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Living the American dream in Iraqi
Kurdistan
15.3.2010 |
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March
15, 2010
DUHOK,
Kurdistan region 'Iraq', — As the US military
prepares to scale down its presence in Iraq's
Kurdish north, a young businessman wants to bring
US-style entrepreneurship to the country. DW's Guy
Degen travelled to Duhok to see the results.
Ibrahim Abdullatif looks the part of a modern
American businessman. Dressed in a suit and tie, he
checks his email on an iPhone and drives to the
large fitness centre he operates in a late model
SUV. The 31-year old's cheerful accent speaks of
Nashville, Tennessee, but the small Kurdish flag
pinned to his lapel gives away why he's come from
America to run a business in a country where others
would not dare not to.
Abdullatif was born, not far from Duhok, in a cave
where his parents took shelter while their village
was attacked by the Iraqi army. Like many rural
Kurds, Abdullatif's family led a traditional life
raising goats. That changed in 1987 when Saddam
Hussein's notorious al-Anfal campaign stepped up
attacks on Iraq's Kurdish population. Abdullatif's
family were forced to flee with thousands of other
Kurdish refugees to neighboring Turkey. He was just
8 years old.
"Thinking about it, that is the time I remember the
most out of my life," said Abdullatif about the
dangerous mountain trek to Turkey. 'The more we
walked, the more I asked my parents: 'Where are we
going and when are going to get there?'"
From Turkish refugee camp
to Nashville
To help his family survive as refugees in
Diyarbakir, the enterprising young Ibrahim fetched
ice to sell in the market, shined shoes and sold
Kurdish jewelry and music on the streets. In 1991,
after four years as refugees, Abdullatif's father
weighed up the family's prospects and decided that
the United States offered them the best future.
Along with several thousand Kurdish refugees, the
family made their new home in Nashville, Tennessee.
Abdullatif said he managed to master English at high
school and quickly adapted to the American way of
life.
"For me, everything that I am is because of America.
Everything. Learning how to read and write. Not
being oppressed. Going through a normal, happy
life," he said. "Everything about America, if you
only try, you'll get ahead and I appreciate that."
Returning to frontline
Iraqi Kurdistan
"Instantly I said I had to go... I was very
passionate about giving something back to America."
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A small piece of America in Iraqi Kurdistan, the
Gerdun fitness center in Duhok, Kurdistan region of
Iraq.
Ibrahim Abdullatif says he wants to bring the
American way of life to his hometown.
The fitness center in Duhok offers women the chance
to stay fit. DW photos |
When the United States
began preparing in 2003 to invade Iraq, Abdullatif
put his college studies on hold and offered his
services as a translator for the US Army. Soon, he
found himself on the frontline in Kirkuk.
"Several times we had close calls of being killed
and I was fine with that," he said.
It was an emotional return to his homeland but he
also saw the potential that the stability of
northern Iraq offered for business opportunities.
Thanks to revenue from oil exports, Kurdish Iraq is
thriving. The Kurdish Regional Government is
actively positioning the region as a gateway for
foreign investors into Iraq.
In 2007, Abdullatif raised enough capital with
another Kurdish-American partner to open the Gerdun
Fitness Center in Duhok. The center boasts a modern
weights studio, a swimming pool and a large snooker
hall. Clients can work out on modern exercise
equipment, steam up in the sauna, cool off in the
pool or relax with friends at the "California Cafe"
that offers an American diner-style menu.
"We set up a fitness and recreational center in
Duhok because the city needed one. People needed a
place to work out and to have fun," said Abdullatif.
Making Iraqi Kurdistan
fitter for the future
Kurdistan is often referred to as "The Other Iraq".
People of different ethnicities and religions live
together largely in peace in Duhok which, like
nearby Erbil and Sulaimaniyah,www.ekurd.netis
fast becoming a refuge for Arabs, Kurds, Christians,
Muslims and Yezidis wishing to leave the violence of
nearby cities such as Mosul and Kirkuk. However,
Abdullatif's fitness center is also challenging
conservative attitudes in Iraq, particularly toward
women.
The fitness center offers special women-only opening
hours and is the only place in Duhok where women can
exercise in a gym and learn to swim.
"It has given women freedom from home and the
opportunity to take care of themselves and become
healthier," said the center's women's swimming
instructor, Bishkoj Khosro Abdullah.
Abdullatif and his partner have also introduced
modern American business practices. Staff at Gerdun
are drilled in American-style customer service. But
Abdullatif adds that his employees are paid well
above average local wages and have regular work
breaks - something his employees had never
experienced.
"Our staff are more productive," said Abdullatif.
"And other businesses are now following what we do."
Ibrahim Abdullatif is confident about investing in
Iraqi Kurdistan. He and his business partner are now
looking into developing a cinema and bowling alley
and opening more fitness centers in Erbil,
Sulaimaniyah, and if security improves, Kirkuk
Author: Guy Degen, Editor: Rob Mudge
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
Deutsche Welle | dw-world de
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