105-YEAR-OLD REALIZES DREAM OF CITIZENSHIP
By Teresa Watanabe, Times Staff Writer
Los Angeles Times , CA
Oct 26 2006
Iranian-born Sona Babai was among 7,000 others who became U.S. citizens
at ceremonies in Pomona. She joined family here six years ago.
Sona Babai counts good health, a loving mother-in-law and 10 children
as the biggest blessings of a long and fruitful life.
But there was one more thing she wanted: American citizenship.
So the native of Iran placed her hand over her heart, pledged
allegiance to the flag and Wednesday became one of the nation’s newest
citizens to be sworn in.
At 105 years old, she is also one of the oldest.
Before a stage festooned with American flags, Babai joined 7,000 others
from 132 countries who became American citizens at naturalization
ceremonies Wednesday at the Pomona Fairplex. But the petite woman
with clear brown eyes and snowy white hair cut a distinctive figure
as several news cameras recorded her slow walk to the front of the
cavernous hall, stooped but steady, unassisted except for a cane.
When a ceremony official announced, "Excuse me, we have a lady
that’s 105 years old – and she’s walking!" the crowd erupted in claps
and cheers.
Babai said she wanted to naturalize as a sign of gratitude to America
for embracing her children, four of whom live here, and allowing
their families to thrive as restaurateurs, business consultants,
architects, engineers, dentists and other professionals.
"America is a big umbrella that lets a lot of people underneath to be
safe," Babai said in her native Azari language, which was translated
by her son, Antoine Babai. "Because of the good hearts of American
people, I want to be part of them."
Marie Sebrechts, spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship
and Immigration Services, said research indicated that Babai was
the fourth oldest person ever to naturalize. The oldest, she said,
was a 117-year-old Armenian immigrant who became a citizen in Los
Angeles district ceremonies in 1997.
Antoine Babai said his mother still threads needles, has 20/20 vision
and needs no hearing aid. Her mind is still so sharp she can tell her
daughter in Tehran in exactly which cabinet in which room to find a
particular household item, he added.
Both nature and good nurturing account for her longevity, the family
said. Her eldest brother lived to age 117, and her younger siblings
range in age from 95 to 101.
Growing up in the unpolluted environment of a rural farming village
in northwest Iran also helped, Antoine Babai said. In her native
Gharahbagh, a 400-person village of vineyards and almond trees,
Babai’s family grew their own food, slaughtered their own livestock
for meat, churned their own butter and heated their ovens with patties
of animal dung.
"There were no preservatives, no chemicals, nothing," Antoine
Babai said. "I believe one reason she’s lived this long is that the
foundation of her life was natural."
Babai herself says as much when asked the secret of her longevity.
"Clean air, fresh food and good family," she said.
But Babai also endured hardships. She lived through three major
political upheavals in Iran, including the Islamic Revolution that
she criticizes for using religion to justify such acts as seizing
private property. Many of her relatives were killed in the eight-year
Iran-Iraq War, she said.
As a child, she used to hide in water wells to escape murderous tribes
who would ravage her village.
She was even kidnapped at age 12 as a bride for a distant relative
smitten by her beauty, according to her son. But the adventure had
a happy ending. She produced 10 children over an 84-year marriage
and grew to love her mother-in-law so much that she still kisses her
picture every night at bedtime.
Her link to America began as it has for so many immigrants: through
a desire to give her children a first-class education and unlimited
opportunities.
Neither Babai nor her husband Mokhtar, who died in 1991 at age
103, ever learned to read or write. But they knew the value of an
American education, so Antoine and another son came to the U.S. to
study advertising design and engineering, respectively, at Louisiana
State University.
The two brothers eventually settled in Palm Desert and opened a French
restaurant. Two sisters followed and settled in Irvine. Today, Babai
boasts six children, 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The children obtained a green card for their mother and brought her
to Palm Desert six years ago, after their father died in Tehran.
Her request to become a citizen surprised Karan Kler, executive
director of Coachella Valley Immigration Service and Assistance Inc.
But he said Babai told him: "By becoming a citizen, I can show to
the world that it is never too late to give back."
Because of his client’s medical conditions, Kler managed to obtain
waivers excusing her from the English and civic tests required of
most prospective citizens. But Babai sailed through her interview
with immigration officials – telling them, among other things, that
she would bear arms to defend the United States.
War was not on her mind Wednesday. Asked what she would do as a new
citizen, Babai replied:
"I’m an American. I’m going to vote."