armenianow.com
August 13, 2004
Holiday from War: Iraqi-Armenian family enjoy brief reunion in Armenia
By Suren Deheryan
ArmeniaNow reporter
In March of last year, when the United States invaded Iraq, ArmeniaNow
reported on two Iraqi-Armenian students who watched on television from
Yerevan while their home was under attack (click here). Andranik and Mihran
Sedrakyan were university students here, but their parents and younger
brother were in peril as bombs fell on Baghdad.
Sixteen months later the boys were reunited with their mother and brother
who left Baghdad for a visit to Yerevan (they were also joined by their
grandfather, who came from the United States).
When war broke out, the boys gave up studies for news
It is 12 hours before Rina Sedrakyan and 14-year old son Sevak will board a
flight from Yerevan to Aleppo. Once in Syria, they will take a 16 hour taxi
ride through desert, dust and numerous armed posts to reach Baghdad.
Rina dreads the trip, but looks forward to seeing her husband and sister.
She has worried about them, especially since the August 1 attacks in their
city near an Armenian Catholic church.
During two months in Armenia the mother/wife/sister came to understand the
anxiety her sons Mihran, 24, and Andranik, 25, experienced. For seven months
after Baghdad came under attack, the boys were cut off from communication
with their family. They were in Yerevan to attend university. But for four
months they didn’t go to class, spending time instead watching news reports
of war in their home.
Peace is far from Baghdad, but Rina, 44, could not wait for more convenient
times before seeing her sons. With great effort she and Sevak came to
Yerevan in June and stayed until last Sunday.
“Finally I saw my sons, my father and had a wonderful time together in
Armenia,” Rina said, while packing for the return. “Now it’s time to go
back. I’ve left my husband and my sisters in Baghdad and I’m very anxious
for them.”
Anxiety reached new levels when Christian churches were bombed in Baghdad
two weeks ago.
“We go to the Armenian Apostolic church and up to this moment Armenians
could go to churches every time during every ceremony,” Rina said. “But
after this incident I think most of us would be afraid to go to our
churches. It means that we are in danger too.”
Rina says now the family will also avoid going to the Armenian community
club, where they have always gone for swimming, exercise and different study
groups.
After a restful reunion in Armenia, Rina was dreading the return to a war
zone.
“It’s wonderful, peaceful and safe in Yerevan,” Rina said. “Here all of us
are Armenians and we can go out without any yashmak. Our evening walks here
were worth everything. As a woman in Baghdad, I don’t risk to go anywhere
alone for two years.”
Rina’s second trip to Armenia was 26 years after the first
Each Yerevan night Rina could rest without the interruption of explosions –
a luxury she been denied since March last year in her own city.
(According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, there were some
20,000 Armenians in Iraq in 2003, about 10,000 in Baghdad. Today the
ministry has no accurate data as the Armenian Embassy in Iraq has
temporarily stopped its activity.)
According to the Department of Migration and Refugees of Armenia more than
100 Armenian refugees from Iraq have moved into Armenia since the war
started.
Rina said a few Armenians have died during attacks – those who worked for
international agencies. Some of her relatives had worked for American
organizations, but left their jobs after three Armenian women were killed
while working for the Americans.
The Sedrakyans say war has become a normal way of life in Baghdad. Life
continues, people go to work, children to schools, sometimes it is possible
to meet even wedding parties.
“This year we took part in three Armenian wedding parties in Baghdad,” Rina
said. “Three of the brides were from Yerevan. Their husbands have worked in
Yerevan and brought their girl-friends with them to Baghdad. This of course
is a brave deed on behalf of the girls.”
In 1978 Rina and Sedrak Sedrakyan reversed that pattern, as they came to
Yerevan to get married.
At that time Sedrak’s brothers were studying in Yerevan, so the couple
decided to have their wedding here.
They had hoped to return for their 25 th anniversary last summer, but the
events in Baghdad ruined those plans. Instead, they spent their anniversary
in their basement.
Sedrak wanted to be with his family in Yerevan, but was afraid to leave the
house unattended during such troubled times.
Rina found Yerevan to be beautiful, she said, “but 26 years ago there were
no beggars here, now there are many in the streets”.
Mother and son Sedrakyans took candles from Holy Etchmiadzin to put in the
Armenian church in Baghdad.
“I had brought candles from the Armenian church in Baghdad and lighting them
here I begged for peace for Iraq,” Rina said. “Now I’ll take candles from
here and hand them to the Armenians so that they’ll also light candles of
our saint Etchmiadzin in the Armenian churches of Baghdad.
“We beg for peace and a quiet life from God. Life in Baghdad is like an
animal’s life; we eat, drink and sit at home. We think only of staying
alive.”