A new home

[north_malaysian]

Ali Jamal, 38, has opened the only Arab laundry shop in Jalan Berangan, popularly known as Little Arab, off Jalan Bukit Bintang, in Kuala Lumpur.

The next time you go to Little Arab, look out for a sign that reads: The Lion of Babylon. That's his shop.

Inside you'll find his 11-year-old son, Omar, playing computer games. Omar's mother, Maha, died when a car bomb exploded while she was shopping in Mosul, 396km north of Baghdad, in July 2004.

The US invasion of Iraq began on March 20, 2003. Late 2004 saw the highest number of attacks in Baghdad, Anbar and Salah Ad Din by insurgents. Tactics employed include suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices and roadside bombs.

If not for the Iraq War, Ali might still be in Mosul running his car parts business with four employees and zipping around in a Mercedes 190E.

Now, he struggles to come to terms with horrific way his wife died (half her body was blown off), becoming a single parent and running a laundry shop single-handedly.

Speaking through interpreter, he tells how his life changed when he got that fateful call informing him that his wife died. She was only 30.

"I didn't tell Omar at once. I let few days pass. On the first day, I told him that his mother was at her sister's. The next day, I told him she went shopping and so on...." says Ali.

"In Iraq, I went to work not knowing if I would make it back alive. When Oman went to school, my mind was not at rest. That was when I knew that I had to get out," he says.

A friend recommended Malaysia. Ali came to see it for himself, liked the place and brought his son over four months ago.

His laundry business is three months old and Ali is slowly making friends with Arab community in Little Arab. His English is limited so he has to rely on friends to translate for him.

He is aware that Saddam Hussein is on trial for the killings of about 100,000 Shiite Muslims in the 1980s. Though Ali agrees that such genocide cannot go unpunished, he feels bitter about the American invasion where innocent civilians have suffered as well.

Ali describes his exit from Iraq as scary. They had to rent a taxi for the 12-hour journey to Jordan before coming to Malaysia.

"There was always the threat of highwaymen. Luckily, Omar and I managed to make it out safely."

Ali is thankful to be in Malaysia. "I have good vibes about this place. I feel that the culture is not much different from that of Iraq with its diverse mix of people, it's modern and democratic." Omar is now going to an Iraqi school at the Iraqi Embassy.

"When the fighting has ceased and the economy stabilised, I hope to return to Iraq. For now, Malaysia is our home."

By Grace Chen
Pg WE9, The Star (24th June 2006)

[north_malaysian]

For Muslim minorities, if u want to migrate, why not come to Malaysia.

[syilla]

that is a very sad story...

i will go and visit him one day...

[north_malaysian]

We should support people like him in Malaysia and welcome more. Nice of you syilla.