Since its founding in the early 1820s, Lowell has been a city of immigrants. From the French-Canadians who left Quebec’s farmland in droves seeking a better life in the city’s 19th century textile miles, to the thousands of Cambodians who came in the 1980s to escape the brutality of the Khmer Rouge, Lowell has throughout its history served as a launching pad for new beginnings in America.
Evidence of Lowell’s immigrant heritage is apparent in its downtown restaurants, shops and cafés. You’ll find Greek souvlaki, Thai noodles, Japanese sushi, shepherd’s pie from Ireland, and Spanish tapas alongside traditional Portuguese, African, Mexican, French, Brazilian and Italian cuisine. And as of this past summer, you can also order up a plate of Iraqi beriyani.
According to the International Institute of New England (IINE), one of several nonprofit organizations contracted by the State Department to help settle refugees in the United States, there are currently 35 Iraqi families living in Lowell. And though their presence in the city may seem significant to some, these families represent only a fraction of the nearly 194,000 Iraqi refugees registered with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as living in countries outside of Iraq. They reflect an even smaller portion of the close to 1.5 million Iraqis displaced within their own country since the 2006 Samarra Mosque bombing, according to the Iraqi government. Despite the considerable hardships the Lowell families have faced, it would seem that they are among the lucky.
Many of the Iraqis now living in the city were educated professionals in Iraq: doctors, lawyers, journalists and even television technicians, according to Charles Frean, co-founder of the Lowell Iraqi Families Team (LIFT), a Bedford support group dedicated to helping Lowell’s Iraqi refugees settle in the area. According to LIFT, Lowell’s refugees were among those who took jobs in Iraq that in some way supported the efforts of the allied forces after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, raising the ire of the opposition forces and placing themselves and their families, in many cases, under threat of death.
Once an Iraqi family is approved for relocation to Lowell or another site in the U.S. (an often months-long process that sometimes includes a stay in a nearby, frequently dangerous country such as Syria, Egypt or Uzbekistan), they are flown to Boston at their own expense. The IINE provides $900 in assistance for each family member. And along with groups like LIFT and North Andover’s Merrimack Valley People for Peace, the IINE helps them learn English and obtain basics such as apartment furniture, student bus passes and winter clothing.
Like most of the immigrants who have come to Lowell over the past two centuries, there is no guarantee of an easy life for the Iraqis. Their professional credentials are generally not recognized in the United States, forcing most to rely on low-wage jobs such as pumping gas and washing dishes, at least initially, to survive. But, following in the footsteps of the many immigrants who came before them, a couple of Lowell’s Iraqi families are attempting to secure their financial independence by running restaurants that serve the traditional cuisine of their home country.
Ahmad and Ghaida Jassim (center), both former journalists, with their children at Abu News. Photos by Kevin Harkins.
Babylon, located on Merrimack Street downtown (read our ‘Good Eats’ review of Babylon here ), is owned by Ahmad Al Zubaydi, a former journalist, and his family. Abu Nawas, named after an Iraqi poet, opened its doors on Hurd Street this fall. It is owned and operated by Ahmad and Ghaida Jassim, also former journalists. Both restaurants were launched with assistance from LIFT and Lowell’s Iraqi American Community Center. In addition to delicious food, these eateries provide Lowell with yet another colorful square to add to its already intricate international quilt — a gift not only for the growing Iraqi community here, but for us all.
To find out more about how you can help Lowell’s Iraqi refugees by donating gently used clothing and goods or becoming an ESL conversation partner, visit Lowell Iraqi Family Team’s website at www.HowCan.IHelpULearn.com.
Babylon: 25 Merrimack Street Lowell, Mass. (978) 710-4278 Abu Nawas: 21 Hurd Street Lowell, Mass. (978) 710-7516
Lowell’s Iraqi Refugees
Evidence of Lowell’s immigrant heritage is apparent in its downtown restaurants, shops and cafés. You’ll find Greek souvlaki, Thai noodles, Japanese sushi, shepherd’s pie from Ireland, and Spanish tapas alongside traditional Portuguese, African, Mexican, French, Brazilian and Italian cuisine. And as of this past summer, you can also order up a plate of Iraqi beriyani.
According to the International Institute of New England (IINE), one of several nonprofit organizations contracted by the State Department to help settle refugees in the United States, there are currently 35 Iraqi families living in Lowell. And though their presence in the city may seem significant to some, these families represent only a fraction of the nearly 194,000 Iraqi refugees registered with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as living in countries outside of Iraq. They reflect an even smaller portion of the close to 1.5 million Iraqis displaced within their own country since the 2006 Samarra Mosque bombing, according to the Iraqi government. Despite the considerable hardships the Lowell families have faced, it would seem that they are among the lucky.
Many of the Iraqis now living in the city were educated professionals in Iraq: doctors, lawyers, journalists and even television technicians, according to Charles Frean, co-founder of the Lowell Iraqi Families Team (LIFT), a Bedford support group dedicated to helping Lowell’s Iraqi refugees settle in the area. According to LIFT, Lowell’s refugees were among those who took jobs in Iraq that in some way supported the efforts of the allied forces after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, raising the ire of the opposition forces and placing themselves and their families, in many cases, under threat of death.
Once an Iraqi family is approved for relocation to Lowell or another site in the U.S. (an often months-long process that sometimes includes a stay in a nearby, frequently dangerous country such as Syria, Egypt or Uzbekistan), they are flown to Boston at their own expense. The IINE provides $900 in assistance for each family member. And along with groups like LIFT and North Andover’s Merrimack Valley People for Peace, the IINE helps them learn English and obtain basics such as apartment furniture, student bus passes and winter clothing.
Like most of the immigrants who have come to Lowell over the past two centuries, there is no guarantee of an easy life for the Iraqis. Their professional credentials are generally not recognized in the United States, forcing most to rely on low-wage jobs such as pumping gas and washing dishes, at least initially, to survive. But, following in the footsteps of the many immigrants who came before them, a couple of Lowell’s Iraqi families are attempting to secure their financial independence by running restaurants that serve the traditional cuisine of their home country.
Ahmad and Ghaida Jassim (center), both former journalists, with their children at Abu News. Photos by Kevin Harkins.
Babylon, located on Merrimack Street downtown (read our ‘Good Eats’ review of Babylon here ), is owned by Ahmad Al Zubaydi, a former journalist, and his family. Abu Nawas, named after an Iraqi poet, opened its doors on Hurd Street this fall. It is owned and operated by Ahmad and Ghaida Jassim, also former journalists. Both restaurants were launched with assistance from LIFT and Lowell’s Iraqi American Community Center. In addition to delicious food, these eateries provide Lowell with yet another colorful square to add to its already intricate international quilt — a gift not only for the growing Iraqi community here, but for us all.
To find out more about how you can help Lowell’s Iraqi refugees by donating gently used clothing and goods or becoming an ESL conversation partner, visit Lowell Iraqi Family Team’s website at www.HowCan.IHelpULearn.com.
Babylon: 25 Merrimack Street Lowell, Mass. (978) 710-4278
Abu Nawas: 21 Hurd Street Lowell, Mass. (978) 710-7516