No More ‘Go West Young Man’ in Iraqi Kurdistan

[Aslan]

SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – Eight years ago Jamal Muhammad left his home in Sulaimani in search of better employment opportunities in Europe. But with Western economies in decline and Kurdistan booming, he is back like many other Kurds, working and enjoying being close to friends and family.

He now works at a taxi company, earns a good living and – most important to him – can see his family every day.

The return home is a trend that many Kurds are following, now that investment projects have increased and there are greater job opportunities in the autonomous and calm enclave in northern Iraq.

Muhammad was 27 when he borrowed heavily and paid smugglers for a treacherous journey that got him first into Greece and then to Germany. It was while working there that he realized the ambitions that drove him to migrate were all achievable in the home he had left behind.

Jutyar Sulaiman Agha, who returned to Sulaimani from Norway a year ago, said that unemployment had forced him to leave 15 years ago.

“We have to return when there are opportunities of employment to provide for your own life," said Agha, who currently manages a shop for herbal medicines in Suleimani, while his wife runs a kindergarten. "You can find a job if you are really looking for one. Our country is better than many others,” he said.

Neither the government nor any other organization knows how many Kurds have migrated to the West.

Amanj Abdullah, the president of the Iraqi Federation of Refugees in the Kurdistan Region, said that returnees still faced difficulties, and that more should be done to care for their needs and encourage more Kurds to return.

"Their children and families are used to the life, system, climate and education of Western countries. They need more help from the government to educate their children and find them jobs," he said.

He added that more than three million Iraqis live in neighboring and Western countries, but that there are no Iraqi institutions to deal with them.

Huner, one of the returnees, said that she no longer thinks about going to Europe, except for visits.

"I did not like any of the jobs I found. I saved some money through working with a company, and then started a small project running a market by taking small loans. I think about going to Europe only to visit friends," she said.

Jobs, business opportunities and wealth have all increased, according to data from the Kurdistan Investment Board.

It shows that, since the beginning of the investment process, the wealth of 1,800 individuals has climbed to five million dollars, 30 people own more than one billion dollars and 183,000 jobs have been created in various investment projects.

COMMENTS:

Rebaz | 12 hours ago
Being a foreigner in a foreign land or being a minority within a state is always hard. By the way, I have a question, I left Kurdistan many decades ago, I was a professional but now I am retired and I have a good retirement salary, now if I return back to Kurdistan I will loose my salary in the country where I am currently living, can I get the same pension in Kurdistan? To whom should I address my question? Thank you so much.
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1 0 Delale | 8 hours ago
I agree with this, but it's not the only reason Kurds go to Europe. As one Iraqi Kurd in Belgium told me: "I came for girls and parties". (But, of course, he still wants to marry a virgin - go figure).
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0 0 karzan | 5 hours ago
Dear Rebaz, with regard to your question, coming back to Kurdistan in the hope of having the same salary as a retired person is merely like digging your own grave; here no body cares about whether you have pension or not, whether you are jobless or not. People in authority think about nothing rather their pockets, superficially Kurdistan is just like land of dreams but deep inside everything is upside down!!!

[Feyli_kord]

Finally some good news, I hope europe empties of kurds one day. The west is not our place. The more kurds who return and strengthen kurdistan, the greater our chances of being free.