Hungry for fresh start, Iraqi refugees open Lowell restaurants

December 11, 2011|By Kathleen Pierce, Globe Correspondent

LOWELL - Coming home from work one night, Ahmad Al Zubaidi was attacked by seven men in dark clothing. They savagely beat the influential Iraqi television journalist and left him for dead on the streets of Uzbekistan.

Targeted for “telling the truth’’ about Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, the Iraq native spent a month in a hospital recovering. The message was unmistakable: Leave or be killed.

Eight years later, half a world away, the 57-year-old recounts the tale in the colorful confines of Babylon Restaurant, his six-month-old establishment in downtown Lowell.

To escape torture, persecution, and societal and religious conflict, Iraqi refugees have been immigrating to America by the thousands for the last few years. According to the International Institute of Lowell, approximately 250 live in Lowell, and hundreds more in Springfield, Lynn, Worcester, and Chelsea. Like most immigrants, they scramble to find jobs to feed their children, pay their rent, and start anew.

Because of the language barrier, many find work as dishwashers, in the service industry, or hold down jobs as security guards, house cleaners, or yard workers. And in Lowell, two Iraqi refugee families are setting the standard for what is possible.

A few streets from Babylon, Ahmad and Ghaida Jassim are a month into their new endeavor as owners of Abu Nawas. The split-level restaurant with a gift shop and takeout counter serves bountiful plates of stuffed grape leaves, freshly made hummus with endless pita, and free tea. It’s been a hit with lawyers attending hearings in the nearby courthouse and University of Massachusetts Lowell students, who appreciate the reasonable prices and healthy fare.

Initially, this couple, who both have master’s degrees in communication and were former members of Iraq’s upper class, have found it hard to find work. Since arriving in Lowell 2 ½ years ago, they’ve stitched together a string of minimum wage jobs to pay the bills. She has been an assistant teacher, he worked in security, as a night clerk at a 7-Eleven, and in the kitchen of a Papa Gino’s and Chili’s.

“We need something. We need to survive,’’ said Ghaida Jassim, a hospitable woman with big, bold eyes.

By taking matters into their own hands, these families have impressed local agencies that help immigrants.

“We’ve never heard of people opening up a business so quickly, not within a few months of getting here. That is really fast and fascinating,’’ said Rebecca Feldman, director of the International Institute of Lowell, a resettlement agency that assists refugees coming into the city.

There are reasons why, even in a diverse city such as Lowell, these immigrants stand out. While city departments have been very helpful, opening a restaurant can be extremely arduous.