Browse Items (12 total)
- Collection: Kurdish Oral History
Avras Taha
Avras Taha was born in Duhok and lived there with his extended family, while his father was fighting for the Peshmerga. His family fled Kurdistan in 1996 and arrived in the United States via Guam. Avras has a degree in Civil Engineering from SUNY IT. He lives with his wife and a daughter in Syracuse.
Amin Amin
Amin Amin fled his hometown, which was located north of the Kurdish city of Duhok, to escape Saddam Hussein’s violence towards Kurds. He arrived in the United States with his family in 1992 and settled in Johnson City, NY, where he grew up among a Kurdish community. Although his primary language is Kurdish, he became fluent in English and was able to blend in within the American society and culture. Amin has a master’s degree from Tennessee State University (TSU).
Armanj Amin & Avras Taha
Armanj: At the age of 6 he had to flee his home country of Baghdad for Duhok. In 1996, he left Duhok and arrived in the United States. Armanj has a degree in Business Management from Erbil University and a degree in Civil Engineering from SUNY Broome.
Avras: He was born in Duhok and lived there with his extended family, while his father was fighting for the Peshmerga. His family fled Kurdistan in 1996 and arrived in the United States via Guam. Avras has a degree in Civil Engineering from SUNY IT. He lives with his wife and a daughter in Syracuse.
Aysha Mohmmod
Aysha is originally from Duhok. She moved to the United States after she married her husband, Idris. Aysha is has a degree in Elementary Teaching in Kurdistan. Although she lives with her husband and three children in the Binghamton area, she still occasionally visits her family in Kurdistan.
Dasko Sherwani
Dasko was born in Iraq and is a member of the Barzani Tribe. He never had a stable childhood because he had to constantly move and run away from Saddam Hussein’s war against the Kurds. Dasko lives in the United States and holds a Civil Engineering degree from Tennessee State University.
Jotiyar and Ridwan
Jotiyar: Born in 1984 to a large family, Jotiyar had 8 brothers and 3 sisters. In 1991, he and thousands of other Kurds fled Iraq, on foot, to seek refuge from the violence of Saddam’s regime. He and his family lived in a makeshift tent in a remote mountainous area in a Turkish refugee camp. Jotiyar lives with his wife and kids in Southern Tier NY.
Ridhwan: Being part of the Zebari tribe, Ridhwan has 8 sisters and 7 brothers. Ridhwan fled to an Iranian refugee camp in 1991, also on foot. He came to the United States after marrying a Kurdish refugee who arrived in 1996. Ridhwan earned a Law degree in Kurdistan and received his master's degree in law from Syracuse University. He is an active member of the Kurdish community.
Jumaa Barani
Jumaa was born in Iraqi Kurdistan in the village of Ekmala Khabur near Duhok and came to the United States in 1997. He has a high school diploma and a 2-year college degree from SUNY Broome. Growing up, he witnessed the harsh rule and treatment of Saddam Hussein and his military towards his own family and people, which lead to his brother’s and father’s death.
Karwan Zebari
Born into wars, Karwan didn’t see his father often, since he was working with the government building roads for the army in southern Iraq. Throughout his childhood, Karwan lived in Duhok with his family. In 1990, he, along with his family, fled Iraqi Kurdistan and came to the United States. Karwan is a representative of the Kurdish Regional Government in Washington, D.C.
Nergiz Taha
Nirgiz was born in Dohuk. At the age of 6, Nirgiz and her family escaped from the cruelty of Saddam Hussein and came to the U.S. Nirgiz obtained her bachelor's degree and professional degree from Binghamton University.
Ridhwan Zebari
Being part of the Zebari tribe, Ridhwan has 8 sisters and 7 brothers. In 1991, he fled to an Iranian refugee camp on foot. He came to the States after marrying a Kurdish refugee who arrived later in 1996. Ridhwan earned a Law degree in Kurdistan and received his master's degree in law from Syracuse University. He is an active member of the Kurdish community.