nine years ago, I enrolled in graduate studies in English and Linguistics at the Faculty of Philosophy. Today I am a Doctoral student,” he explained to Telegram.
“At first I didn’t intend to stay here. My plan was to graduate, return to Iraq, and apply for a job. But then the situation in Iraq, that is, in my hometown, had changed. Everything became even more turbulent a few years after I left, so my plans changed too.”
Could Not Continue Education in Iraq as Yazidi Religious Minority
“I grew up on the plains of Nineveh. And most of Iraq’s ethnic and religious minorities live there including Catholics, Orthodox, Yazidis, Shebak, and Kurds. I am a member of the Yazidis, a very old religious minority in Iraq. After high school, I went to the University of Mosul and completed four years of English there. However, I could no longer study at my university because it had become uncomfortable for other religious minorities in Mosul.”
“Then, the riots started, and people could not live as they had before. I headed to Northern Iraq, which is the Kurdish part. There, I was a guest student at Saladdin University in Erbil for my last year of school. Nevertheless, due to the whole situation, I did not have the opportunity to continue my education there either.”
“So, I decided to go abroad. I went through several European countries, but couldn’t envision myself anywhere. I have been to Slovakia, Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany. Eventually, I enrolled in college in Slovakia, but dropped out because the curriculum didn’t interest me. So, I returned home to Iraq and planned to do an internship there. However, while continuing to search for good universities, I came across University of Zagreb on the Internet. It was fascinating to me that the university was founded in 1669. I sent them an email and got a reply the next day. Then, they sent me registration papers and the list of documents I needed to apply by the express deadline.”
Only Three Countries Between Croatia and Iraq
“I often get the question: Why Croatia? And I reply: Why not? Croatia offered me exactly what I wanted to study, and it is relatively close to Iraq. Many people do not know how many countries there are between Croatia and Iraq. And I surprise people when I say three: Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey. We are very close, and it is only a three-and-a-half-hour flight. In addition, tuition was not expensive. In fact, one of the main reasons I am continuing my education here is the positive relationship I have with my college. They are expeditious, kind and have given me all the necessary information I need. And now my college is my second home. When I go to the library I really feel at home.”
“Of course, I didn’t know the Croatian language, but I liked it as soon as I heard it. It seems comfortable to me. I studied it for a while back in Iraq while I was waiting to come here. I remember learning the word ‘daughter’ first. Nevertheless, when I arrived, I didn’t need to learn Croatian because my classes are in English. But I decided to study it on my own initiative. I applied to Croaticum and spent three semesters there. Then, I enrolled in the small summer school as part of that program.”
‘My Duty to Learn the Language of the Place Where I live’
“A lot of people ask me why I pay out of my own pocket to learn Croatian when my classes are in English. However, I live here and believe that it is my duty to learn the language of the place where I live. And it’s actually nice to talk to people in their language. Besides, not everyone knows English. I like that I have a Zagreb accent, it’s a bit ‘purger’ and I’m aware that it could be better. So, I will continue to attend Croaticum and study. I translate from Arabic into English and from Croatian into Arabic, so my goal is to master the language even better.”
“I grew up in a family with three brothers. One stayed in Iraq with our mom and two are in Germany. The brother who stayed works in our family business, the second is a doctorate in chemistry, and the third is a doctor.”
“We had a safe and happy childhood in Nineveh and didn’t lack for anything. It was safe back then. Life was good, but things took a turn for the worse sometime in 2003. Daily life is similar to here, so I didn’t experience culture shock when I came Europe. The turn to religion in Iraq came later, after 2003. When the government weakened, people turned to religion and the overall atmosphere became more conservative. We grew up differently, but it’s a political issue I’d rather not get into. Generally speaking, my childhood was very pleasant.”
‘No One Thought ISIL Would Take Over Our Hometown’
“My dad was an employee of the Ministry of Agriculture. He was an engineer and worked there until the late 1980s when he retired early. After that, he began working at a state-funded food program. At that time, the state provided food (i.e. basic foodstuffs) for all Iraqi citizens at low prices. So, no one was hungry back then. He worked there until he sadly passed away seven years ago. After that, the situation in Iraq also deteriorated, but at least he didn’t experience it.”
“No one thought that the situation would escalate and that ISIL would take over our entire region. One third of Iraq was under ISIL and that lasted four years. It’s hard for me to talk about, but fortunately my family survived. My hometown was lucky because nearly everyone escaped a few hours before ISIL arrived. However, they did not escape in Sinjar and other places. ISIL killed more than 1,500 of my people (Yazidi minority) and kidnapped more than 3,000 women. Less than 2,000 returned.”
“It was terrible. ISIL used them as sex slaves, and it’s difficult to talk about. Luckily, as I said before, my family and friends got out earlier. My family moved to another city. Still, it was stressful because they didn’t know if ISIL would catch up with them. And those of us who weren’t there were worried because we didn’t know how it would all end.”
Family House in Iraq Destroyed: Only Walls Remain
“I was already a student here at the time. Fortunately, we had cell phones and I talked to my family every day. Now, some people have returned to Nineveh, and most of them returned for political reasons. My family didn’t go back, and we have only seen our house in photos. It was nice 330-square-meter house with a yard full of plants which I had planted as a child. They looted everything, and what they failed to loot, they destroyed. Only the walls remain.”
“And so, I decided to stay in Croatia after the situation in Iraq worsened. Lickily, my family didn’t lose everything and the family business didn’t shut down completely, so it wasn’t a complete disaster. Even though everything has impacted us greatly, we were able to function, stay positive and maintain hope that everything would be fine one day.”
“My family helped finance my education, and I didn’t have any problems here because I kept my student status. I immediately began my postgraduate and doctoral studies and didn’t apply for asylum because it isn’t necessary. Besides, there are definitely people who need asylum and it would not be fair to take their place.”
No Negative Experiences or Prejudice: Mostly Positive People
“I often get questions about whether I have had negative experiences as a person from the Middle East or encountered prejudice. I haven’t experienced anything significant; my stay here has been pleasant from the very beginning. I don’t know if that was luck, but I have met mostly positive people.”
“Now I have many friends from Zagreb as well as friends from Iraq. I even have some friends who came here to study during the Yugoslav era and stayed. I love it here. For eight years I have lived in a cottage on the outskirts of the city. I have a wonderful landlady and can comfortably say that she doesn’t seem like a landlady. She is more like my other mother. We live in a shared house, but I have my own place. We are very close. Unfortunately, her husband passed away two years ago, so we are alone now, and look after each other.”
“My life in Croatia is very pleasant. But I’m not blind and realize that the economy isn’t the best. Although, I don’t think it’s all about money. Moreover, Zagreb is a city that has spirit, a lot of large green areas, and is clean and safe. And that’s something that really appeals to me.”
Organized Iraqi Film Night and Literature Presentation in Zagreb
“I have always been interested in culture, so I’m involved in some events here. I organized the Iraqi Film Night and a presentation on Iraqi literature. In Zagreb, there is some interest in Arabic and Iraqi and Mesopotamian culture. Also, Nineveh is a very old region and has a long history. I love those old stories from the Middle East. Somehow, I would like people to know that there is much more to this area than just the current war situation.”
“I am also a tea lover, so I organize Iraqi tea drinking events. Before the COVID-19 situation, I had plans to hold larger cultural events too. My goal is to organize an Iraqi Culture Week where I would present Iraqi music, movies, history, and calligraphy. However, for these bigger happenings, we will have to wait until the situation with the pandemic calms down.”
Follow our Lifestyle page to learn more about the immigrant experience in Croatia. There is more information about Živi Atelje DK on their website here and Facebook page here.
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