Before the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, Heather Yamour never questioned whether she belonged in America.
Growing up in rural Ohio as the daughter of an Iraqi father and an American mother, she felt safe and secure in her country of birth — a citizen like any other.
But that year, Ms Yamour’s world crumbled when the US invaded and subsequently occupied Iraq, where she still had many relatives.
“[The war] pierced this sort of bubble, the sort of security that I had growing up,” said Ms Yamour, who was a university student at the time.
She felt “a sudden fear” for her family, not only in Iraq but also in America, where many local Arab and Iraqi-American communities were suddenly regarded with suspicion.
“When the US invaded Iraq, everything changed. It wasn't just that you're American, you're Iraqi American,” said Ms Yamour, explaining that she felt the emphasis on her Iraqi heritage lessened her sense of belonging in the US.
Twenty years later, the scars the invasion left on many Iraqi Americans have proved hard to heal, as the consequences of the war severely affected their lives and perspectives.
“I remember the look on my father's face every time he'd watch the news. He was silent,” Ms Yamour said. “We were all worried about the same thing: Is our family safe? Are they alive?”
The US occupation and the ensuing civil war would result in hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties — according to the most conservative estimates — as well as untold suffering.
While millions demonstrated against the war around the world, including in the US, the occupation of oil-rich Iraq was backed by strong American public opinion and had bipartisan support in Congress.
Ms Yamour also worried if it was safe for her and her family to go to the mosque or even talk on the phone with family in Iraq because of concerns over wiretapping by US law enforcement agencies.
“I never got that sense of safety or security back,” she said.
“And over the years since the US invasion, every Iraqi American I've talked to has been touched by the war. Their family in Iraq has been touched by the war in some way. They had either relatives that had died or friends and neighbours who were killed.”
Hassan Hussain, an Iraqi-American university lecturer who left Iraq at the age of seven with his family in the early 1980s, said he felt “heart-broken” by the severe impact the sanctions, invasion and occupation had on his country of origin.
Before 2003, Iraqis had endured years of deprivation following the Gulf War in the early 1990s. The country was hit with strong sanctions and the entire population was effectively punished for the decision of Saddam Hussein to invade neighbouring Kuwait.
“We were the second richest economy in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia. We didn't have beggars on the streets in the seventies and eighties,” said Mr Hussain, who teaches Middle East history, Arabic and Farsi at the University of North Georgia.
Iraq War protests around the world in 2003 — in pictures
To him, the “heartbreak” was already there from the effects of 13 years of sanctions and an embargo that had destroyed Iraqi society and thrown millions into poverty.
Thousands of Iraqi children also died senselessly due to malnutrition and a lack of medicine because of the sanctions.
“This was clearly degrading a country, pushing it backward. It was watching what was a developed country become an undeveloped one,” said Mr Hussain. “And it was clearly by policy design, not by circumstance.”
For Mr Hussain, the 2003 military invasion of Iraq was painful and “surreal” to comprehend.
“It started with the bombing. Just constant bombing, which was devastating to watch because the objective was literally to bomb Iraq back to the Stone Age,” he said.
He points to the international reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, describing it as heaping salt on a wound that has yet to heal.
Iraqis didn’t get the international support and military aid that Ukrainians are receiving today, he said.
“It was clearly understood [in 2003] that America bypassed the United Nations, didn't care about any norms of international law, and was too big to be held accountable. Whereas now, we are demanding that the whole world holds Russia accountable,” Mr Hussain said.
The occupation of Iraq proved to be a strategic blunder that plunged the country into a spiral of instability and sectarian division, and ended up hurting US interests in the region.
“No single event had enabled Iranian influence more than America's intervention in 2003, which handed Iraq to Iran,” said Fanar Haddad, a former adviser to former Iraqi prime minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi.
Divisions between Sunnis and Shiites grew to an “unthinkable” level, according to Mr Haddad, author of Sectarianism in Iraq and Understanding 'Sectarianism'.
“What Iraqis were put through over the course of 20 years is unforgivable … The human cost has been absolutely staggering,” he said.
Abdulrazzaq Al Saiedi, a technical expert on Iraq who works with Physicians for Human Rights, a US-based NGO that investigates and documents human rights abuses, said that Iraqis paid a hefty price following the US invasion and the ousting of Saddam Hussein.
“I think the US had an excellent plan to get rid of Saddam … But the postwar plan was very, very poorly planned,” he said during the online event organised by Washington think tank New America.
“So, we paid a lot. We might have gained our freedom from Saddam, but we lost our national identity.”
Ms Yamour has never set foot in Iraq, but she grew up listening to her father speak fondly of his birthplace.
“He would always describe Iraq as this place where you wanted to go because it felt so welcoming. It's such a good place, such a safe place with good values,” she said.
But after the US invasion and the instability it created, her father’s dream to one day go back to Iraq faded.
“My father is 85 now. We can't go back. He'll never go back. My family has told us not to come,” she said.
“And I can't foresee a time in the future when I will visit Iraq, because the Iraq that was described to me doesn't exist [any more].”
A Dog's Journey
Directed by: Gail Mancuso
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott
3 out of 5 stars
Spec%20sheet
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Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
If%20you%20go
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The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
The%20specs
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Read more about the coronavirus
FIGHT CARD
Fights start from 6pm Friday, January 31
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) v Ahmed Saeb (IRQ)
Women’s bantamweight
Cornelia Holm (SWE) v Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (JOR) v Vitalii Stoian (UKR)
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) v Ali Dyusenov (UZB)
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) v Delfin Nawen (PHI)
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) v Mohamed El Mokadem (EGY)
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Ramadan Noaman (EGY)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Reydon Romero (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Juho Valamaa (FIN)
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) v Austin Arnett (USA)
Super heavyweight
Roman Wehbe (LEB) v Maciej Sosnowski (POL)
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Pakistan Super League
Previous winners
2016 Islamabad United
2017 Peshawar Zalmi
2018 Islamabad United
2019 Quetta Gladiators
Most runs Kamran Akmal – 1,286
Most wickets Wahab Riaz –65
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off