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Remarks by Mr. Okhowa in Honor of World Refugee Day
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For Immediate Release Office of the First Lady June 23, 2008

Remarks by Mr. Okhowa in Honor of World Refugee Day East Garden


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June 20, 2008

Welcome to Mr. Okhowa.

MR. OKHOWA: Madam First Lady, ladies and gentlemen: I'm truly honored to be
here today in the presence of such a distinguished company. I would
especially like to thank the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration
at the Department of State for inviting me to speak at such an important
event, and at the most famous of American institutions. Although the White
House seems bigger on the TV show "The West Wing" -- (laughter) -- but it
is still a very impressive edifice in real life and I sensed its special
aura the second I walked in the door.

Years ago, when I was growing up in Al Hillah Iraq, if someone had told me
that someday I would be giving a speech at the White House in the presence
of the First Lady, I would have told them that they were crazy. As it
turned out, my life has taken many unanticipated turns. Some were positive;
others were heartbreaking. I'm sure that my story is not unique. Millions
of people around the world have been compelled to leave their countries,
homes, and in many cases, their families, in search of refuge and a new
life in another country. Thousands of people every day are caught in the
middle of situations where they have to make extremely difficult, often
heart-wrenching decisions to save themselves and their loved ones from
terrible situations -- even the threat of death. I am not the only one.

When the American troops liberated my country, Iraq, from years of tyranny
under the regime of Saddam Hussein, I was among the first in Hillah to
volunteer to assist the Americans in their effort to help Iraq transition
from a brutal dictatorship to a free, tolerant, pluralistic and democratic
society. As everyone here knows, there were many obstacles, and there
continue to be some elements in Iraq -- some local, others foreign -- who
do not want Iraq to prosper as a democracy or for Iraqis to live in
security and peace. These same forces succeeded in forcing me, and others
like me, to leave my beloved Iraq. I have to concede that these advocates
of what some people aptly characterized as a "culture of death" won a few
battles early on. However, as many promising developments in Iraq now
indicate, in the end, the forces of good will always triumph over the
forces of evil.

I paid a heavy price -- as did some friends and relatives -- for commitment
to liberty and democracy, but I honestly believe that my sacrifice and the
sacrifice of thousands of others, including many of your sons and daughters
who fought alongside Iraqi soldiers, did not go in vain. It is only a
matter of time before the great people of Iraq triumph over their enemies
and prove to the naysayers that people in the Middle East want democracy;
we are ready for it and we will attain it in the due time.

After I left Iraq , I spent four months in Amman, Jordan, working with
refugee officials, as I waited for my application to be approved. I already
had many relatives in Jordan and the people of Amman welcomed me and my
family, as they did many other Iraqis. But I knew that if I wanted to start
my life anew and give my two young daughters the best chance to live in
security, and to fully pursue their dreams, whatever they may be, I had to
come to the United States. That much I knew.

What I did not know was how warm and welcoming Americans would be. Words
alone cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for the warm hospitality
that the good people of Boise, Idaho, showed me and my family when I first
arrived in the U.S. For those of you who have never been to Boise, I highly
recommend that you visit it if you get a chance. (Laughter.) They are
amazing people. The people of Boise treated me almost like a celebrity, and
in fact, some overly kind American friends even suggested I run for mayor
in the future. (Laughter.) Yet, I did not sense that they treated me
differently because of the hardships my family and I had endured.

I am sure that some of them empathized with me because they we're aware of
their own ancestors' immigrant experience. Mostly though, I think they
treated me with respect and kindness because that is how they treat each
other and everyone else. Their core American values enjoin them to come to
the aid of other human beings in distress to try to alleviate the hardship
of others less fortunate. This is the America I know and have come to love.

Given my experience with the U.S. government in Iraq, and my understanding
of the Arab and Muslim worlds, it was natural for me to end up here in
Washington, D.C., sooner or later. Due in large part to the kindness and
compassion of another American, who was my former boss in Al Hillah and who
is now my current boss at the State Department, I was able to secure a
position where I hope I am playing a role, no matter how small, in bridging
the gap in understating that continues to exist between some in the Arab
and Muslim worlds and the U.S.

For a variety of reasons, some people in the Arab world continue to exhibit
animosity towards the U.S. and cling to misperceptions and misconceptions
about U.S. values and policies. Through my work as a member of the State
Department's Digital Outreach team, my colleagues and I are trying to
change that picture, sometimes one person at a time.

It is my solemn promise to everyone in this room -- or in this garden --
(laughter) -- that I will do all that is within my power, both through my
work and in my personal life, to tell people in the Middle East and
elsewhere about what America and Americans are all about. My presence among
you here today and my position at the State Department is a testament to
the fact that America is indeed still the place where everyone -- no matter
what race, ethnicity, religion or gender -- has a chance to prove their
skills and talents; indeed I am happy my little daughters Mariam and Nabaa
will have a chance here to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness.

Thank you very much. (Applause.)

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