Introduction

Iraqi refugees come to America out of the hardship of many years of war and internal conflict. They also bring with them eight thousand years of history. In this fact sheet, you will be given an overview of the land, the people, and their history, including the circumstances that impelled the refugees to leave their native land. You will also be given information on the Iraqi language and culture, and a discussion of aspects of American culture and English that are likely to be puzzling or problematic to the newly-arrived Iraqi.

We hope that the information contained in this fact sheet will provide you with some insights into the behavior and attitudes of your Iraqi refugees. It is unwise, usually, to give lists of do's and don'ts in dealing with people whose culture differs from ours. We find, instead, that an understanding of why people behave the way they do will in itself suggest solutions to intercultural problems. We urge you to read further on Iraq and the Iraqis and have included some useful, readily available, and above all readable sources in the bibliography at the end.

The Cultural Orientation Project--http://www.culturalorientation.net, for more information contact sanja@cal.org
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