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Kurdish immigrants in Virginia face jail
over money transfers
25.6.2006
By SUE LINDSEY
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HARRISONBURG, Va.
-- In the culture of Kurdistan, you are your
brother's keeper.
Four Kurdish men granted asylum in the United States
face imprisonment or even deportation for charges
that they say arose from following that practice.
Sentencing is scheduled Monday in U.S. District
Court for three of the four, who are accused of
transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars to
Kurdish provinces in northern Iraq without a
business license. They maintain they were sending
money home to help family and friends and on behalf
of other Kurdish families who have settled in
Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.
After Rasheed Qambari was convicted in a jury trial
in January, Amir Rashid and Ahmed Abdullah pleaded
guilty to the same felony charge, which according to
court documents carries a term of up to five years.
The fourth man, Fadhil Noroly, is set for trial July
11. |
Rasheed Qambari poses with his children, Meer (left)
and Matin, and wife Samiera. He was convicted of
illegally transferring money. |
Prosecutors will not comment until after the
sentencings, said a spokeswoman for the U.S.
attorney's office. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., who
represents the district where the men live, would
not comment on the case but said that as a member of
the House Judiciary Committee he was "watching
closely" the implementation of the federal law.
The charges resulted from the post-Sept. 11
anti-terrorism climate, although the government has
not accused the men of having terrorist ties. Before
2001, the code section under which the men were
charged applied to operators of money-transmitting
businesses who knew they were acting illegally.
Under the Patriot Act, enacted in October 2001,
those who transfer money can be charged even if they
don't know their actions are illegal.
Members of the community have rallied to the men's
cause. Residents have written to U.S. Attorney John
Brownlee on their behalf, and op-ed pieces and
letters to the editor have appeared in the Daily
News-Record newspaper. Some 600 residents signed a
petition that ran as a full-page newspaper ad urging
exoneration of the men, and members of a group
formed to support the defendants plan to be at the
federal courthouse Monday.
"It resonated a lot with us, about the importance of
recognizing who our neighbor is," said Ruth Jost, a
lawyer and member of one of numerous Mennonite
churches in the area, which is home to Eastern
Mennonite University.
Qambari, among the first Kurdish citizens who
relocated to the area, escaped threats from the
regime of Saddam Hussein and was evacuated from Iraq
by the United States in 1996. He had a good command
of English as well as Kurdish, Arabic and Persian,
he said, and was frequently called on as a
translator by court and health officials.
"I was translating for almost everybody," Qambari
said during a recent interview.
Because he quickly settled into the community, other
Kurds came to Harrisonburg, a city of 40,000 that
now has about 70 Kurdish families. Qambari said he
had no trouble finding a job, and helped others find
work.
Qambari, a math and science teacher in his home
country, now works an evening shift as a poultry
plant supervisor. He worked two jobs when he first
came to Harrisonburg, he said, to earn $15,000 he
needed to bring his wife and two children to this
country.
When his family members in Iraq needed money, he
sent it. He also helped other Kurdish refugees
negotiate the complicated process of sending money
to a nation that did not have a functioning banking
or mail system.
A courier from outside Iraq was necessary to deliver
the funds, Qambari said, adding that the money he
sent went though the U.S. banking system.
His wife's brother needed $7,800 for kidney
treatment, an amount that citizens in a war-ravaged
country can't produce.
"You either let a person die or you send money," he
said. "We are proud to help our families and
friends."
Rashid, who works a night shift as a poultry plant
truck driver, said his family in Iraq needs
financial help. Many of his relatives can't find
work, he said, and both his mother and mother-in-law
have had health problems.
"This is my job, to support them," he said, because
he's the oldest son.
The money dispatches are what landed Qambari, Rashid
and the others in trouble with federal authorities.
After Sept. 11, FBI agents went to Kurdish families'
homes several times to question them, said Kaka
Askary, imam at the mosque and an assistant
professor at James Madison University in
Harrisonburg.
The agents asked about terrorist activities and told
them there was nothing to worry about, Qambari and
Rashid said, but last October conducted simultaneous
raids at the four men's houses and arrested them.
Rashid, who said he only sent money on behalf of one
other person, said he pleaded guilty because his
lawyer told him "there's no way out."
Rashid said he worries about his future, but the
biggest concern he and Qambari expressed is their
inability to help family members in Iraq.
Both have family members who are in poor health, and
Rashid said his relatives don't believe his legal
troubles and think he has turned his back on them.
"According to our culture, you don't say no as long
as you can do it," Askary said.
All of the men have sought U.S. citizenship, but
their applications have been put on hold by the
charges. Qambari had completed all the requirements,
he said, and was waiting to hear of the date to take
his oath.
The men were warned that deportation was possible,
Askary said. Qambari said he would have a lot to
lose--three of his children were born here and it
would be unsafe for him to return to Iraq.
The Kurds like Harrisonburg, which reminds them of
home with its mountain views and a bit of winter
snow.
"This is my country," Rashid said. "I love it as
much as Kurdistan."
AP
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