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Tara Rasheed and her mother discuss their
plans for Friday. It's a day they have waited for
all of their lives.... The day they register to vote
in an Iraqi election for the first time.
Tara Rasheed/ Kurd "I'm so so happy. I'm so
excited."
The Rasheed family used to live in a Kurdish village
in northern Iraq. Tara's father worked for an
American agency to help rebuild villages Saddam
Hussein had destroyed there. After learning that
Hussein was out to kill anyone who worked for a
foreign agency, the Rasheeds escaped to the U.S. in
1996. Tara remembers what life was like then.
Tara says "we had to vote for Saddam. If you didn't
vote for him he would kill you and kill all of your
family.And you had to have like a big sign on your
hand saying yes yes we want you Saddam Hussein."
Tara says after American soldiers caught Saddam in
2003, people live better in Iraq now. She says she
keeps in touch with her family that is still over
there, and thanks the troops who are helping her
country.
Tara says "you know how we have good freedom in
America, I hope they going to live same way."
This Friday Tara's brothers, sisters, and parents
will all meet in Dalton then head to Nashville to
participate together in their new found freedom to
vote.
Voter registration will end January 30th.
Only Iraqi citizens and immigrants who are able to
reclaim their citizenship are eligible to vote.
http://www.wdef.com
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