Iraqi Fulbright scholars at IU include Barakat Jassem of Baghdad (above) and (below) Dalia Kaikhasraw of Sulaymanlyah, Iraq, (below, far left), a former U.N. staffer, and Rawand Darwesh of Arbil, who said that his most memorable moment of the Fulbright experience thus far has been meeting with President George W. Bush at the White House. Photos by Chris Meyer While political matters and fears of ongoing violence back home dominate their thoughts, the students are hoping to embrace American culture and look forward to living in the United States, experiencing life in Bloomington.

“Believe me when I say that I had never heard of Fulbright Scholarships, or any other scholarships, during Saddam’s regime because the people of Iraq, and I am one of them, were living inside the cocoon of dictatorship and tyranny…our only cares were to survive each day,” Jassem said during an afternoon break between English classes.

Jassem is one of 25 Iraqis—19 men and six women—who are the first to come to the United States as Fulbright scholars in 14 years. Starting in 1990, Saddam Hussein refused to allow Iraqi citizens to leave the country under the Fulbright program.

Eight scholars are at IU. Six are in the Intensive English Program; two are conducting academic research. IU joins the University of Arizona, University of California at Santa Cruz and the University of Oregon in hosting the Iraqi Fulbright scholars for pre-academic coursework. Close to 400 Iraqi students applied for the scholarship program.

A resident of Baghdad, Jassem worked as a movie translator. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in American studies after he completes his six-month pre-academic preparation at IU. He said education in the U. S. will prepare him to promote democracy in Iraq.

“Iraq was given an historic chance by the coalition forces to live under a new democracy. I want to go back and watch this process and establish this in my specialty of higher education,” he said, adding that the removal of Saddam Hussein was the only hope for his country’s future.

Rawand Darwesh, 28, and Dalia Kaikhasraw, 25, echo Jassem’s desire for a democratic Iraq. Both are from northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region, an area that was a frequent target of attack by the former regime. The Kurdistan region also has experienced more freedom than the central parts of Iraq after liberation following the 1991 Gulf War. They worry coalition forces may leave their country too early, leaving it vulnerable to attack from neighboring countries and terrorist factions.

“The U.S. forces in Iraq are extremely important. Any sudden pull-out would be a fatal mistake for both Americans and Iraqi people,” Darwesh said, adding that he thinks the best scenario for handing over power is a gradual shift, after an Iraqi army is in place.

As for finding weapons of mass destruction, a concern expressed by President George W. Bush as the basis in deploying U.S. troops, Kaikhasraw said she knows they will be found. “I saw 5,000 people killed in front of my eyes. How can I say ‘no, there are not weapons of mass destruction?’” she said, in reference to Saddam’s use of chemical weapons against the Kurdish people in 1988. “It needs time…they must be there.”

While political matters and fears of ongoing violence back home dominate their thoughts, the students are hoping to embrace American culture and look forward to living in the United States, experiencing life in Bloomington.

Kaikhasraw, a former United Nations staffer, said she E-mails friends frequently and finds herself bombarded with questions about her new city and living arrangements. “My friends want photos, they want to know what the campus looks like,” she said, explaining that IU feels like a city compared to universities in Iraq that are fenced off and surrounded by barbed wire.

And for Darwesh, who hopes to study journalism, his greatest moment so far has been a conversation with President Bush at the White House, just days after arriving in the United States. Darwesh shared with the president “our wishes, our hopes and asked [him] to not abandon the people of Iraq. This opportunity for a Fulbright scholarship was very, very important. It will become like a bridge of understanding between the American people and Iraqi people.”

Getting settled and learning to adjust to cultural differences is a top priority for Darwesh. A new American friend advised Darwesh to “just switch from Iraqi style of living to American.”

He’s working on giving the advice a try. During his short three weeks in Bloomington, he has already attended an opera production, shopped at the mall and dined at a popular Middle Eastern restaurant.

“Four weeks ago, I didn’t know anything about Bloomington, Indiana. We all got the impression we were going to Washington, D.C., for example. But in Amman, Jordan, they gave us a hint that our 25 member group was going to be divided and sent around the country. I knew nothing about the state of Indiana. I knew nothing about Bloomington. That was why I was terrified—confused—in the first few days I was here. But now I love it. It is very, very nice,” said Darwesh.

For Jassem, a genuine Indiana experience ranks at the top of his to-do list: a Hoosier basketball game. “I’m hoping someone will give me free tickets,” he confessed.